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‘Don’t worry about the leopard. It’s a man you don’t want to run into’: Delhi women reclaim the outdoors

On a wildlife walk in the Indian capital, a group of women share their stories of trying to enjoy nature in a city where strangers feel entitled to harass them

Vallari Sheel wishes she could carry a camera or a pair of binoculars without being asked what her father does for a living. Once, looking at a tree in her south Delhi neighbourhood, about 50 metres away from her home, a man in a car screamed at her: “You have been clicking photos here for 10 days. What are you going to do with them?”

Sheel, an urban ecologist, spends hours observing trees of all types in all seasons. She often travels by car for her own safety, worries about the impact of her work on her family, and has clear guidance for her female interns when they are, inevitably, approached: don’t engage, don’t respond.

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© Photograph: Romita Saluja

© Photograph: Romita Saluja

© Photograph: Romita Saluja

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Brazil’s victory for the planet and democracy: seven lessons from Lula’s win

The trouncing of the far right provides a playbook for social and environmental movements in other countries facing elections, including the US, Spain and France

Thank you, Brazil, for demonstrating how the far right can be trounced while protection for the Amazon is strengthened. In a world where nature and democracy appeared to be bleeding out in tandem, voters and forest defenders in this global south powerhouse have shown it is possible to staunch the flow. This should provide much needed inspiration and, more practically, a playbook for social and environmental movements in other countries facing elections, including the US, Spain and France.

The astonishing comeback victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sunday’s presidential runoff against his extreme right challenger Flavío Bolsonaro has brought oceans of rapturous supporters on to the streets, while also thrilling conservationists, climate activists and social justice campaigners across the world.

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© Photograph: Andre Coelho/EPA

© Photograph: Andre Coelho/EPA

© Photograph: Andre Coelho/EPA

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Brazil’s victory for the planet and democracy: seven lessons from Lula’s win

The trouncing of the far right provides a playbook for social and environmental movements in other countries facing elections, including the US, Spain and France

Thank you, Brazil, for demonstrating how the far right can be trounced while protection for the Amazon is strengthened. In a world where nature and democracy appeared to be bleeding out in tandem, voters and forest defenders in this global south powerhouse have shown it is possible to staunch the flow. This should provide much needed inspiration and, more practically, a playbook for social and environmental movements in other countries facing elections, including the US, Spain and France.

The astonishing comeback victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sunday’s presidential runoff against his extreme right challenger Flavío Bolsonaro has brought oceans of rapturous supporters on to the streets, while also thrilling conservationists, climate activists and social justice campaigners across the world.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Andre Coelho/EPA

© Photograph: Andre Coelho/EPA

© Photograph: Andre Coelho/EPA

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Finland launches criminal investigation into Google’s clearing of forest for datacentre site

Authorities allege company may have breached Finnish environmental laws by forgoing required impact assessment

Finnish ⁠police have launched a criminal investigation into possible breaches ⁠of the country’s environmental ⁠laws ​at the site of a planned Google datacentre in rural northern Finland.

Authorities allege that Tuike Finland, a Google subsidiary, cleared and drained 330 hectares (815 acres) of forest at the planned site in Muhos before environmental impact assessments required by Finnish law had been completed.

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© Photograph: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images

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Finland launches criminal investigation into Google’s clearing of forest for datacentre site

Authorities allege company may have breached Finnish environmental laws by forgoing required impact assessment

Finnish ⁠police have launched a criminal investigation into possible breaches ⁠of the country’s environmental ⁠laws ​at the site of a planned Google datacentre in rural northern Finland.

Authorities allege that Tuike Finland, a Google subsidiary, cleared and drained 330 hectares (815 acres) of forest at the planned site in Muhos before environmental impact assessments required by Finnish law had been completed.

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© Photograph: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images

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From a seed in China to the ‘backdrop for countless love stories’: a ginkgo’s 167-year journey to Victorian tree of the year

National trust of Victoria award celebrates much-loved arboreal icons while calling for protection of green spaces

For more than 160 years, a humble ginkgo tree raised from seed in Geelong’s botanic gardens has been the backdrop to “countless local love stories”. Standing beneath it is the most popular spot to get married at the park, its branches forming the backdrop of many wedding photos.

Now, in addition to being the largest ginkgo biloba in the state – and possibly Australia – at a whopping 20 metres tall, it has a new claim to fame. The much-adored Geelong icon has been crowned Victoria’s tree of the year.

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© Photograph: National Trust

© Photograph: National Trust

© Photograph: National Trust

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