Environment news

• VIDEO: Photos of the Moon from all angles

  01-03-2016 23:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Millions of images of the moon taken from space
  
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• Oil ends up on Wall Street, but pulls back on U.S. crude builds

  01-03-2016 23:45
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil markets closed up as much as 2 percent on Tuesday, before giving back most of their gains in post-settlement trade after data suggesting a huge build in U.S. crude stockpiles already at record high levels. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, said domestic crude inventories rose by 9.9 million barrels last week, way above a 3.6 million barrels increase expected by analysts in a Reuters poll. Crude prices rose in eight of the last 13 ses
  
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• Global stocks surge, dollar rises after strong U.S. data

  01-03-2016 23:19
  By Dion Rabouin NEW YORK (Reuters) - Upbeat U.S. manufacturing data and another jump in oil prices on Tuesday pushed a leading gauge of global stocks to its highest in nearly two months. U.S. stocks led the way, with bank shares up more than 3 percent after the strong data refreshed expectations that the Federal Reserve may raise rates later this year. U.S. construction spending rose to the highest level since October 2007 and a measure of the U.S. manufacturing sector outpaced analysts' expecta
  
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• Florida drops bill to open fracking in the Everglades after public outcry

  01-03-2016 22:51
  
  Opponents of the oil industry-backed fracking bill say it would have threatened the environment and south Florida’s drinking water Environmentalists in Florida are celebrating the failure of an oil industry-backed bill they say would have opened a pathway to fracking in the ecologically sensitive Everglades wetlands.
  State lawmakers unexpectedly dropped the measure in a hearing in Tallahassee on Tuesday, just as they were about to begin debate on the controversial, high-pressure drilling p
  
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• Natural disasters costing Australia 50% more than estimated

  01-03-2016 20:56
  
  Reports find increases in family violence and mental health problems due to stress of natural disasters outweighs cost of rebuilding infrastructureThe cost of natural disasters in Australia is 50% more than previously estimated– $9bn in 2015 – and is set to increase to $33bn by 2050 even ignoring the effect of climate change, according to two reports commissioned by the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities.The reports included the first analysi
  
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• Global stocks see biggest gains since January, dollar rises after U.S. data

  01-03-2016 20:49
  By Dion Rabouin NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks led equity markets around the globe to their highest in nearly two months on Tuesday after U.S. factory and housing data came in better than expected and oil prices rose. Construction spending in the U.S. rose to the highest level since October 2007 and a measure of the U.S. manufacturing sector outpaced analysts' expectations across the board. The data gave investors a greater sense of confidence and a bigger risk appetite, said Michael James, ma
  
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• Boris Johnson and London’s toxic air | Letters

  01-03-2016 20:11
  
  Despite claims in your editorial (Boris Johnson leaves London breathing uneasy, 24 February), London’s air quality is improving as a direct result of the many bold measures introduced by the mayor to reduce health impacts. Since 2008 these have helped halve the number of Londoners living in areas exceeding legal limits, with the greatest improvements by roads, where people are most exposed. We know this as the mayor and boroughs work with many organisations, including King’s College,
  
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• Oil up 2 percent on Wall Street after early slide on U.S. stockpile worry

  01-03-2016 20:08
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil markets rose as much 2 percent on Tuesday, maintaining their charge higher, after a Wall Street rally helped turn around crude prices depressed initially by expectations that U.S. inventories had hit another record high. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak's remarks that oil firms in the country support a proposal to maintain average production at January's levels also supported crude prices, traders said. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of
  
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• Peugeot Citroen reveals 'real-world' fuel consumption

  01-03-2016 19:35
  
  Leading French automobile manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroen published Tuesday "real-world" fuel consumption figures for three of its diesel cars, seeking to win over wary customers after the Volkswagen pollution cheating scandal.
  
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• Court upholds federal plan to protect vast polar bear habitat in Alaska

  01-03-2016 18:51
  
  Appeals court rules designation of area larger than California not arbitraryAlaska senator ‘enraged’ by move likely to forestall potential oil drillingA federal government plan to protect a vast area of the US Arctic as habitat for polar bears has been upheld by an appeals court, overturning a previous victory by the state of Alaska and fossil fuel lobbyists against the designation.
  The US court of appeals for the ninth circuit reversed a lower-court decision that the US Fish and Wil
  
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• Indian police charge former UN climate chief with sexual harassment

  01-03-2016 18:24
  
  Rajendra Pachauri accused of stalking, intimidating and sexually harassing researcher at Delhi-based thinktankA former chair of a UN panel of climate scientists has been charged with stalking, intimidating and sexually harassing a woman who worked at a thinktank he headed for more than 30 years.Rajendra Pachauri, 75, was accused in February last year of sexual harassment by a researcher working at Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) where Pachauri was director general.Continue
  
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• Could rust provide an answer to the big energy storage question?

