John Vidal

The outcome of the Iraq and Syrian conflicts may rest on who controls the region’s dwindling water supplies, say security analysts.

Rio Tinto’s Namibian miners are said to be dying of cancers after extracting uranium ore for the British and US military in the 1970s.

Charity Rhino Ark says rhinos in Kenya are increasingly vulnerable to organised poaching gangs and should be protected in sanctuaries.

World grain reserves are so dangerously low that severe weather in the US or other food-exporting countries could trigger a hunger crisis next year.

Biofuel producers have taken over land around the world that could feed nearly one billion people, says international charity Oxfam.

Water scientists say mankind may have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years to avoid catastrophic shortages.

Lonesome George inspired scientists who want to conserve the planet’s biodiversity, writes John Vidal.

Amnesty International has reported that Shell lied about the magnitude of an oil spill in the Niger Delta.

With unusual weather in Europe and the Americas, low Arctic ice, droughts in Africa and Latin America, 2012 picks up where 2011 left off.

Scientists have warned that global leaders will need to commit to slashing carbon emissions drastically, despite the agreement reached in Durban.

Captain Paul Watson is sending three ships to intercept, chase and harass the Japanese — he promises "aggressive non-violence".

Her solution, to work with the most vulnerable women to repair their own degraded environments and empower themselves, proved inspirational.

We’ve always had El Niños and La Niñas but the greenhouse gas build-up is making them worse.

Abu Dhabi shows the way forward.

Environmental groups fear oil industry is not prepared for potentially catastrophic impact of oil spills in the Arctic.