Hopes fade for abandoned humpback whale

Hopes are fading for a baby whale, abandoned by its mother and starved of vital milk, with experts saying it might have to be put down unless it could be tempted out to sea and paired with another pod.

Google puts $10m into new geothermal technology

Google is investing $10 million to produce electricity from underground heat with a breakthrough technology, as the web search leader extends its clout to clean up the environment.

How catching cold mountain air could save Europe's glaciers

A German geography professor has developed a controversial system of mountain "wind-catching" screens which he claims could slow or even halt the dramatic rate at which Europe's glaciers are melting.

Donnachadh McCarthy: Wheelie bins are a design blight on our towns

"Thirteen" I muttered. "What did you say?" asked my mate, who had accompanied me by bicycle to Peckham farmers' market on Sunday for my weekly shop. I replied that I had just added up in my head the number of bags I'd saved by going to the farmers' market instead of the supermarket.

Mourned after being rejected: baby gorilla at heart of zoo row

A mother gorilla clutches the lifeless body of her three-month-old child in an extraordinary, almost human display of emotion.

Magpies reflect on a newly discovered intellectual prowess

They may have a brain the size of a pea but magpies have been shown to possess the intellectual prowess necessary to recognise themselves in a mirror – a feat that, until now, has only been seen in humans, apes, elephants and dolphins.

Michael McCarthy: We are not alone in experiencing grief

Do animals experience grief? It depends what we mean by the word. Certainly, many mammals and even birds clearly exhibit symptoms of what has been termed "separation distress" when they are parted from a mate, a parent or their offspring.

Jellyfish invasion: Britain to fight them on the beaches

The growing threat from swarms of jellyfish around Britain's coast is to be investigated for the first time by British and Irish scientists. Using the latest technology, researchers are planning to tag jellyfish to explore their life cycles and movement in a project known as Ecojel.

Fur flies as Gwyneth Paltrow offends her animal-rights friends

She is almost as famous for her green, holistic lifestyle as she is for her film roles, but Gwyneth Paltrow has become the focus of angry animal rights campaigners.

Buzzards spread wings across UK – but where have the kestrels gone?

Two of Britain's best known birds of prey are undergoing starkly contrasting changes in abundance – one very much up, and the other plummeting.

Global warming brings an early laying season for Britain's birds

Climate change is causing familiar British birds to lay their eggs earlier, according to a survey of UK bird populations.

From Norway to Scotland, sea eagles have landed

Fifteen sea eagles have been released from a secret location in Scotland. The birds of prey, which have a wingspan of 8ft, were introduced to the wild in Fife as part of a project that aims to re-establish the white-tailed sea eagle in eastern Scotland.

Fiction, but not pulp - 720,000 recycling leaflets

A city council printed 720,000 copies of a leaflet praising its residents' recycling - but used the wrong picture on the cover.

Sea eagles released at secret location

Fifteen sea eagles are to be released from a secret location in Scotland.

Back to nature: the cheeky new way to save the planet

The link between playing nude volleyball and stopping the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf melting to the size of an ice cube may seem a bit tenuous. But a growing number of naturists contend that, not only are they in the vanguard of the environmentalist movement, but their lifestyle might even help to reverse anthropogenic global warming. Econudes.org was founded two years ago by naturists dissatisfied with the passive, Health & Efficiency, beach ball-bopping image of nudism. Clothes, and all the ancillary industries involved in their manufacture, transportation and upkeep, are a major cause of climate change, they say. Eliminate them, and you eliminate a significant threat to mankind. "Get your kit off and save the planet" is the message.

Foreign plants and animals cause havoc on waterways

Invasive animals and plants which have been released or seed themselves into the wild are causing havoc on the UK's rivers and canals, according to British Waterways.

Prince warns of GM crops 'disaster'

The Prince of Wales has warned the development of genetically modified crops risked creating "the biggest disaster environmentally of all time".

Shell rebuked for 'greenwash' over ad for polluting oil project

The Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell misled the public about the green credentials of a vastly polluting oil project in Canada, in an attempt to assure consumers of its good environmental record, a media watchdog will rule today.

