Most nature-deprived areas, ranked

Around two years ago, I moved to Durham. It's urban where I live – but it's remarkably green. Within walking distance of my house, there are places to find tadpoles, pick hazelnuts, paddle in rivers. I feel like my city often gets a bad rap, but in this respect I know I'm lucky.

Many people aren't. New analysis shows that 44% of English constituencies are nature-deprived, meaning more than 20% of households are more than a 15-minute walk from green or blue space. This is despite political commitments to improve access. Look beyond the warm words, and you'll find little proof of action.

We cover the story in more detail below. Want to know how your own constituency fares? We've created an interactive map so you can explore the data yourself.

Other stories this week include:

• Heat, drought, fire, general apocalypse
• Nurdle disaster on the northeast coast
• Beaver impact on water quality
• Farmers and the Rothbury Estate
• Zombies and orchids

National news

Drought | You know things are bad when the advice is: do not sit under a tree. Yet this is what park managers advised as the UK entered its fourth heatwave of the year, reports the Times, with heat stress causing trees to shed their branches without warning. On Wednesday, the Environment Agency declared drought across half of England, including Wessex and the whole of London. The local impacts have been widely reported, including the death of newly planted saplings in Cumbria, heat-stressed cows, exposed riverbeds, and the early cutting of meadows to reduce wildfire risk. Guy Singh-Watson, of Riverford veg box fame, warned that farms were running out of water. Wildfires have continued apace: the two-week conflagration in the Cairngorms was covered by the New York Times, while a major incident was declared over a large heathland fire in Suffolk, just three miles from the Sizewell B nuclear power plant. The UK and France also made a joint declaration committing to strengthened action on climate-related risks, particularly wildfires.

Access | Successive governments have pledged to ensure that all households are within a 15-minute walk of nature – yet there is still ‘a long way to go’ before that promise is fulfilled. This is according to analysis by the Wildlife Trusts and Liberal Democrats for Nature & Climate. Assessing Defra statistics, the organisations found that 238 parliamentary constituencies (44%) are still nature-deprived, defined as 20% or more of properties being more than a 15-minute walk from blue or green space. Lack of access was strongly correlated with economic deprivation. However, the issue does not appear to be a major concern for most MPs, with the topic raised in the Commons just three times in the past six months. The Trusts are calling on the government to make the 15-minute target legally binding, backed by a comprehensive Access to Nature Strategy.

Eggs | Free-range eggs are not always better – at least from a climate perspective. According to new research, switching entirely to organic and free-range egg production would increase emissions by 60% compared with a business-as-usual scenario. This is because free-range chickens consume more feed per egg produced, increasing the land and resources required. In a Q&A, the authors explain that their findings do not mean returning to caged systems, but rather working to improve genetics, nutrition, feed production and farm management. However, the study did not consider the wider impacts on nature. ‘Organic could come out better on pesticide toxicity, maybe biodiversity on farm as well,’ author Dr Harriet Bartlett told the Guardian.

In other news:

• The RSPB and Wildlife Trusts are among those paying tribute to the naturalist and broadcaster Bill Oddie following his death, aged 85.
• The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced funding for five new landscapes, including areas of Cumbria, Shropshire, Cornwall and Northern Ireland.
• Britain is set for a once-in-a-decade ‘Painted Lady summer’, reports the Telegraph.