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Tropical heron spotted in UK for first time as more exotic birds arrive to thrill birdwatchers

Appearance of a western reef heron in north Wales is unlikely to be the last, as heating temperatures mean species can survive Britain’s winter, say experts

It is a tropical bird typically encountered between west Africa and India, but last week a western reef heron arrived in north Wales in what is believed to be the first ever sighting in the UK.

The heron was first spotted in Foryd Bay at the weekend before flying to nearby Caernarfon harbour where it fed among the boats.

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© Photograph: Lewi Burgess/SWNS

© Photograph: Lewi Burgess/SWNS

© Photograph: Lewi Burgess/SWNS

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‘Fast-track’ regulation could expose Britons to harmful chemicals, say campaigners

Exclusive: Fighting Dirty taking legal action against government over proposal it says could import weaker standards

An environmental campaign group is taking legal action against the government over proposals that it claims could fast-track chemical hazard classifications from other countries with lower standards into UK law.

Fighting Dirty claims proposals to change the classification and labelling of potentially hazardous chemicals could result in the UK weakening standards on cancer-causing substances.

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© Photograph: Marcus Harrison/signs/Alamy

© Photograph: Marcus Harrison/signs/Alamy

© Photograph: Marcus Harrison/signs/Alamy

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Trees may store less planet-heating carbon than hoped, study suggests

Photosynthesis does not always result in wood growth, a key factor in carbon dioxide sequestration

Trees may not be able to store as much planet-heating carbon as hoped, a study suggests, with researchers finding photosynthesis does not always lead to wood growth.

Scientists studied 137 sites across the US and found trees stopped growing months before the point in the year at which photosynthesis stopped.

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© Photograph: Drbouz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Drbouz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Drbouz/Getty Images

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Judge orders restoration of National Parks displays removed under Trump executive order

A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the Trump administration to reinstall displays it removed from National Parks sites over the past year as part of a crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content and climate change information. A group of park advocacy organizations sued the Interior Department, National Park Service and its leaders…

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Judge orders restoration of National Parks displays removed under Trump executive order

A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the Trump administration to reinstall displays it removed from National Parks sites over the past year as part of a crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content and climate change information. A group of park advocacy organizations sued the Interior Department, National Park Service and its leaders…

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Australia can switch from fossil fuel exports to renewables, says next Cop president

Climate minister Chris Bowen says country must prepare for changing world and can play bigger role in reducing emissions

Australia will find exporting fossil fuels increasingly difficult but can switch to exporting clean energy products, the president of the next UN climate negotiations has declared.

Speaking at a climate conference in Bonn, Germany, Chris Bowen, Australia’s minister for climate change and energy, argued his country had led the global push to “transition away from fossil fuels” – based on the rapid growth of renewable energy and batteries in its domestic power grids – and that its economy could manage the switch.

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© Photograph: Bec Lorrimer/The Guardian

© Photograph: Bec Lorrimer/The Guardian

© Photograph: Bec Lorrimer/The Guardian

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