Herpes virus ravages Koi carp population

An outbreak of a deadly disease that affects Koi carp has been confirmed after 60 of the fish died at one of Britain's most prestigious royal gardens.

Whales under threat of extinction

A quarter of whales, dolphins and porpoises are threatened with extinction, with one in 10 species endangered to the very highest levels, a study by conservationists will reveal today.

Clash of the fiercest predators as shark eats polar bear

Global warming may not be the only threat to the polar bear. Scientists are puzzling over the discovery of the jawbone of a young polar bear in the stomach of a Greenland shark, a species that thrives in the cold waters of the far north.

Police arrest 100 at climate camp

Police arrested 100 protesters and charged 46 of them during a week-long protest against climate change, it was revealed today.

Soaring fuel prices and green pressures herald comeback for Britain's waterways

Britain's waterways are on the brink of an astonishing revival – and some of the UK's biggest trucking firms are leading the way. The UK's long-neglected latticework of canals and rivers, which once helped to jump-start the industrial revolution, are poised for a renaissance.

Scargill joins climate camp – to campaign for more coal

He is the man who has devoted his life to trying to save Britain's coal mining industry. They are the eco-activists that are campaigning to stop the construction of Britain's first coal-fired power station in more than 30 years.

James Daley: Pedestrians are the great menace to cyclists

What do you think would be the greatest menace to cyclists riding around the roads of a busy city? Lorries, motorbikes, bendy buses, perhaps? Not in my experience. For me, arguably the biggest danger – and without doubt, the biggest irritation – are pedestrians, who, since the proliferation of the iPod, are more likely than any other moving object inadvertently to place themselves directly in my path while I'm cycling, forcing me either to brake suddenly or to swerve out into the traffic – both of which could end up in a nasty accident.

Summer by the pool: Where keen rockpoolers should cast their nets

Nothing transports you back to childhood quite as much as rockpooling. There's that bewitching combination of sun, sea, sand and secrecy – plus all the salt-laden air helps you work up an appetite for great British seaside staples such as mint choc chip ice cream and chips. The seashore is a fascinating environment – the ebb and flow of the tide reveals places and creatures normally hidden from our gaze and leading mysterious little lives.

Introducing the hybrid you can hear (so it won't run you over)

The fearsome roar of their engines is one of the first things to come to mind at the mention of Lotus, the stylish, lightweight British sports cars.

Henry the reptile to become a father at 111

An indigenous New Zealand reptile regarded as one of the last living descendants of the dinosaurs will become a father for the first time in decades at the age of 111, officials said today.

Donnachadh McCarthy: The Home Ecologist

People with wood burners are like squirrels, in that they plan ahead, building up stores for the coming winter. I started stocking up on wood as soon as the last heating season finished in early May. With last year being my first full winter with the wood burner, I now have a better idea of how much wood I need to keep the house cosy all winter. I need to double the amount of wood I gathered last winter, to avoid heat-rationing. I only use waste wood, ideally from within walking distance of the house, and I nearly always come back with some every morning after fetching my Independent.

A sinister weapons cache – or useful camping gear?

One side claims they are "sinister" weapons intended to attack police officers, horses and dogs. The other says they are nothing more dangerous than kitchen utensils, to be used for cutting up vegetables. The confrontations between the police and protesters at the climate camp in Kent continued yesterday, after officers paraded knives and other weapons which they said had been confiscated and found around the camp near Kingsnorth power station.

Obama in U-turn on energy policy

Barack Obama has laid out an ambitious energy plan under which US dependence on foreign oil would end within 10 years.

Rare butterfly rises again

A threatened butterfly has bounced back after last year's bad weather to increase its numbers at one of the best sites for the species in Europe, the Wildlife Trusts said yesterday.

Primates 'at risk of extinction'

Nearly half of all the species of monkeys and apes in the world are in danger of extinction with primates as a whole representing one of the most threatened group of mammals today, a study has found.

Police block food supplies to power station protesters

Hundreds of riot police pushed back protesters at the Kingsnorth coal power station "climate camp" in Kent yesterday, as officers raided the site and made eight arrests.

