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The pope's address to the United Nations: an annotated reading

Francis laid out the idea of the ‘rights of the environment’ in a speech that also spoke of the need to end the persecution of Christians around the world. Our Rome correspondent decodes what the pope said to the general assembly Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment

George Osborne presses on with Hinkley power station despite criticism

The chancellor used his visit to China to secure support from Chinese investors despite reservations on the cost-effectiveness of the power plant Nuclear power returned to the top of the political agenda this week when George Osborne used his visit to China to underline the government’s determination to push through the Hinkley Point C power […]

VW scandal: staff suspended as car giant appoints new CEO

Veteran head of Porsche division Matthias Müller takes over car giant and blames ‘small group’ of staff for emissions scandal Volkswagen has blamed its emissions scandal on a “small group” of people and has suspended a number of staff as Matthias Müller was unveiled as its new chief executive. Müller, who has been promoted from […]

Volkswagen scandal – seven days that rocked the German carmaker

In just a week the VW emissions scandal has wiped a third of the carmaker’s value and become a bigger threat to the German economy than the Greek debt crisis Volkswagen is told to recall 482,000 cars in the US after it is caught deploying sophisticated software to cheat emissions tests and allow its cars […]

Ted Smith obituary

Conservationist who inspired the creation of wildlife trusts and nature reserves In the school summer holiday of 1937, the conservationist Ted Smith, who has died aged 95, cycled 14 miles from his home in rural Lincolnshire to Gibraltar Point. The sixth-former took his cheap binoculars to look for terns on this lonely stretch of sand […]

Circulate on Fridays: Cities, Clothing, Sharing (or not)

Every Friday, Circulate rounds up a collection of interesting circular economy related stories and articles. This week: clothes, cities, sharing (or not), Iggy Pop and lots more! Fast fashion is often held up as a trend undermining everyday efforts to build a circular economy. Owning fewer, but better quality clothes is one solution, but this […]

‘I was horrified’ – the council staff campaigning to divest their pensions

Local government pension funds have invested £14bn in fossil fuel companies like Shell and BP. We spoke to some of the staff pushing for ethical investment When Pete Wallis started working in Oxfordshire’s youth justice service, helping young people who have committed crimes to reconcile with their victims, he was encouraged to sign up to […]

These New Orleans musicians have the climate change blues – video

New Orleans musicians Tom Henehan and David S Lewis talk – and sing – about hurricane Katrina and the way it changed their city. Look out for special guest Barack Obama and his motorcade Listen to the full track, Climate Change Blues Check out more climate change comedy from the Guardian and the Upright Citizens […]

Pope Francis asserts 'right of the environment' in speech to UN

Pontiff declares to United Nations general assembly that the environment should enjoy the same rights and protections as humanity Pope Francis asserted that the environment – as well as humanity – has rights, in a dramatic rethinking of the relationship between people and the Earth at the United Nations on Friday. Related: Pope Francis in […]