Environment news

• Solar energy pioneer Monica Oliphant on charting her own path in science

  07-03-2016 23:35
  
  Research scientist talks about finding funding for her projects, raising two daughters on her own and doing what she lovesIt was 1973 and Monica Oliphant, a recently widowed mother of two, was washing the dishes one night when she first heard about the potential for solar energy.“[It was] at the time of the Arab oil crisis, and I heard on the radio someone saying, if we had solar energy, we wouldn’t have to fight over oil. That was the 70s and I managed to get work in this area. That
  
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• Ghost-like octopus discovered near Hawaii – video

  07-03-2016 22:30
  
  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Okeanos Explorer claim they have discovered a completely new species of octopus. The little sea creature was captured on camera on 27 February, it is distinctive for the lack of pigment in its skin. On social media it has received the name ‘Casper the friendly ghost’ Continue reading...
  
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• The big flaw in Warren Buffett's view of climate change

  07-03-2016 22:28
  
  In an annual shareholder letter to be discussed next month, the “Sage of Omaha” claims that climate change poses no risks to insurers – but the claim flies in the face of growing scientific evidenceEach year, investors eagerly await Warren Buffett’s annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholders. And well they might: under his leadership, Berkshire’s compounded annual growth rate from 1965 to 2015 was 20.8%, far better than the 9.7% achieved by the S&P
  
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• NASA Jet to Be Reunited with Space Shuttle Enterprise at NYC Museum

  07-03-2016 22:25
  
  Almost 40 years after it gave chase to the space shuttle Enterprise, a NASA jet is about to catch up with the prototype winged orbiter at a museum in New York City. The two-seat, supersonic T-38 Talon jet, tail number 913, is set to land on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, a converted aircraft carrier berthed on the west side of Manhattan, in early April. Enterprise has been on display at the Intrepid since 2012.
  
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• AI battle: Can Google go all the way?

  07-03-2016 22:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Search firm's AI team battles the world Go champion
  
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• Peruvian tribe takes government officials hostage over oil spill

  07-03-2016 21:55
  
  Indigenous community had been left off list of areas pollutedHelicopter seized to demand inclusion in emergency response planAn indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon has taken at least eight public officials hostage to demand help from the central government after an oil spill polluted its lands, according to authorities. Related: Damaged Peru pipeline leaks 3,000 barrels of oil into Amazon regionContinue reading...
  
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• Oil at 2016 high above $40/bbl after producer price support talk

  07-03-2016 21:39
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global oil markets jumped more than 5 percent on Monday, with Brent hitting a 2016 peak above $40 a barrel, after Ecuador said it was holding a meeting of Latin American crude producers as OPEC sought a higher anchor price for oil. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Guillaume Long said his government will host a meeting in Quito on Friday with Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico "to reach consensus over oil, especially prices." Separately, major OPEC producers
  
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• The Guardian view on energy policy: keeping the lights on is what governments are for | Editorial

  07-03-2016 21:12
  
  George Osborne’s fixation with flattering the books is jeopardising much-needed investment in the UK’s future power generationIt is a good thing this winter has been so mild: the lights didn’t go out. But there will be another potential crisis next winter, and the one after that, as Britain’s geriatric coal and nuclear power stations are slowly taken out of production, not least to meet important new obligations to decarbonise electricity supply by 2020. Anyone looking fo
  
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• MIT researchers turn waste gas into liquid fuel

  07-03-2016 21:00
  
  Successful trial at a pilot plant in China using bacteria to convert exhaust emissions to oil will now be tested at a larger scale Turning the emissions of power stations, steel mills and garbage dumps into liquid fuels has been demonstrated by MIT researchers using engineered microbes. The process has been successfully trialled at a pilot plant in China and a much bigger facility is now planned. Continue reading...
  
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• Hinkley Point nuclear plant still on track, ministers insist

  07-03-2016 20:46
  
  UK and French governments say project will go ahead despite uncertainties prompted by row at its main backer, EDF Energy The British and French governments have insisted the Hinkley Point nuclear plant is on track, despite fresh doubts emerging over the £18bn project after an executive row at its main backer, EDF Energy. Continue reading...
  
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• Mark Ruffalo calls Flint's water crisis a 'national emergency' in recent visit

  07-03-2016 19:58
  
  The actor, with billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, joined local organizers to demand government accountability and the declaration of a disaster zoneLocal activists in Flint, Michigan, were joined on Monday by actor Mark Ruffalo and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer to amplify calls for long-term solutions in addressing the city’s water-contamination crisis.Less than 24 hours after the Democratic presidential candidates left Flint to continue campaigning ahead of Michigan&rsquo
  
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• Mercury's 'pencil lead crust' revealed

  07-03-2016 19:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The planet Mercury may once have been encased in an outer shell of graphite, the same material used as pencil lead.
  
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• Sin City's solar blues: Las Vegas casinos face resistance to green power plans

  07-03-2016 19:23
  
  Ambitous solar power plans for Las Vegas casinos are being overshadowed by an ongoing battle with regulators and the state’s biggest utility providerThe glittering Las Vegas strip is not an obvious model for energy conservation.Yet hidden above the glowing Eiffel Tower, neon resort awnings and a black pyramid that shines a beam of light into space, is one of the largest rooftop solar arrays in the country. Continue reading...
  