Police make arrests at climate protest camp

Police made a number of arrests today during a second raid at a site where 400 eco-activists are gathering for a week-long environmental protest.

'Pay to scrap gas-guzzlers'

Motorists who trade in their old gas-guzzlers for cars that do less damage to the environment should be given a cash prize by the Treasury, a committee of MPs is recommending.

Organic food becomes latest casualty of the credit crunch

Dairy farmers are turning their backs on Britain's organic milk market as economic pessimism dents consumers' previously buoyant demand for organic produce. The organic goods market at large is being "credit crunched", particularly among new products like organic ready meals and home-delivery vegetable boxes.

European trend to recycling leads to mass shortage of wheelie bins in UK

First the sun-loungers, now colour-coded wheelie bins. The Germans and eastern Europeans are apparently responsible for a mass British shortage of the mobile plastic rubbish receptacle.

Unregulated sewage pipes give water firms a 'licence to pollute'

The Environment Agency is giving water companies "a licence to pollute" by allowing thousands of "unregulated" overflow pipes to dump sewage into rivers and coastal waters, according to the Marine Conservation Society.

Hi-tech 'pinger' to save dolphins from fishing nets

Conservationists in Cornwall are planning to use a hi-tech sonic device in a battle to save the last group of bottlenose dolphins to swim in English waters.

Rescuers fail to save sick whale

A sick whale had to be put down last night after it repeatedly beached itself on sandbanks.

Chimpanzees used for medical testing 'show signs of torture'

Chimpanzees subjected to medical experiments suffer similar psychiatric symptoms to those shown by tortured humans, according to a study to be released next week.

UK accused over greenhouse gases

Britain's CO2 emissions are increasing, contrary to government claims, according to two new reports.

Attenborough alarmed as children are left flummoxed by test on the natural world

Children have lost touch with the natural world and are unable to identify common animals and plants, according to a survey.

James Daley: Cyclotherapy

I've changed the route that I cycle to work over the past few weeks – first because after four years of riding the same way, I was ready for some new scenery, but also because I'm sure it helps make me a better cyclist. While you might think knowing your route back to front is the best way to stay safe, there's a school of thought which says the better you know your way, the more complacent you become. If you've been riding around the same blind corner in the backstreets of Stockwell for several years, and you've never once come across another vehicle, then you're less likely to be paying attention on the day when something does appear. I always try to remind myself that it only takes one bad collision with a car to put me in a wheelchair or worse.

Grass ceiling: How corporate culture is going green

In central London there is a lawn of luscious green, in which insects merrily scurry. Feeding on them are birds, which can nest nearby in specially installed wooden boxes. They are observed by office workers eight storeys above ground level, where a view of Saint Paul's Cathedral matches any vista in the capital.

How green are the Tories?

If there was one change that symbolised David Cameron's mission to transform the Conservative Party, it was putting the environment at the top of his agenda. And if there is one abiding image of his leadership, it is his "hug a husky" moment during his visit to the Arctic two years ago to see the impact of climate change.

Going organic: Harvest home (all you do is hire the farmer)

Anne Vollen jokes that when she began running her own business from her San Francisco home, "the backyard was soon more neglected than my husband and children".

Farmers make hay thanks to food crisis

Profits for Britain's 30,000 grain farmers will increase by 40 per cent this year because of global food shortages, agricultural analysts said yesterday.

Shrew with a taste for the amber nectar

Binge-drinking Brits in Faliraki could learn from the pen-tailed tree shrew of Malaysia, which scientists have discovered can absorb large quantities of alcohol without showing any obvious signs of intoxication.

Bigfoot: New evidence

It is right up there with the Loch Ness monster: the subject of claimed sightings, passionately promoted by believers, dismissed by the scientific community. But now experts say they have found the best evidence to date that the yeti might – just conceivably – be real.

UK's marine ecologists start to think big

Environmentalists seeking to highlight the decimation of the UK's larger fish species are to make a symbolic journey from the headwaters of the Trent to the Humber Estuary, once a thriving spawning ground for sturgeon.

