The Mark Group blames recent government policy announcements for scuppering its turnaround plan

Almost 1,000 jobs were lost on Wednesday night as one of the UK’s leading solar- panel installers went into administration, blaming government changes in energy policy for its downfall. The Mark Group said it had been to bring in insolvency specialists because it was unviable due to ongoing losses at the Leicester-based business. So far the administrator, Deloitte, has made 939 redundancies, but a further 200 jobs are at risk unless a buyer can be found.

“The turnaround plan, which was already under way, focuses on solar PV, but the government’s recent policy announcements mean this is no longer viable,” said a statement from the company.

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Source: Guardian Environment

Craik previously ran the National Farmers Federation, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission

Former National Farmers Federation chief Wendy Craik will head the Climate Change Authority, taking over from Bernie Fraser.

Related: Bernie Fraser quits as chairman of Climate Change Authority

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Source: Guardian Environment

Krakow says it will introduce a ban on burning coal in households, offices and restaurants, despite protection of the industry becoming an election issue

The Mayor of Krakow has told the Guardian he will introduce a ban on coal use in households, offices, government buildings and restaurants after an amended Environmental Protection Act was signed by the country’s president, Andrzej Duda.

Poland’s second largest city is as famed for the filthy smog that cakes its buildings and streets, as for its beautiful historic buildings. The European Environmental Agency has ranked it the third most polluted city in Europe and its particulate matter (PM) pollution can reach six times the safe levels.

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Source: Guardian Environment

The company acts as a broker for recycling companies that receive discarded plastic bottles from individuals in underprivileged communities, encouraging recycling and creating jobs

A recent list of 100 of the world’s most compassionate business leaders was topped by the usual suspects: Paul Polman, Richard Branson, Muhammad Yunus and Elon Musk. And then there’s David Katz.

Katz is an entrepreneur based in Vancouver, British Columbia, who for years ran a company he co-founded called Nero Global Tracking, which provides GPS tracking for mobile fleets of vehicles.

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Source: Guardian Environment

After unveiling the luxury Model X, Elon Musk’s company has a big challenge ahead as it aims for a bigger audience with its Model 3, promised for 2017

On 21 September, Tesla’s chief executive and founder, Elon Musk, used all the tricks in his showman’s book to launch the company’s latest all-electric vehicle, the Model X, at the company’s San Francisco Bay headquarters.

Tesla’s mission, he said, is to “accelerate the advent of sustainable transport”, hoping that the new SUV will help the company appeal to a wider audience of American motorists. But with its $130,000 price tag, the Model X could end up having an awkward relationship with sustainability.

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Source: Guardian Environment

Falling costs mean new windfarms are now £20 cheaper per megawatt hour than coal or gas-fired plants, according to new analysis

New onshore windfarms are now the cheapest way for a power company to produce electricity in Britain, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

Costs have dropped to $85 (£55) per megawatt hour (MWh) compared with the current costs of about $115 for constructing coal or gas-fired plants, its analysis found.

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Source: Guardian Environment

The one-acre wildlife garden at the Natural History Museum is an irreplaceable resource for children, argues Jan Miller-Klein

There is a bit of a fuss about the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London’s plans to scrap its wildlife garden.

You may not even have known there was a one-acre wildlife garden there, in the heart of one of the biggest cities in the world; but this year it is 20 years old. I am not alone in feeling this way about the proposed changes. A petition protesting the changes has nearly 4,000 signatures.

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Source: Guardian Environment

Greenpeace warns fires raging across forest and peatlands will match the worst year ever and exceed the total annual carbon output of the UK

Fires raging across the forests and peatlands of Indonesia are on track to pump out more carbon emissions than the UK’s entire annual output, Greenpeace has warned.

As well as fuelling global warming, the thick smoke choking cities in the region is likely to cause the premature deaths of more than 100,000 people in the region and is also destroying vital habitats for endangered orangutans and clouded leopards.

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Source: Guardian Environment

Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts

I’ve just read about a hunter who escaped the clutches of a grizzly bear by shoving his arm down its throat. Any more unlikely ways of surviving an attack by a wild animal?

Geoff Young, Birmingham

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Source: Guardian Environment