Environment news

• Quake mobile app invites public test

  12-02-2016 21:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new app that turns a smartphone into a mobile seismometer is being rolled out by California scientists.
  
  Read more

• US, Canada and Mexico sign clean energy pact

  12-02-2016 21:32
  
  Canada, Mexico and the United States signed a draft agreement Friday to curb greenhouse gas emissions while increasing their energy interdependence.
  
  Read more

• Feds: Remove 3 California foxes from endangered species list

  12-02-2016 21:03
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal wildlife officials recommended Friday that three fox subspecies native to California's Channel Islands be removed from the endangered species, saying their populations have made an historic recovery.
  
  Read more

• Scientists: air pollution led to more than 5.5 million premature deaths in 2013

  12-02-2016 21:01 via theguardian.com
  
  More than half of the deaths were in India and China, and researchers compared air pollution problem to the conditions under centuries of industrial revolutionAir pollution caused more than 5.5 million people to die prematurely in 2013, according to research presented on Friday, with more than half of those deaths in India and China and illnesses in those countries almost certain to rise.
  According to scientists from the US, Canada, China and India, who presented their findings at the annual mee
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Iran says ready to put rivalries aside with Saudi Arabia

  12-02-2016 20:16
  By Robin Emmott and Noah Barkin MUNICH (Reuters) - Iran and Saudi Arabia must overcome strained relations and work for stability in Syria and the Middle East, Iran's foreign minister said on Friday, a day after Syrian peace talks brought the rivals to the same table for the first time in months. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference hours after his Saudi counterpart addressed the event, Mohammed Javad Zarif said he wanted to stop the bickering and had a simple message: "We need to work toge
  
  Read more

• Four billion people face severe water scarcity, new research finds

  12-02-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Water shortages affecting two-thirds of world’s population for a month every year and the crisis is far worse than previously thoughtAt least two-thirds of the global population, over 4 billion people, live with severe water scarcity for at least one month every year, according to a major new analysis. The revelation shows water shortages, one of the most dangerous challenges the world faces, is far worse previously than thought.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Oil rockets from 12-year low on renewed talk of OPEC cut

  12-02-2016 19:40
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global oil prices surged as much as 12 percent on Friday after a report once again suggested OPEC might finally agree to cut production to reduce the world glut, while a bounce in stock markets fed appetite for risk. Despite the strong daily gain, oil prices were poised to end the week down as much as 5 percent. The United Arab Emirates' energy minister said the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries was willing to cooperate on an output cut, th
  
  Read more

• FTSE records best day in five months as commodities shares surge

  12-02-2016 18:37
  By Atul Prakash and Kit Rees LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top share index ended higher on Friday, recording its best one-day percentage gain in more than five months, as banking and commodities-related stocks rebounded from a slump in the previous session. Aircraft engine-maker Rolls-Royce jumped more than 14 percent after a well-received update, helping the FTSE 100 index to end 3.1 percent higher at 5,707.60 points, after falling to its lowest point since late 2012 on Thursday. The UK mining i
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Obama creates three new national monuments to protect California desert

  12-02-2016 18:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains designated as national monuments to push total land and water protected by Obama to 265m acresBarack Obama is to nearly double the amount of public land he has protected as national monuments, by signing off on the conservation of nearly 1.8m acres (0.7m hectares) of California desert.
  The three new national monuments designated by President Obama – the Mojave Trails national monument, Sand to Snow national monument and Castle Mountains nati
  
  Read more

• 'Lost' Roads of Ancient Rome Discovered with 3D Laser Scanners

  12-02-2016 17:15
  
  Laser scans of Britain's terrain may reveal weathered Roman roads that have been hidden for centuries across the countryside of northern England. Over the past 18 years, the U.K.'s Environment Agency has used a technology called lidar to collect data for more than 72 percent of England's surface. This remote sensing technique bounces laser light beams off the ground to make 3D terrain maps that can peer below vegetation and reveal the contours of every ditch and boulder below.
  