Mystery of tumbling puffin population

Numbers of puffins at England's largest colony, on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast, have mysteriously tumbled by a third in the past five years.

The truth about bike crime: How to beat the thieves

David, David, David. What were you thinking? The rosy-cheeked opposition leader only popped into his local Tesco in west London for "some bits of salad" – and can't have been more than five minutes foraging among the rocket and radicchio – but on his return, where once rested Cameron's gleaming two-wheeler (an "old friend", he joked) stood a denuded bollard. Indeed, "bollards!" is what he might have muttered, as dozens of busy Londoners walked on by. Bewildered victims of bike theft are 10 a penny in the capital – almost 20,000 bike thefts are recorded each year in London, and more than 100,000 in the UK (countless more go unreported).

Riches in the Arctic: the new oil race

The future of the Arctic will be less white wilderness, more black gold, a new report on oil reserves in the High North has signalled this week. The first-comprehensive assessment of oil and gas resources north of the Arctic Circle, carried out by American geologists, reveals that underneath the ice, the region may contain as much as a fifth of the world's undiscovered yet recoverable oil and natural gas reserves.

The salmon business: Can marine farming ever be eco friendly?

Salmon is an easy fish to love. Simple and tasty, its pink flesh is pulled from supermarket shelves and transformed into an array of increasingly exotic dishes.

James Daley: The "Summer of Cycling" initiative

Last Monday morning, London's new mayor Boris Johnson – or Bojo, as he is affectionately known – summoned the nation's press to the foot of the London Eye for the unveiling of a major new cycling initiative. I was, alas, washing my hair (or something equally important) at the time, but it turns out, as I suspected, I didn't miss much.

Better than new: Give your home an eco facelift

Soon after I decided to leave mainstream politics – I was the deputy chair of the Liberal Democrat Party – and concentrate on becoming an eco-auditor and writer, I looked around my home and realised that, like many a politician's property, it had suffered from years of neglect and now badly needed repairing and redecorating. Knowing that more than 72 million tons of waste is produced each year by the UK construction industry and that huge resources and CO2 emissions are involved in producing new building materials, I resolved that the refurbishment should be as eco-friendly as possible. I would avoid new products and, where I had to buy new ones, would opt for those with good environmental credentials.

Egrets? We've had a few

Britain has a new species of breeding bird, it was announced yesterday – the cattle egret, a white heron which has spread out from Africa across the globe.

Invasion of the jellyfish: Mediterranean on alert as hundreds suffer from stings

As thousands of tourists head to the Mediterranean, the spectre of jellyfish ruining holidays looms large after French emergency services received more than 500 calls for help in a single day along a 10-mile stretch of coast from Nice to Cannes.

Drivers 'unaware of emission levels'

Nearly three in four drivers do not know how much carbon dioxide their car emits, it was revealed today.

Donnachadh McCarthy: The Home Ecologist

The figure £3.2bn has been in my head recently. No, it's not the royalties from my eco-books, but rather the amount of money that our government announced it was going to spend on two new aircraft carriers. It will cost a staggering additional £50bn to equip and crew them for 20 years. By coincidence, it would also cost £3.2bn to insulate the 11 million non-insulated cavity-walled UK homes, which would save 12 million tonnes of CO2 and lift millions out of fuel poverty. It seems boats for the boys are more important than preserving the planet.

GM looks to an electric avenue

"The eyes of the world are now on the Volt. It's the future of America and the world." That was the US presidential candidate John McCain talking to car industry workers a few days ago, referring to General Motors' promised new electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt. The future of the world, no less. No pressure, then.

Nuclear power plants could be built in protected areas

A new generation of nuclear power stations could be built in flood-risk or "environmentally protected" areas, under proposed rules set out by the Government today.

MPs urge emissions deadlines for power stations

The Government must set a deadline for coal-fired power stations to install technology to massively cut their emissions or be shut down, a committee of MPs urged today.

C4's climate change documentary 'was unfair but not misleading'

A Channel 4 documentary which claimed that the idea of man-made climate change was a fraud and a conspiracy has been censured by the broadcasting regulator. Ofcom.