Environment news

• Exclusive - Radioactive material stolen in Iraq raises security concerns

  17-02-2016 22:53
  By Ahmed Rasheed, Aref Mohammed and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material whose theft last year has raised fears among Iraqi officials that it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State. The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford , an environment ministry document seen by Re
  
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• Petrobras, Shell, Total, partners find more oil in Libra prospect

  17-02-2016 22:35
  Brazil's state-led oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA said on Wednesday that it and its partners found more oil in the Libra prospect in a well that helps confirm the extent of the giant offshore area. The well in the northeast section of the Libra area found a 270-meter column of oil-bearing rock that has high levels of connection with other wells drilled in the prospect and medium grade crude at 28 degrees in the American Petroleum Institute (API) scale, Petrobras as the company is known, said
  
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• Ford becomes latest corporation to sever ties with conservative Alec lobby

  17-02-2016 22:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Automaker tells watchdog it will not take part this year in the American Legislative Exchange Council, which fights environmental regulationsFord has cut ties with the controversial lobby group Alec, joining a roster of big corporations that have distanced themselves from the rightwing network that promotes policies at the state level to counter environmental regulations.The car giant confirmed to the watchdog the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) that it had ended its membership. A company s
  
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• 'Good' Bacteria Lacking in City Homes

  17-02-2016 21:25
  The researchers found that homes in urban areas in South America tended to have lower levels of certain microbes commonly found in the environment, compared with homes in rural areas. However, homes in urban areas had higher levels of microbes associated with human presence, which could potentially mean an increase in the transmission of the bacteria that cause disease, the researchers said. For now, the researchers don't know with certainty whether the differences in bacterial composition found
  
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• U.S. expects 'very serious' talks with China after missile reports

  17-02-2016 20:31
  By Arshad Mohammed and J.R. Wu WASHINGTON/TAIPEI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday the United States expects to have "very serious" talks with China about militarization of the South China Sea after reports that Beijing deployed advanced surface-to-air missiles to a disputed island. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said the missile batteries had been set up on Woody Island in the Paracels chain, which has been under Chinese control for decades but also is claimed by Taiwa
  
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• Oil up 7 percent as Iran welcomes output freeze without word on cuts

  17-02-2016 19:31
  By Barani Krishnan and Ron Bousso NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose 7 percent on Wednesday, rebounding further from their lowest levels in a dozen years, after Iran voiced support for a Russia-Saudi-led move to freeze production to deal with the market glut. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh met counterparts from Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar in Tehran for over two hours on Wednesday, saying the proposed production "ceiling" should be the first step toward stabilizing the market. Zangane
  
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• Earlier date for Neanderthal-human sex

  17-02-2016 19:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Neanderthals and humans interbred about 40,000 years earlier than was previously thought, a study suggests.
  
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• Flint's contaminated water was among the most expensive in the country

  17-02-2016 19:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Study of 500 of the nation’s largest community water systems found that Flint residents paid $864 a year for water service – roughly double the US averageDespite having to deal with the effects of lead-contaminated water for nearly two years, Flint residents paid the highest water bills in the US, according to a study released Tuesday.The study, conducted by Washington DC-based public interest group Food & Water Watch, reviewed 500 of the nation’s largest community water sy
  
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• Iran offers no action in support of global oil pact

  17-02-2016 18:43
  By Parisa Hafezi and Rania El Gamal ANKARA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran on Wednesday stopped short of offering to restrain oil output as part of a global pact to freeze production to prop up prices, making clear it wants to recapture the market share it lost during years of sanctions. Iran's stance will complicate talks on output levels after a surprise compromise this week between two of the world's top exporters - non-OPEC Russia and the group's leader Saudi Arabia - to freeze output at January leve
  
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• Animal magic: the creatures that diagnose illness – cartoon

  17-02-2016 18:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Research suggests rats can detect TB and pigeons and dogs have their uses too. So, er, what about fat cats ... Continue reading...
  
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• Lord Barker takes sustainability role at advertising agency

  17-02-2016 18:03
  Former UK Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Barker has been appointed head of sustainability practice at green B2B advertising agency Gyro.
  