  01-03-2016 18:09
  
  Old bikes and barbecues lying dormant in garages could be covered in stuff thatcan make large-scale solar energy storage a reality, after researchers found that rust can be transformed into water-splitting solar cell batteries.
  
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• Fish poachers push Mexico's endangered porpoises to brink of extinction

  01-03-2016 17:31
  
  China’s lucrative black market for fish parts is threatening the vaquita, the world’s most endangered marine mammal. The porpoises, who live only in the Gulf of California, are getting caught up as bycatch in illegal gill nets and killed, reports Yale Environment 360In 2013, Song Shen Zhen, a 75-year-old resident of Calexico, California, was attempting to re-enter the United States from Mexico when border patrol noticed a strange lump beneath the floor mats of his Dodge Attitude. The
  
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• Analysis: UK energy policy is in disarray - but blackouts are unlikely

  01-03-2016 17:26
  
  Ministers have been forced to reassure consumers and business that the latest changes to the government’s flagship energy market reforms will deal with any supply problems, illustrating how desperate matters have become“Keeping the lights on” is supposed to be the primary duty of energy policy: for good reason.Blackouts are not just difficult for consumers, but dangerous. Our basic infrastructure, from streetlighting to communications and home appliances, is entirely reliant on
  
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• Oil prices have bottomed out, but growth will not be sharp -IEA

  01-03-2016 16:04
  Global oil prices appear to have bottomed out and are expected to rise through this year as investment cuts help to reduce a supply glut, a senior analyst at the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday. "Oil prices appear to have bottomed out," Neil Atkinson, the new head of IEA's oil industry and market division, told a seminar in Oslo. The global oil market was expected to begin rebalancing in 2017 as U.S. output is set to decline under pressure from low oil prices, the International Energ
  
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• Defra faces legal action over 'woeful' air pollution policy

  01-03-2016 15:51
  
  Environmental law firm ClientEarth has sent a final legal warning to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) informing the Department it will commence legal action if drastic improvements aren't made to the UK's 'woeful' approach to tackling air pollution.
  
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• UK government moves to ease energy supply fears

  01-03-2016 15:48
  
  The UK government has moved to allay fears of a coming electricity supply crunch by unexpectedly bringing forward key reforms to the energy market.
  
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• Preserved moose with DNA of ancestors being studied in Russia

  01-03-2016 15:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  Scientists of the Tomsk State University have found preserved moose in Western Siberia that have unique features of DNA structure. This discovery of Tomsk scientists will help determine the origin and path of moose movement in the last few tens of thousands of years and gives reason to believe that Siberia is a unique genetic repository. The research has been presented at International Conference "Theriofauna of Russia and adjacent territories" (X Congress of Russian Theriological Society).Uniqu
  
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• UK trio win 1m euro 'Brain Prize'

  01-03-2016 15:01 via bbc.co.uk
  Three British researchers win a one million-euro prize for their work on how memories are stored inside the brain.
  
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• Iran says oil exports still constrained post-sanctions

  01-03-2016 14:49
  By Rania El Gamal DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran still faces constraints on oil exports as buyers are cautious about boosting trade immediately because of banking and ship insurance difficulties, a senior Iranian oil official said, despite seeing a "tangible" rise in shipments this month. Iran emerged from years of economic isolation in January when world powers led by the United States and the European Union lifted crippling sanctions against OPEC's No.3 oil producer in return for curbs on Tehran's nuc
  
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• Meteor 'fireball' sparks reports

  01-03-2016 14:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sightings of a large, bright flash in the skies over Scotland prompt 999 calls to police in Aberdeen and Inverness.
  
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• Clean energy investment surges past fossil fuels to new heights

  01-03-2016 14:08
  
  Against a precarious backdrop of tumbling oil prices, 2015 saw $367bn invested into new renewable power capacity and generators - $114bn more than what was spent on new fossil fuel generation - a new report has found.
  
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• Alarm over lead found in drinking water at US schools

  01-03-2016 14:00
  
  In the wake of the Flint water crisis several schools have shut off their drinking water due to high levels of lead, raising the question: ‘how big is this issue?’ Several schools across the US have either discovered or acted upon evidence of high levels of lead in their drinking water in the wake of the crisis in Flint, Michigan, with one leading expert warning the cases could mark “the tip of the iceberg”. Related: 'It's all just poison now': Flint reels as families str
  
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• Nissan powers French office with world's largest EV battery storage system

  01-03-2016 13:28
  
  Japanese car manufacturer Nissan will power its regional office in France with energy generated from its electric vehicles, by deploying the world's largest grid-integrated battery storage unit in a building.
  
