Environment news

• Trudeau seeks climate consensus from Canada's 10 provinces

  02-03-2016 22:38
  
  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday urged the leaders of Canada's 10 provinces to come together to tackle climate change, as a self-imposed deadline looms to start cutting CO2 emissions.
  
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• Green Investment Bank could be snapped up by foreign buyers

  02-03-2016 22:30
  
  Institution set up to power UK’s green energy revolution could switch to funding more lucrative schemes abroad, say criticsA financial institution set up by government to accelerate Britain’s green power revolution could end up being sold to private equity firms and fund wind farms in Germany.The Green Investment Bank, hailed as a world first for the UK when it was set up, is expected to bring in more than £4bn for the Treasury when it is privatised, probably by the end of this
  
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• Methane leaks across US pose a much greater threat than Aliso Canyon

  02-03-2016 22:14
  
  Utah, Colorado and Texas are being aggressively pumped for oil and natural gas, producing methane leaks in quantities much higher than previously thought – and little is being done to contain the problemWhen Stephen Conley, an atmospheric scientist and pilot, saw an emissions indicator skyrocket in his Mooney TLS prop plane, he knew he had found a significant methane leak. His gas-detecting Picarro analyzer indicated he was flying through a plume of gas escaping at 900kg per hour. The colo
  
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• On World Wildlife Day, lets get serious about ending corruption

  02-03-2016 20:50
  
  Paula Kahumbu: Advances in the war against wildlife crime are in danger of floundering in a mire of corruption
  On the eve of World Wildlife Day on March 3rd 2016, Kenyans can look back proudly at how much has been achieved in the last 12 months. More poachers and traffickers have been arrested, and more of them are going to jail on conviction. Most important, deaths from poaching are down by over 80% for both elephants and rhinos in just 3 years. Elephants and rhinos in Kenya are now much safer
  
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• Oil steady, shrugs off big U.S. crude build and erases early dip

  02-03-2016 20:43
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices held steady on Wednesday as buyers banked on production limit plans to counter record high U.S. crude stockpiles, keeping alive hopes the market had bottomed from the selloff that began nearly two years ago. The U.S. government said crude inventories rose by 10.4 million barrels to a record high 518 million during the week to Feb. 26. U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were up 10 cents at $34.50, after sliding to an intraday low
  
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• Ivory Coast toxic spill victims launch Dutch suit

  02-03-2016 18:37
  
  Thousands of Ivorian victims of a deadly 2006 toxic waste spill are suing Dutch multinational oil trader Trafigura to demand compensation, their lawyers announced on Wednesday.
  
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• Good Energy promises UK's first subsidy-free windfarm

  02-03-2016 17:55
  
  Green power company believes it can build onshore windfarm in Cornwall with local people helping finance it, despite government scrapping subsidiesThe UK’s first onshore windfarm to be built without government subsidy is now under planning in Cornwall, to be financed in part by the local community.The Big Field wind farm, near Bude, will consist of 11 turbines, none of more than 125m in height to the tip of the blade, and provide electricity for 22,000 homes. Its backers hope it will point
  
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• Oil up, shrugs off big U.S. crude build and erases early dip

  02-03-2016 17:40
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil traded higher again on Wednesday, erasing a brief dip that followed data showing a huge build in U.S. crude stockpiles to record highs. Global benchmark Brent crude was up 30 cents at $37.11 a barrel by 11:15 a.m. EST (1615 GMT). Earlier, Brent had fallen 71 cents to a session low of $36.10 after the U.S. government said crude inventories rose 10.4 million barrels to 518 million in the week to Feb. 26.
  
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• Powerful quake strikes off Indonesia

  02-03-2016 17:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of western Indonesia, the US Geological Survey reports, with local tsunami alerts now lifted.
  
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• Saipem faces falling margins and new rivals in core business lines

  02-03-2016 16:58
  By Oleg Vukmanovic and Stephen Jewkes MILAN (Reuters) - Italian oil contractor Saipem faces new challenges after raising 3.5 billion euro ($3.8 bln) to stay afloat, as rising competition in its lucrative pipe-laying business threatens margins and orders. Oil services firms have been among the hardest hit by a two-thirds drop in oil prices since July 2014 as oil producers slashed spending by more than $100 billion. The timing could not be worse for Saipem's ageing vessel fleet as rival new capaci
  
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• VIDEO: Why were astronauts in space for a year?

  02-03-2016 16:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Nasa astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut return to earth after spending nearly a year on board the International Space Station.
  
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• Warren Buffett to shareholders: climate change is nothing to worry about

  02-03-2016 16:28
  
  But critics take the billionaire investor to task for saying, in an annual shareholder letter, that fears about the negative impact of climate change on Berkshire Hathaway’s insurance business are unfoundedEnvironmental advocacy groups have criticized billionaire businessman Warren Buffett for his recent claims that climate change will be a manageable and profitable risk for the insurance industry.
  In his annual letter to shareholders of his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett pointed
  
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• Latest Sentinel debuts Earth images

  02-03-2016 16:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sentinel-3a, the EU's latest Earth observer, returns its first pictures of the planet, featuring a collection of ocean and land margins.
  