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• UAE says oil freeze deal will have positive impact on supply-demand balance

  17-02-2016 17:56
  United Arab Emirates' energy minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei said on Wednesday a freezing of oil production levels by OPEC and Russia will have a positive impact on the market. "We believe that sustaining oil production levels will positively help balancing the future demand with the current oversupply in the market," Mazrouei said on his Twitter account. On Tuesday, OPEC power Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC Russia, the world's top two producers and exporters, agreed to freeze production at
  
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• Exclusive - Radioactive material stolen in Iraq raises security fears

  17-02-2016 17:54
  By Ahmed Rasheed, Aref Mohammed and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material stolen last year, according to an environment ministry document and seven security, environmental and provincial officials who fear it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State. The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing in November from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to U.S. oilfi
  
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• Bird cells 'can clear fatal infection'

  17-02-2016 17:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A specialised white blood cell found in birds can destroy an infection which is thought to cause thousands of deaths a year worldwide, scientists claim.
  
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• Six renewable energy innovations primed for Government's £500m nest egg

  17-02-2016 17:37
  
  The Government's £500m of allocated funds for green innovation could propel the UK into beinga world-leader in energy generation, if the money is spent in key areas such as wave and tidal energy, low-carbon heat and energy storage.
  
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• Aston Martin sets up electric car joint venture with Chinese group

  17-02-2016 16:57 via theguardian.com
  
  British luxury car brand and LeEco consumer electronics firm to develop car based on Aston Martin Rapide S modelAston Martin is setting up a venture with the Chinese consumer electronics group LeEco to jointly develop the British luxury car brand’s first electric vehicle.Aston Martin and LeEco said they plan to develop the RapidE electric car based on the British carmaker’s Rapide S model, before developing other potential electric vehicles, including for LeEco. Financial terms of th
  
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• Global green buildings 'to double by 2018', study finds

  17-02-2016 16:53
  The number of companies that have more than 60% of their building projects certified 'green' is expected to more than double over the next two years, according to a new study.
  
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• Kurds call Baghdad's oil-for-salaries offer 'cheap political bartering'

  17-02-2016 16:16
  The government of Iraqi Kurdistan has challenged Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to deliver on an offer to pay the cash-strapped region's bloated public payroll, suggesting the proposal had not been made in good faith. Abadi said in a televised interview earlier this week that he was prepared to cover the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) payroll as long as it stopped exporting oil independently. A KRG statement described that as "cheap political bartering", and spokesman Safeen Dizayee told
  
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• Automakers still not doing enough to cut CO2, says whistleblower

  17-02-2016 16:09
  
  European automakers are still not doing enough to cut carbon gas emissions, the non-governmental organisation that blew the whistle on the pollution-cheating scandal at Volkswagen complained on Wednesday.
  
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• European banks' risky oil loans make investors edgy

  17-02-2016 15:31
  By Danilo Masoni and Alistair Smout MILAN/LONDON (Reuters) - Investors are growing increasingly anxious about the exposure of European banks to the oil sector, as a past credit binge threatens to lead to loan losses that could be worth up to $18 billion. Major banks ranging from ING to HSBC and Deutsche Bank put big bets on oil when record crude prices made even the most hazardous project look economically viable. The problem does not look confined to North America, where energy exposure is grea
  
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• Oil rises after talks on output freeze in Iran

  17-02-2016 15:24
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Wednesday on hopes that major producing countries would seal an agreement on freezing production following a key ministerial meeting in Iran, even though Tehran signalled a tough line. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh met his counterparts from Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar in Tehran for over two hours. An Iranian official earlier said Iran would continue increasing its crude output until it reached levels seen before the imposition of internatio
  
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• As Mozambique's rivers dry up, the hopes of a harvest evaporate too | John Vidal

  17-02-2016 14:55 via theguardian.com
  
  As southern Africa grapples with devastating drought, maize fields lie empty, the soil is like sand and water must be shared between cattle and people It rained in Mbalavala two weeks ago. The clouds built up from the south, a shower cleared the dusty air, but then, cruelly, it stopped after an hour. For a moment, the 120 families who live in the southern Mozambican village thought their two-year drought was ending.But that was it. Since then there has been no hint of rain and the chances of pla
  
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• US 'likely culprit' of global spike in methane emissions over last decade

  17-02-2016 14:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Harvard study shows 30% rise across the country since 2002 with peaks coinciding with shale oil and gas boom, reports Climate CentralThere was a huge global spike in one of the most potent greenhouse gases driving climate change over the last decade, and the U.S. may be the biggest culprit, according a new Harvard University study.The United States alone could be responsible for between 30-60% of the global growth in human-caused atmospheric methane emissions since 2002 because of a 30% spike in
  
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• Lawrence Livermore Laboratory looking at ways to deflect killer asteroids

