The first wild beavers in England in 250 years are spotted in Devon. The government plans to capture them and put them in a zoo.

Australia repeals taxes on carbon and mining. 

The island nation of Kiribati purchases eight square miles of Fiji, where its 110,000 inhabitants can relocate when rising seas cover their homeland.

Beijing says that it will ban the use of coal by 2020. 

India's environment minister says that one-quarter of his country is turning into desert.

For the first time, a federal court in Colorado cites climate concerns to block the expansion of a coal mine. 

Geothermal activity in Yellowstone is melting the national park's asphalt roads.

Oregon says no to a proposed coal-export terminal on the Columbia River. Long Beach, California, says yes to continued coal exports from its port. 

June 2014 is the hottest June ever.

ExxonMobil starts drilling for oil in the Russian Arctic. Shell prepares to drill in Alaskan waters.

A federal judge rules that BP's massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was caused by the company's "gross negligence" and "willful misconduct." 

In Siberia, craters that are 30 yards across are blamed on explosions of methane gas released by warming permafrost. 

DVRs, game consoles, and other networked electronic devices waste $80 billion worth of energy a year, according to the International Energy Agency.

President Barack Obama opens up the eastern seaboard to oil and gas exploration.

Researchers at Stanford University announce a breakthrough in lithium battery design that could triple the range of electric cars. 

After 23 million rides, U.S. bikeshare programs have resulted in zero fatalities. 

Percentage of California that's in severe drought: 99.8. The loss of water weight from the draining of aquifers has caused the earth's crust to rebound, raising the Sierra Nevada by half an inch.

An algae bloom in Lake Erie caused by an overload of fertilizers poisons the water supply for 400,000 people in Toledo, Ohio.

The final portion of the Glines Canyon Dam in Olympic National Park is blown up, completing the world's largest dam-removal project. The Elwha River now runs free for the first time in more than a century.

Microsoft cuts ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council because the group lobbies against renewable energy. 

Of new electrical generating capacity added in the United States in July, 100 percent is from renewables.