  Read more

• Climate risks could wreak havoc on financial markets, EU watchdog warns

  12-02-2016 17:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Banking advisory group calls for risk disclosure and stress tests to protect against climate inaction should move to low carbon economy happen too late The EU’s financial watchdog has called for governments to consider imposing asset disclosures on industry and stress tests on banks as a guard against the economic crisis that could be caused by an emergency switchover to clean energy. The European Systemic Risk Board – set up by the EU in the wake of the 2008 crash to monitor risks t
  
  Read more

• Animal pictures of the week: 12 February 2016

  12-02-2016 16:56
  
  All creatures great and small in our ever popular animal gallery
  
  Read more

• Namibia: Amazing close-up photos of African wildlife in its natural habitat

  12-02-2016 16:53
  Photographer Will Burrard-Lucas has photographed some of Africa's most iconic species, in the Namibia region of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). In collaboration with WWF, Burrard-Lucas set up a camera trap, enabling him to photograph the animals in their natural environment without them being disturbed. Founder of Camtraptions and BeetleCam, Burrard-Lucas' use of camera traps within this project is of great benefit, due to the camera's subtlety in surveying land use a
  
  Read more

• Russian state's oil asset sale attracts LUKOIL interest

  12-02-2016 16:09
  By Darya Korsunskaya and Dmitry Zhdannikov MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) - Oil major LUKOIL has told the Russian government it wants to buy smaller rival Bashneft as the state prepares to sell either a controlling or minority stake in the firm to plug a budget deficit, sources told Reuters. The government of President Vladimir Putin has ordered a privatisation drive to cover a yawning hole in its budget, which has been hit by tumbling crude prices and Western sanctions over Moscow's role in the Ukrain
  
  Read more

• Green news roundup: salamanders, Heathrow 13 and tidal power setbacks

  12-02-2016 15:44 via theguardian.com
  
  The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Farmers on alert for livestock virus

  12-02-2016 15:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Farmers are being warned to expect an outbreak of a highly infectious animal disease called bluetongue this summer.
  
  Read more

• Petting pets: Animals get loved up for Valentine's Day, in pictures

  12-02-2016 14:47
  
  In pics: Cupid aims his bow and arrow on some loved up creatures
  
  Read more

• 95 Burmese Pythons (and Counting) Captured in Everglades

  12-02-2016 14:33
  
  The Burmese python has worn out its welcome, and its time is nigh. For the second time since 2013, Florida wildlife officials are inviting people near and far to search for Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) in the Everglades. Depending on where they spot the invasive species, participants can either capture or kill the snakes, which are generally about 6 feet (almost 2 meters) in length, said Carli Segelson, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
  
  Read more

• Oil prices claw higher, but weekly loss looms on supply excess

  12-02-2016 14:17
  "The comments by the UAE oil minister are pushing prices up...but we're still in a long-term downturn. UAE Energy Minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei said the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries was willing to cooperate on an output cut, but added that cheap oil was forcing supply reductions that would help rebalance the market. Despite the UAE comments, analysts said they saw little chance of a common policy from OPEC producers.
  
  Read more

• Land surfaces are storing more water slowing sea level rise

  12-02-2016 14:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  New measurements from a NASA satellite have allowed researchers to identify and quantify, for the first time, how climate-driven increases of liquid water storage on land have affected the rate of sea level rise.A new study by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and the University of California, Irvine, shows that while ice sheets and glaciers continue to melt, changes in weather and climate over the past decade have caused Earth's continents to soak up
  
  Read more

• Exclusive - Russian state's oil asset sale attracts LUKOIL interest

  12-02-2016 13:39
  By Darya Korsunskaya and Dmitry Zhdannikov LONDON (Reuters) - Oil major LUKOIL has told the Russian government it wants to buy mid-sized rival Bashneft , with the state still studying whether to sell a controlling or minority stake in the firm to plug a budget deficit, sources told Reuters. The government owns 75 percent of Bashneft, which it nationalised only two years ago. "There are many parties showing interest, including LUKOIL," a government source said.
  
  Read more

• Redcar's inshore fishing fleet – in pictures

  12-02-2016 13:32 via theguardian.com
  
  The inshore fishing fleet at Redcar originated in the early 14th century with crab, lobster and fish bringing much-needed income to local fishermen. As the industry has declined, the Teesside town’s fleet has reduced in size, so that today only a small number of boats are still put to sea to continue the fishing heritage on England’s east coast Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Carbon dioxide stored underground can find multiple ways to escape

  12-02-2016 12:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  When carbon dioxide is stored underground in a process known as geological sequestration, it can find multiple escape pathways due to chemical reactions between carbon dioxide, water, rocks and cement from abandoned wells, according to Penn State researchers.
  
  Read more

• Philippines considers two-way sea talks with China - if wins case at The Hague

  12-02-2016 12:44
  The Philippines may consider two-way talks with China to resolve a territorial dispute in the South China Sea but only if it wins its case with Beijing at an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Manila's foreign minister said on Friday. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan also claim the waterways where about $5 trillion of ship-borne goods passes annually.
  
  Read more

• Jaguar Land Rover drives circular value chain with REALCAR project

  12-02-2016 12:18
  
  Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will incorporate a sustainable aluminium alloy that contains up to 75% recycled content into the manufacturing of all of its vehicles, thanks to a successful collaborative project between the British carmaker and US aluminium can recycler Novelis.
  
