We must ask ourselves what it is that we really need. Only then can we stop our endless consumption and save the planetMaking sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to navigate everyday lifeFrom a Buddhist perspective, everyone can learn to live simply and be happy. There’s no great secret to it. Simplicity is not an aesthetic...

The 5,614km barrier runs from South Australia to southern Queensland and was built to keep dingoes out, but some experts say it’s ‘making things worse’ for semi-arid ecosystemsSign up for the Rural Network email newsletterJoin the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the communityIn the far-western reaches of New South Wales, the world’s longest...

About 6,000 have been installed this year, a quarter of them rapid chargers that can power up a car in under an hourThe UK has installed a record number of public electric car chargers this year, as companies race to keep up with the growing number of battery vehicles on British roads.Nearly 6,000 new chargers were installed during the first three months...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhich conspiracy theories have been proved true? Anne Gibson, LeicesterSend new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Continue reading...

Water detective Dr Leon Barron studies London’s wastewater, analysing it in all its chemical, narcotic, polluted glory, before and after treatment. Amazingly, he still drinks the stuff from the tapIf you live in London, Dr Leon Barron knows what you’re up to. He knows what prescribed drugs you’re on – painkillers, antidepressants, antipsychotics or...

Organisers of this year’s environmental conference hope cooperation on green issues could help ease global tensions This year’s Cop29 UN climate summit will be the first “Cop of peace”, focusing on the prevention of future climate-fuelled conflicts and using international cooperation on green issues to help heal existing tensions, according to plans...