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• Pachauri charged with sexual harassment

  01-03-2016 13:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The former head of the UN climate change panel (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, is formally charged in court in a case of sexual harassment.
  
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• Well-maintained roadways improve fuel efficiency

  01-03-2016 13:09 via feedproxy.google.com
  Most people know that properly inflated tires can improve a vehicle’s fuel efficiency, but did you know that properly maintained roadways can improve fuel efficiency across an entire pavement network?
  
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• UK's wildlife crime unit wins late reprieve from closure

  01-03-2016 12:43
  
  Specialist body tackling wildlife crime was set to close at the end of March but has been awarded four years’ worth of funding The UK’s national wildlife crime unit (NWCU) has won a late reprieve from closure after the government announced new funding on Tuesday.The specialist unit tackles wildlife crime from the killing of birds of prey and poaching of deer in the UK to the smuggling of endangered reptiles, birds and elephant ivory across the globe. It was set to close at the end of
  
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• edie Live 2016 opens for registration

  01-03-2016 12:01
  
  Registration is now open for the UK's leading event for energy, sustainability and resource efficiency professionals, offering visitors a host of new features, networking events and high-level keynote stage.
  
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• Tests begin for gravity mission

  01-03-2016 11:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The European Space Agency's Lisa Pathfinder probe begins testing the technologies needed to detect gravitational waves in space.
  
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• Exclusive - China to lay off 5-6 million workers, earmarks at least $23 billion

  01-03-2016 11:46
  By Benjamin Kang Lim, Matthew Miller and David Stanway BEIJING (Reuters) - China aims to lay off 5-6 million state workers over the next two to three years as part of efforts to curb industrial overcapacity and pollution, two reliable sources said, Beijing's boldest retrenchment programme in almost two decades. China's leadership, obsessed with maintaining stability and making sure redundancies do not lead to unrest, will spend nearly 150 billion yuan (16.49 billion pound) to cover layoffs in ju
  
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• The UK media reaction to 'toastergate' is hysterical and illogical | Jack Hunter

  01-03-2016 11:40
  
  The typical UK press response to sensible EU rules on the energy efficiency of products is a textbook case of cutting off our nose to spite our face Some Brits love to hate the EU, especially when the bureaucrats are going after things like kettles or toasters. Last week was no exception, when old news resurfaced that one day the EU may gently show the door to the worst-performing kitchen equipment. There are no current EU rules for toasters and there was no real development. Continue reading...
  
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• Living in Indonesia's marine protected areas - in pictures

  01-03-2016 11:00
  
  Photographer James Morgan has spent time with two WWF scientists who are undertaking a unique ecological and social monitoring project looking at the impacts of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the far east of Indonesia. Five years into the study, nearly half a million fish have been counted and more than 3,500 households interviewed, making it the largest study of this type ever conducted Continue reading...
  
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• UK government told to take action on air pollution or face legal challenge

  01-03-2016 10:57
  
  ClientEarth has sent a final warning letter to environment secretary, Liz Truss, giving her 10 days to act on dirty air or face action in the high court The UKgovernment must take steps to tackle air pollution within days or face further legal action, it has been warned. Environmental law firm ClientEarth has sent a final warning letter to environment secretary, Liz Truss, giving her 10 days to act or face action in the high court.Continue reading...
  
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• World's largest retrofit project launched to slash building emissions

  01-03-2016 10:56
  
  The world's largest collaborative project on existing buildings has been launched across Europe as nations attempt to implement 'renovation strategies' in an effort to lower emissions in existing buildings across the continent.
  
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• Pictures of the day: 1st March 2016

  01-03-2016 10:29
  
  Today: A colourful sunset, Boris has a smashing time and Michelangelo's David
  
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• Winter 'was probably warmest ever in England and Wales'

  01-03-2016 09:51
  
  Preliminary Met Office figures indicate temperatures beat previous records set in 2007 and 1989 This winter is on track to be the warmest ever recorded in England and Wales, according to preliminary figures from the Met Office. Continue reading...
  
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• New legal threat over UK air pollution

  01-03-2016 09:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Environmental law firm ClientEarth warns the government to drastically reduce air pollution or face renewed legal action.
  