  Read more

• RHI critical to UK decarbonisation, DECC research proves

  12-02-2016 12:08
  The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) has been critical to decarbonising the UK's heat sector, reports from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have found.
  
  Read more

• The new age of climate exploration | Joseph Robertson and David Thoreson

  12-02-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Our exploration of the physical world is becoming an exploration of vulnerabilities to rapid climate changes
  On December 12, the 21st annual meeting of the world’s climate negotiators closed with adoption of the Paris Agreement. The task agreed by consensus among 195 nations is clear, ambitious, and complex: re-engineer the infrastructure of the global economy to eliminate practices that destabilize Earth’s climate system, while ensuring ongoing and expanded prosperity for all people
  
  Read more

• Organic almonds sow hope in Palestine

  12-02-2016 11:58 via theguardian.com
  
  A non-profit is trying help farmers build a profitable almond sector in the West Bank, where water and government aid are in short supply
  The West Bank isn’t the most obvious location for almond farming. For starters, water and land are in short supply in the heavily contested region and almonds are notoriously thirsty. Much of the traditional knowledge associated with almond production in the region has been lost. And government help is in short supply too.“As you might imagine, in
  
  Read more

• Building an organic almond farming sector in the West Bank

  12-02-2016 11:58 via theguardian.com
  
  A non-profit is trying help farmers build a profitable almond sector in the West Bank, where water and government aid are in short supply
  The West Bank isn’t the most obvious location for almond farming. For starters, water and land are in short supply in the heavily contested region and almonds are notoriously thirsty. Much of the traditional knowledge associated with almond production in the region has been lost. And government help is in short supply too.“As you might imagine, in
  
  Read more

• Farmers warned bluetongue disease likely to arrive in England this year

  12-02-2016 11:37 via theguardian.com
  
  80% chance that potentially fatal virus in sheep and cattle will arrive from France, carried by midges that transmit the disease, say scientistsBluetongue virus, a potentially fatal disease in sheep and cattle, is very likely to arrive in the England in 2016, according to the government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency.The virus, which does not affect humans or food, flared up in France in 2015 and the scientists estimate there is an 80% chance that the biting midges that transmit the dise
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: 'Brainwave orchestra' in first performance

  12-02-2016 11:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Four members of a Paramusical Ensemble, who are unable to talk or move, are using ground-breaking technology to create music with the power of their minds.
  
  Read more

• Ground control bids farewell to Philae

  12-02-2016 11:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Rosetta mission team says it is time to give up hope of ever hearing again from the comet lander Philae.
  
  Read more

• Pictures of the day: 12 February 2016

  12-02-2016 11:12
  
  Today: A wintery sunrise, ice swimming and a rescued orangutan
  
  Read more

• 'Health risk' legacy from Neanderthals

  12-02-2016 10:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists find a wide range of ailments are strongly influenced by our Neanderthal heritage.
  
  Read more

• Russian, Saudi foreign ministers to meet in Munich - reports

  12-02-2016 10:49
  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov plans to meet his Saudi Arabian opposite number on Friday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Russian news agencies quoted a source in the Russian delegation as saying. Russia and Saudi Arabia are backing opposing sides in the Syria conflict, and both countries are major players in international oil exports. (Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Vladimir Soldatkin)
  
  Read more

• Oil prices jump but weekly losses and physical excess loom

  12-02-2016 10:45
  "The comments by the UAE oil minister are pushing prices up ...but we're still in a long-term downturn. "We view this as further jawboning, with the likelihood of a coordinated response on supply cuts very low," ANZ bank analysts said on Friday.
  
  Read more

• M&S eyes 100% LED-lit estate by 2025

  12-02-2016 10:43
  
  Marks & Spencer (M&S) wants to build on "the most comprehensive, wide-ranging sustainability plan in retail" by fitting out its entire UK estate with LED lighting by 2025.
  
  Read more

• AGL pleads guilty to 11 counts of not declaring political donations

  12-02-2016 08:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Company failed to declare donations in its development application for a coal seam gas project in Gloucester in the New South Wales Hunter regionAGL has pleaded guilty to 11 counts of failing to declare political donations when submitting a development proposal for a coal seam gas project, which combined could attract penalties of up to $242,000.In August 2014, community members in Gloucester in the NSW Hunter region uncovered undeclared donations from AGL to major political parties. With the NS
  
  Read more

• Idle investors could face legal action over portfolio climate risks, experts warn

  12-02-2016 08:30
  A trio of climate experts have warned that investors and asset managers who continuously ignore the risks of climate change do so at their peril and may soon be faced with legal action.
  