  17-02-2016 14:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  Asteroids headed for a collision with the Earth, if found early enough, can be acted upon to prevent the potentially devastating consequences of an impact. One technique to divert an asteroid, called kinetic impact, uses a spacecraft to crash into the body at high speeds.This approach delivers the momentum of the spacecraft, while also providing an additional boost of momentum through the production of impact crater ejecta exceeding the asteroid’s escape velocity. Researchers at Lawrence L
  
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• Turkish police fire teargas on gold mine protesters

  17-02-2016 13:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Environmental activists attempt set up barricades in bid to stop Cengiz Holding gold mine being built in lush Artvin region on the Black SeaTurkish police fired teargas Wednesday to disperse hundreds of protesters trying to prevent a gold mine from being built in an ecologically pristine area in the Black Sea region, an AFP photographer said.There has been a growing standoff over plans by the Cengiz Holding conglomerate to build the mine in the Artvin region on the Black Sea. Continue reading...
  
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• How green is online shopping?

  17-02-2016 13:13 via theguardian.com
  
  New study suggests the knock-on effects of delivery trucks may worsen traffic congestion and transport-related carbon emissions, reports Conservation magazineOn the surface, shopping online seems good for the environment: it eliminates car trips and associated carbon emissions.But what about the emissions from fleets of delivery vehicles bringing orders to houses? Delivery trucks also contribute substantially to the burden of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, in the air, which is associat
  
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• New Report Ties "Hottest Year on Record" to Human Toll of Disasters

  17-02-2016 13:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  Natural disasters made 2015 a miserable year for many people around the world. According to the United Nations’ Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the statistics were brutal. At least 98.6 million people were affected by natural disasters ranging from droughts to floods, and the economic damage could have been as high as $66.5 billion. Using the data available from the Belgian non-profit Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), the UN reports that almost 23,000 pe
  
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• VIDEO: In a spin: Tim Peake demos gyroscope

  17-02-2016 12:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Watch astronaut Tim Peake demonstrate how gyro-stabilisation is used to allow greater control on the International Space Station.
  
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• Space archaeologist wins $1m TED prize

  17-02-2016 12:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Archaeologist Dr Sarah Parcak says she will spend the $1m TED prize to try to locate undiscovered sites around the world.
  
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• VIDEO: Rocket launch from Japan space centre

  17-02-2016 12:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Japan has launched a rocket from the Tanegashima Space Centre in the south of the country.
  
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• Pictures of the day: 17 February 2016

  17-02-2016 12:54
  
  Today: A spinning skater, Shaolin monks and an orangutan rescue
  
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• Bicycle ownership going downhill

  17-02-2016 12:54 via feedproxy.google.com
  Bicycle ownership around the world is declining amid rising wealth levels and increased use of motorised vehicles in developing countries, a study has found.Four out of ten households on the planet own a bike, according to a paper based on surveys from 150 countries between 1989 and 2012. But the growing popularity and affordability of motorised transport, such as cars and scooters, “have disfavoured bicycle use”, the researchers say.China in particular experienced a collapse in
  
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• Four oil producers begin Tehran meeting on output

  17-02-2016 12:45
  ANKARA (Reuters) - Oil ministers of four major OPEC producers began a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday to discuss a proposal to freeze production in order to support prices, an Iranian oil ministry source said. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh was meeting his counterparts Eulogio Del Pino from Venezuela, Adel Abdel Mahdi from Iraq and Mohammad bin Saleh al-Sada from Qatar. No schedule for the meeting was released and it was not clear when it might end. (Reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Writing by An
  
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• The key to halting climate change: admit we can't save everything | Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

  17-02-2016 12:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The best use of resources is to adopt a triage approach to climate change – deal with the direst circumstances first, and work from thereClimate change, and human resistance to making the changes needed to halt it, both continue apace: 2015 was the hottest year in recorded history, we may be on the brink of a major species extinction event in the ocean, and yet political will is woefully lacking to tackle this solvable problem.Related: Why don't we treat climate change with the rigor we gi
  
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• 'Significant' fertiliser boost needed

  17-02-2016 12:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The world must significantly increase its use of phosphorus-based fertiliser to meet future demands for food says a new study.
  
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• Oil rises as output talks turn to Iran

  17-02-2016 12:24
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Wednesday as efforts led by Russia and Saudi Arabia to broker a deal to freeze production levels and ease a global glut turned to Iran, which signalled a tough line. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh was due to meet his counterparts from Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar at 1030 GMT in Tehran. An Iranian official earlier said Iran would continue increasing its crude output until it reached levels seen before the imposition of international sanctions.
  