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• The bear necessities of fishing for salmon in Alaska, in pictures

  02-03-2016 16:14
  
  In pics: Wildlife photographer watches brown bears feasting on salmon in Alaska
  
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• Shell is sued over Nigeria oil spills

  02-03-2016 15:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Oil giant Shell is being sued in London for the second time in five years over spills in the Niger Delta but Shell says it is reviewing the claims and the case should be heard in Nigeria.
  
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• 'Jenga green policy' damaging UK's low-carbon prospects ahead of 5th carbon budget

  02-03-2016 14:40
  
  The UK is at serious risk of missing the requirements set out in the legally-binding fourth carbon budget, unless an "immediate policy gap" is filled, the chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) has warned.
  
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• New satellite mapping a 'game changer' against illegal logging

  02-03-2016 14:30
  
  System that provides hard evidence of logging crimes in almost real time gives new hope of combating tropical deforestationTaken from outer space, the satellite images show illegal loggers cutting a road into a protected area in Peru, part of a criminal enterprise attempting to steal millions of dollars worth of ecological resources. With the launch of a new satellite mapping system on Wednesday, governments and environmentalists will have access to hard evidence of these types of crimes almost
  
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• Pictures of the day: 2nd March 2016

  02-03-2016 14:10
  
  A sand gazelle among dunes, Scott Kelly and Super Trump Tuesday
  
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• Putin says Russian oil producers agreed to freeze output in 2016

  02-03-2016 13:56
  Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that domestic oil producers have agreed to keep this year's oil output in line with January levels, as Moscow seeks to prop up falling energy prices. "On the whole, an agreement was reached that we will keep (2016) oil output at the January level," he told a government meeting about the outcome of Tuesday's gathering with Russian oil producers in the Kremlin.
  
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• Tiguan owner sues VW dealership over emissions scandal

  02-03-2016 13:06
  A Volkswagen car owner sued a German VW dealership on Wednesday, demanding the seller cancel the contract and take back his Tiguan diesel compact car, one of the models affected by the automaker's emissions test cheating scandal. "This shows that the breach (of duty by the dealer) is material," Dietrich Messeler told the district court of Bochum in North Rhine-Westphalia, in what is believed to be the first case of a private owner suing for compensation over the scandal in Germany. Judge Ingo St
  
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• Syria’s drought 'has likely been its worst in 900 years'

  02-03-2016 12:30
  
  New findings show a ‘convergence of evidence’ that climate change has influenced the Syrian drought, Climate Central reportsThe relentless flow of refugees from the Middle East into Europe continues to raise tensions across the region.This weekend, fires ignited at a refugee camp in Calais, France, and countries are beginning to tighten their borders as more than 1 million people have streamed into Europe in the past year. The 1 million refugees represent just a portion of the 4.2 mi
  
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• Climate scientists worry about the costs of sea level rise | John Abraham

  02-03-2016 12:00
  
  New research addresses the economic costs of damages associated with sea level rise
  As humans add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, it not only warms the planet, but also raises the oceans. Ocean waters are rising for a number of reasons including thermal expansion of water (as water warms, it expands to a larger volume), as well as ice melt which then flows as liquid into the ocean. My next post will cover four recent studies that quantify how much ocean levels will rise in the future. Howeve
  
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• British retailers on track to meet energy, water and waste reduction pledges

  02-03-2016 11:47
  
  The UK's biggest retailers including ASDA, Sainsbury's and Argos have collectively reduced carbon emissions by 19% over the past decade, with a 6% reduction in 2014 alone, according to new figures.
  
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• Fungus is oldest known land fossil

  02-03-2016 11:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The fossil of a microscopic fungus that dates back 440 million years is thought to be the oldest of its kind - and the earliest fossil evidence of land dwellers.
  
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• Smallest of giant flowers ‘accidentally’ discovered in the Philippines

  02-03-2016 11:26
  
  On Luzon Island, scientists have accidentally discovered the smallest of the giant Rafflesia flowers, a species that may be critically endangered, reports MongabayIn the rainforests of southeastern Asia, a parasitic plant called Rafflesia produces the world’s largest flowers. Some Rafflesia flowers, for instance, can be a meter and a half in diameter, and can weigh up to 22 pounds (or 10 kilograms). These flowers, called “corpse flower” locally, often smell like rotting flesh.N
  
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• Thousands to march against coal plant threat to Bangladesh's Sundarbans forest

  02-03-2016 11:00
  
  Organisers hope march from the capital to the heritage-listed mangrove forest will persuade Bangladesh’s government to drop backing for the power plantsThousands of Bangladeshis will march from the country’s capital, Dhaka, to the world’s biggest mangrove forest next week in protest at plans to build two coal-power plants on the edge of the World Heritage-listed forest.The organisers of the so-called long march on 10 March hope to persuade the Bangladeshi government to drop its
  
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• Kremlin - work on oil output freeze must be continued with some big producers

  02-03-2016 10:58
  Russia must continue work with some other leading oil producers on freezing their crude output at the level of January, tentatively agreed in Doha last month, in order to stabilise oil prices, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak negotiated the first potential global oil pact in 15 years in Doha in February. Peskov was referring to President Vladimir Putin's meeting with Russia's main producing companies on Tuesday.
  