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• Tiger country? Scientists uncover wild surprises in tribal Bangladesh

  01-03-2016 09:47
  
  Partnering with indigenous groups, conservationists discover a wealth of wildlife in Bangladesh’s most remote region. Including maybe, just maybe, tigers.The locals said there were tigers in the forest. They also said there were sun bear, gaur, dhole and clouded leopard. Few took note, but it turned out, not surprisingly, that locals were right. Conservationists surveying the super-remote, little-known Chittagong Hills Tract region of Bangladesh have taken the country’s first ever ph
  
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• Kenyan cops busted with illegal ivory

  01-03-2016 09:44
  
  Four Kenyan policemen were to be charged with illegal possession of ivory at a Nairobi court Tuesday, the government's wildlife agency said in a statement.
  
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• Evidence of coral bleaching on Barrier Reef as sea warms

  01-03-2016 09:41
  
  Scientists on Tuesday warned coral bleaching was occurring on the Great Barrier Reef as sea temperatures warm, and it could rapidly accelerate unless cooler conditions blow in over the next few weeks.
  
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• Oil rises as lower output tightens market, outweighs weak China data

  01-03-2016 08:58
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rose over 1 percent on Tuesday, shrugging off a slump in China's manufacturing sector that stirred fears of slowing demand growth, with markets instead focusing on a fall in U.S. and OPEC output that might tighten an otherwise bloated market. ANZ bank said that a break above $34 would "add to the view for some that the bottom in the crude oil market is now in place". Prices initially slumped in Asian trading after China published surprisingly
  
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• OPEC watching Iran, Russia, unlikely to cut output in June

  01-03-2016 08:05
  By Rania El Gamal and Dmitry Zhdannikov DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC is very unlikely to cut output at its next meeting in June, even if prices remain extremely low, according to OPEC sources and delegates, as it will be too early to say how fast Iranian output is rising. The sources, which include officials from the Middle East, say OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia also want to test Russia's commitment to freezing output before taking any further steps to stabilise prices. More than 18 mont
  
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• Exclusive - China aims to lay off 5-6 million state workers: sources

  01-03-2016 08:00
  By Benjamin Kang Lim and David Stanway BEIJING (Reuters) - China aims to lay off 5-6 million workers from "zombie enterprises" over the next two to three years as part of efforts to curb industrial overcapacity and pollution, two sources with ties to the country's leadership said. The government's plans to lay off five million workers in industries suffering from a supply glut would be the country's boldest retrenchment programme in almost two decades, one source said. The restructuring of state
  
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• Climate activists threaten to shut down world's major coal sites

  01-03-2016 08:00
  
  Reclaim the Power says it will use direct action at a dozen international sites in May, including the UK’s largest opencast coal mine in south Wales Climate activists will use direct action to try to shut down major coal sites across the world in May, including the UK’s largest opencast coal mine in south Wales.The dozen international sites facing civil disobedience from the Break Free 2016 campaign span the globe from the US to Australia and South Africa to Indonesia. Continue readi
  
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• Feuds and infighting as nuclear waste dump plan tears communities apart

  01-03-2016 07:16
  
  Representatives from six sites flagged by the Australian government as possible locations for the nation’s radioactive waste have taken their fight to Canberra. But back home, the proposal is turning friends and neighbours against each otherPeter and Sue Woolford were born and bred in the small rural community of Kimba in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. The 1,000-strong town rallied behind the couple when their teenage son, Matthew, died in a farming accident 12 years ago. Related:
  
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• Factbox - U.S. shale firms see 5.6 percent decline in 2016 oil, gas output

  01-03-2016 07:10
  (Reuters) - For the first time in two years, U.S. oil companies are beginning to forecast stagnating, or even lower, production. According to a Reuters analysis, based on forecasts from 18 shale oil-oriented firms released over the past several weeks, oil and gas output is expected to fall 300,000 barrels or equivalent per day (boepd) this year, which equates to a 5.6 percent decline from 2015. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects overall U.S. crude oil production to decrease by 70
  
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• Analysis - At last, US shale firms see output falling, but is it enough?

  01-03-2016 07:10
  In a ray of hope for oil bulls, leading U.S. shale producers are at last predicting output declines this year - a long-anticipated turning point for a market reeling from an epic supply surplus. According to a Reuters analysis based on forecasts from 18 U.S. shale oil-oriented firms released over the past several weeks, from global independent Occidental Petroleum Corp to small Denbury Resources Inc , total oil and gas production would fall 5.6 percent this year. In contrast, the U.S. Energy Inf
  
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• IN or OUT? How the green economy will vote on Britain's EU referendum

  01-03-2016 06:58
  
  Energy and environment ministers, green NGOs and sustainable businesses groups have all revealed their position on Britain's European Union (EU) membership, with the overwhelming majority agreeing that remaining IN the EU is crucial for our transition to a low-carbon future.
  
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