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• Iran says will resist curbs on oil output as part of global pact

  17-02-2016 12:18
  By Parisa Hafezi and Rania El Gamal ANKARA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Wednesday it would resist any plan to restrain its oil output as fellow OPEC ministers flew to Tehran to try to persuade the country to join the first global oil pact in 15 years. The talks in Tehran follow a deal reached on Tuesday by dominant OPEC power Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC Russia, the world's top two producers and exporters, to freeze production at January levels if other big oil nations also agree to join.
  
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• How many companies does it take to change a lightbulb?

  17-02-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Hilton and Whole Foods trade places to critique each other’s energy use and offer tips in a new Department of Energy-funded reality show (yes, you read that right) Commercial and residential buildings accounted for 41% of all energy produced in the US in 2014, with nearly half of the country’s carbon emissions coming from business and industrial structures. Designing buildings to use energy efficiently – like installing lights that provide the same brightness using less energy,
  
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• Underwater photographer of the year 2016 winners – in pictures

  17-02-2016 11:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Italian photographer Davide Lopresti has been named Underwater photographer of the year 2016 for his stunning seahorse image titled Gold. Showcasing some of the most breathtaking images captured beneath the depths in the UK and around the world, the annual competition receives thousands of entries from talented photographersContinue reading...
  
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• Opening up CfDs 'could save £2bn'

  17-02-2016 10:41
  
  Opening up future contracts for difference (CfD) to a wider array of technologies and reforming the auction process to better reflect their true costs, could save consumers around £2bn, according to research commissioned by Drax.
  
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• Kremlin says it is not linking oil and Syria in talks with Saudis

  17-02-2016 10:29
  (Reuters) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday there is no link between Syria and oil production in Russia's dialogue with Saudi Arabia. "They are two different matters," Peskov told reporters. "It is natural they have a dialogue about their own interests, both sides are naturally interested in such a dialogue. These are things that are not interdependent and not interlinked." He also said Russia is interested in continued dialogue with other oil producing nations to exchange view
  
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• China sends missiles to contested South China Sea island - Taiwan, U.S. officials

  17-02-2016 09:51
  By J.R. Wu and Andrea Shalal TAIPEI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to one of the disputed islands it controls in the South China Sea, Taiwan and U.S. officials said, ratcheting up tensions even as U.S. President Barack Obama urged restraint in the region. Taiwan defence ministry spokesman Major General David Lo told Reuters on Wednesday the missile batteries had been set up on Woody Island. The island is part of the Paracels chain, under Chine
  
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• Food waste: Focus must shift from supermarkets to supply chains

  17-02-2016 09:00
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Food waste campaigners should stop 'beating up the supermarkets' and instead look further up the supply chain at the untapped redistribution potential of thousands of processors and manufacturers, Britain's largest food redistribution charity has said.
  
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• Bulgarian motorway poised to carve up wildlife haven

  17-02-2016 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Bears, birds and butterflies at risk as Bulgaria prepares to build EU-funded road through the stunning Kresna valley conservation area Bulgaria is planning to carve a motorway to Greece through a spectacular gorge famed for its golden eagles, griffon vultures and peregrine falcons, in defiance of an EU order to tunnel the road.The 11-mile Kresna valley is also a crucial migratory path for bears, wolves and jackals, with a warm micro-climate that bridges the southern fringe of the Balkans with th
  
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• UAE oil minister says open to cooperation

  17-02-2016 08:23
  DUBAI (Reuters) - United Arab Emirates oil minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei said on Wednesday that the country's oil policy was open to cooperation with all producers towards the mutual interest of market stability. Mazrouei made the comments in a tweet. He also said the UAE was optimistic about the future. He did not say anything more specific about a proposal for oil producers to freeze output at January levels in order to prop up prices. The proposal was made on Tuesday by Saudi Arabi
  
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• Iran says urging Tehran to freeze oil output raise 'illogical' - Shargh daily

  17-02-2016 07:10
  Iran will continue to increase oil output until it reaches the Islamic republic's crude production level before international sanctions were imposed over its disputed nuclear programme, a senior official told Shargh daily on Wednesday. "Asking Iran to freeze its oil production level is illogical ... when Iran was under sanctions, some countries raised their output and they caused the drop in oil prices ... how can they expect Iran to cooperate now and pay the price?," Iran's OPEC envoy told the
  
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