The use and spread of palm oil is beyond imagination; from cooking and manufacturing to pharmaceuticals and drilling fluids, it is even in nanny's chocolate cake. Its global consumption may have increased more than any other good, but what does this entail for the farmers? The crisis in Edo State of Nigeria speaks for itself, reports BURAG GURDEN
A planning application to build thousands of new houses on Lodge Hill, one of the last strongholds for nightingales in the UK, has been withdrawn. More than 12,000 people objected to the application to build on the Site of Special Scientific Interest, leading to a Public Inquiry being scheduled for March 2018. BRENDAN MONTAGUE reports
ExxonMobil has been funding high quality science while also funding and supporting climate denial. So should scientists continue to accept money from oil companies and other vested interests? KATHARINE HAYHOE, a climate science professor, discusses her own early ExxonMobil funding and the ethical issues it raises
Traces of 123 pesticides, including those linked to cancer, hormone disruption and damage to brain development, have been found in fresh produce supplied to primary school children through a government scheme aimed at promoting healthy eating habits. CATHERINE EARLY reports
Survival International has accused the WWF of failing to listen to and protect indigenous communities from abuse when operating in Africa. WWF denies the claims. Now Survival has abandoned a formal complaint and is turning to the public for support. STEPHEN CORRY, the director, explains why
An African movement for Earth-centred living and governance, founded in traditional cultures, is growing across the continent, writes HANNIBAL RHOADES. Meet the newly graduated Earth Jurisprudence practitioners helping a revival to flourish
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the actor behind Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones, has confirmed our suspicions that the threat of winter in the hit HBO show is a metaphor for climate change. JOE WARE reports (spoiler alert!).
Thousands of protesters have occupied a coal mine near Cologne - the single largest emitter of CO2 in Europe. NICK MEYNEN argues that history is on their side, especially when politicians fail to take heed of climate science
Floods in Sierra Leone. Floods in India. Floods in Nepal. Floods in Bangladesh. Officials now estimate 41 million people across India, Nepal and Bangladesh have been affected. And of course there have been floods in Houston, Texas. We knew climate change would bring more flooding, so is this what the future holds, asks CLAIRE JAMES
Hector Christie, owner of the Tapeley Park estate and farm in Devon and renowned environmental campaigner, is urging the public to join a day of action against the Roundup weedkiller. CATHERINE EARLY reports
The closure of the Delphi automotive factory in the market town of Sudbury will result in the loss of 520 jobs. But former Sudbury resident JOSEPH DUTTON explains that the decision serves as a warning to car makers about the rise of the electric car - and the problems created by Brexit
The Adani-Carmichael Coal Mine is an enduring stain on Australia’s underdeveloped environmental policies, with new fraud cases and environmental assessment reports weighing the venture down. Australian environmentalist MARIAH SAMPSON takes a look at the current state of affairs surrounding the plans for the biggest open coal mine in the world.
World Water Week 2017 this month brought together experts and decision makers to debate solutions to a growing global clean water crisis. DR MARK FLETCHER told the conference that the circular economy - and systems thinking - must be part of the solution