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• Brent little changed, but U.S. oil down on stock build

  02-03-2016 09:07
  By Osamu Tsukimori TOKYO (Reuters) - Brent was little changed on Wednesday following strong gains in Asian stocks, while U.S. oil eased on industry data that showed a huge build in U.S. crude stockpiles that were already at a record high. Oil prices have pushed higher over the last fortnight after hitting 12-year lows under $30 a barrel between late January and mid-February, fuelled by speculation the market may have bottomed out. Brent crude for May delivery was down 7 cents at $36.74 a barrel
  
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• Overwhelming public support for renewables could shape Scottish elections

  02-03-2016 08:30
  
  The next Scottish Government would be wise to spark investment into the renewables sector, as a new YouGov survey reveals overwhelming public support for the continued development of clean energy over fossil fuels and nuclear.
  
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• Eastern quolls return to Australian mainland after more than 50 years

  02-03-2016 08:26
  
  Australian National University researchers have reintroduced wild eastern quolls from Tasmania into a Canberra sanctuaryThe eastern quoll is making a comeback to mainland Australia, from where it disappeared more than 50 years ago, with a new generation introduced to the Australian Capital Territory from Tasmania.A team of researchers from the Australian National University has reintroduced a group of wild eastern quolls from Tasmania into the Mulligan’s Flat Woodland Sanctuary in Canberra
  
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• Report calls for lower stamp duty on UK's energy-efficient homes

  02-03-2016 07:30
  
  Tax should be lowered by up to £5,000, according to Policy Exchange report, which says the government is doing far too little to cut energy waste The stamp duty paid on energy efficient homes should be up to £5,000 less than on leaky, hard-to-heat homes, according to a new report that says the government is doing far too little to cut energy waste.The report is from the thinktank Policy Exchange, which is close to the government, and is likely to be taken seriously. It estimates the
  
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• ISS crew members end year in space

  02-03-2016 06:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko touch down safely in Kazakhstan after almost a year in space.
  
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• Pretty, yet poisonous, favourite of poets

  02-03-2016 06:28
  
  Wenlock Edge Snowdrops live on, left to fend for themselves in the woodsA dog barks from a house where I once lived. There are snowdrops flowering there that were so familiar and now I’m a stranger. I walk into the ruins of a garden that has been reclaimed by the woods, where the gardener has been estranged for a hundred years. There are clumps of single and double snowdrop varieties that were once highly prized and are now abandoned, rarely seen. They appear as breaths of history.Whether
  
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• Most electrical goods bought online have misleading energy labels, study finds

  02-03-2016 06:01
  
  Three-year survey of eleven European countries by MarketWatch finds only a quarter of white goods sold online in UK were correctly labelledMost electrical goods bought online have either been given a misleading energy label or none at all, according to a three-year survey across eleven European countries.By law, energy performance energy labels for products such as dishwashers, ovens and fridges must be displayed as prominently on a website as they are in shops. Continue reading...
  
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• Himalayan seeds 'illegally sold' in UK

  02-03-2016 05:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Seeds of exotic plants illegally collected in the Himalayas are being sold in the UK, a BBC investigation has found.
  
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• Brazil's No. 2 builder admits illegal Rousseff campaign funding - paper

  02-03-2016 01:36
  Executives from Brazil's second-largest engineering company, Andrade Gutierrez [AGIS.UL], have testified that the company paid suppliers for President Dilma Rousseff's 2010 electoral campaign off the books, newspaper a Folha de S.Paulo reported on Tuesday. The testimony, as part of a plea bargain by 11 executives, would be the first direct link between the widening "Operation Carwash" investigation into bribes and political kickbacks at state-run oil company Petrobras and the election of Roussef
  
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• Whitehaven under investigation over alleged Maules Creek illegal clearing

  02-03-2016 01:26
  
  Environmental authorities are investigating Whitehaven Coal over claims it illegally cleared trees in Leard State Forest to make way for its coalmineEnvironmental authorities are investigating Whitehaven coal for possible illegal clearing of the Leard State Forest to make way for its Maules Creek coalmine, Guardian Australia can reveal.There were earlier allegations that the miner had breached its biodiversity management plan again, by clearing trees when it was too hot for endangered animals to
  
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• MPs urge supermarkets to help farmers more despite assurances

  02-03-2016 01:01
  
  Committee questions agreement linking price of milk to production cost and calls for tighter rules on origin labelling of foodMPs have called for supermarkets to do more to help British farmers and warned a government programme designed to offer support to the industry has turned into a “fiasco”.Two separate reports were launched by MPs after a sharp fall in the price that farmers were paid for milk last year. The National Farmers’ Union warned dairy producers were facing a sta
  
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