  Read more

• Oil prices jump almost 5 percent, but oversupply still damps outlook

  12-02-2016 07:23
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped almost 5 percent on Friday after comments by the energy minister of OPEC-member United Arab Emirates sparked hopes of a coordinated production cut, yet analysts said such a move remained unlikely and that oversupply would persist. Friday's jump in Brent came after the United Arab Emirates energy minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei said the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was willing to talk with other expo
  
  Read more

• SoCalGas fixes gas leak that gushed methane into Los Angeles for 16 weeks

  12-02-2016 07:17 via theguardian.com
  
  Though well needs to be permanently sealed and inspected, announcement marked first time leak has been under control since it was reported in OctoberA blowout at a natural gas well that gushed uncontrollably for 16 weeks and drove thousands of residents from their Los Angeles homes was plugged on Thursday, a utility said.The leak is expected to cost Southern California Gas Co, a division of Sempra Energy, at least $250m, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Continue
  
  Read more

• UK's first sustainable European oysters go on sale

  12-02-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Certified native oysters, prized for their fuller flavour, will be sold at branches of Whole Foods MarketNative European oysters that are certified as sustainable have gone on sale for the first time in the UK.The shellfish have been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and are being sold on fresh fish counters at branches of Whole Foods Market. They are supplied by Southbank Fresh Fish, which provides many of London’s top restaurants with sustainable seafood. Continue reading
  
  Read more

• Shell heir's oil-powered country pile goes green

  12-02-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  National Trust installs wooden pellet boilers at Upton House in Warwickshire, once owned by petroleum tycoon Lord Bearsted
  It is perhaps no surprise that a country house bequeathed to the nation by the family that made its fortune from Shell petroleum should run entirely on barrel after barrel of oil – 25,000 litres of it each year. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Jailing Heathrow 13 poses 'massive threat' to peaceful protest rights

  12-02-2016 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Letter from high-profile signatories including Caroline Lucas and John McDonnell warns prison sentences would be unjust and disproportionate Jailing the 13 activists who last year chained themselves on Heathrow’s northern runway in protest at the airport’s expansion would represent a “massive threat” to the right to peaceful protest in the UK, according to John McDonnell and Caroline Lucas.In a letter to the Guardian, the shadow chancellor and Green party MP, along with t
  
  Read more

• Organic farmer loses last appeal against genetically modified canola decision

  12-02-2016 06:50 via theguardian.com
  
  West Australian farmer Steve Marsh who failed in bid to sue neighbour for contaminating his accredited crops is denied leave to appeal decision An organic farmer who failed in a bid to sue his neighbour after genetically modified canola blew on to his West Australian property has been denied leave to appeal by the high court.Steve Marsh claimed he lost organic certification for 70% of his Kojonup farm after contamination from his neighbour’s herbicide-resistant crop in 2010. Continue readi
  
  Read more

• A fishy find on the stream bed

  12-02-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Warblington, Hampshire One particular slab had always proved to be the most desirable dwelling, so I left this until last
  Heavy rainfall had washed sediment into the stream from the surrounding farmland. Covering submerged stones and snagged branches like a thick bloom of dust, the silt rose, swirled and settled as I waded out towards the centre of the channel where the water deepened and cleared. The watercourse was formerly part of a system of watercress beds, and mats of leafy, emerald-green
  
  Read more

• Crude prices jump nearly 6 percent, but outlook still bleak

  12-02-2016 03:03
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude oil prices jumped almost 6 percent on Friday after comments by an OPEC energy minister sparked hopes of a coordinated production cut, yet analysts said such a move remained unlikely and that oversupply would persist. International Brent crude benchmarks were trading at $31.80 per barrel at 0139 GMT, up 5.8 percent, or $1.74, from their last settlement. Reuters market analyst Wang Tao said a technical analysis of Fibonacci retracements showed that
  
  Read more

• Gravitational waves: Numbers don't do them justice

  12-02-2016 01:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How significance is the detection of gravitational waves?
  
  Read more

• Australia's greenest city: Adelaide pulls ahead of Sydney and Melbourne

  12-02-2016 01:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Across the nation, city councils are tackling climate change at a grassroots level, with green buildings, electric transport and ambitious emissions targets
  The rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne stretches back through history. So too does the tug-of-war between Queensland and, well, just about all the other states. While these contests haven’t always been friendly, the race to be Australia’s greenest city will see the whole country benefitting.All of the local governments responsi
  
  Read more

• Record year for river fish releases

  12-02-2016 01:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Almost two million captive-bred fish and larvae were released in 2015 to boost populations in England's rivers, says the Environment Agency.
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!