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• Las Vegas casinos seek to power their bright lights with renewable energy

  07-03-2016 19:23
  
  Ambitious plans by MGM Resorts, Wynn, and Las Vegas Sands are overshadowed by an ongoing battle with regulators and the state’s biggest utilityThe glittering Las Vegas strip is not an obvious model for energy conservation.Yet hidden above the glowing Eiffel Tower, neon resort awnings and a black pyramid that shines a beam of light into space, is one of the largest rooftop solar arrays in the country. Continue reading...
  
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• Oil hits 2016 high above $40; glut warnings resurface

  07-03-2016 19:21
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brent crude rose on Monday, hitting a 2016 peak above $40 a barrel as investors rotated more assets into raw materials, with oil buying encouraged by talk that OPEC producers want a higher anchor price after a selloff that has lasted nearly two years. Oil prices also got a boost from data showing a smaller-than-expected build in stockpiles at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery hub for U.S. crude futures. Global crude prices have risen more than 40 percent sinc
  
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• Climate deadline for Africa's crops

  07-03-2016 18:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers produce a timetable for the "transformations" needed to minimise the impact of climate change on African agriculture and food security.
  
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• Shell repays Iran 1.77 billion euros debt for oil deliveries

  07-03-2016 18:38
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell has paid 1.77 billion euros (£1.4 billion) it owed the National Iranian Oil Company, settling debts after sanctions against the country were lifted in January. The outstanding debt to Iran was a result of Iranian oil deliveries which Shell had been unable to pay for due to sanctions that were imposed on the country over its nuclear programme. The Anglo-Dutch company resumed talks with Tehran on the debt after most Western sanctions were li
  
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• Study confirms benefits of reducing the amount of chemicals you put on your body

  07-03-2016 17:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new study led by researchers at UC Berkeley and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas demonstrates how even a short break from certain kinds of makeup, shampoos and lotions can lead to a significant drop in levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals in the body.The shampoos, lotions and other personal care products you use can affect the amount of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in one’s body, a new study showed.The results, published today in the journal Environmental Health P
  
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• Hinkley Point C: what you need to know about the nuclear power project

  07-03-2016 17:46
  
  After EDF finance chief quits, we look at what makes planned station so important, why it costs so much and the alternativesThe resignation of Thomas Piquemal, the finance director of EDF, has increased concerns about the French energy company’s ability to build Hinkley Point C, the nuclear power station due to generate 7% of Britain’s electricity from 2025.Related: EDF's Hinkley Point nuclear nightmare adds to company's woesContinue reading...
  
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• Lord Barker: Transform London's West End into 'Silicon Valley' of green innovation

  07-03-2016 17:36
  
  Ex-Energy Minister Lord Greg Barker has called on the next London Mayor to deliver a greener capital by transforming the city's West End into the 'Silicon Valley' of low-carbon technology and innovation.
  
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• Snow-themed inspiration ahead of the Easter break, in pics

  07-03-2016 17:22
  
  Stunning images of winter landscapes from around the world
  
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• Bananas facing a bleak future as staple African crops decline

  07-03-2016 17:01
  
  Bananas, maize and beans could be among crops consigned to history in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, with drastic consequences for people who rely on beans as a vital source of proteinClimate change will leave swaths of sub-Saharan Africa unable to produce staple crops such as maize, bananas and beans by the end of the century, according to a report that calls for an urgent transformation of the region’s agriculture.The study, led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT),
  
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• Why green groups have a right to be heard on the EU referendum | John Sauven

  07-03-2016 16:37
  
  New charities guidance does not exclude us from the debate - we have an obligation to explain the environmental repercussions of Brexit In a front-page story in Monday’s Telegraph, Eurosceptic MPs and “charity transparency” campaigners have joined forces to fulminate against environmental groups for daring to express their view on the EU referendum. This move, their argument runs, will “infuriate” the organisations’ supporters and may even be in breach of Char
  
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• Foreign governments press Saudi Arabia on workers' delayed wages

  07-03-2016 16:28
  By Katie Paul, Marwa Rashad and Karen Lema RIYADH/MANILA (Reuters) - Foreign governments are pressing authorities and executives in Saudi Arabia to ensure that local construction firms make delayed salary payments to thousands of workers, a sign of pressure on the kingdom's economy due to low oil prices. Since late last year, the Saudi government has responded to shrinking oil revenues by clamping down on state spending to curb a budget deficit running at about $100 billion (£70.6 billion)
  
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• Total, Eni bet on new finds as rivals cut costs in oil downturn

  07-03-2016 16:09
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - As oil firms slash billions of dollars of investment to survive the market crash, France's Total and Italy's Eni are making some of the smallest cuts, gambling in the hope of big-ticket discoveries that will reward them when prices recover. Wood Mackenzie analysts expect this year's exploration spending to fall to just half of a peak of $95 billion (£67 billion) reached in 2014. The French company, which pursued a "high risk-high reward" strategy under
  
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• Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, five years on – in pictures

  07-03-2016 15:59
  
  Friday 11 March 2016 marks the fifth anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that killed 15,894 people in Japan. Christopher Furlong has photographed staff who are decommissioning the stricken plant Continue reading...
  
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• Grey seal twin pups 'a world first'

  07-03-2016 15:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two seal pups born on a Norfolk beach are the first wild grey seal twins to ever be recorded.
  
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• EDF's Hinkley Point nuclear plan in spotlight as CFO quits

  07-03-2016 15:38
  By Benjamin Mallet and Geert De Clercq PARIS (Reuters) - French utility EDF's plans to build a nuclear power station in Britain came under renewed pressure on Monday after its finance director quit over the risk he sees to the company's future. Reacting to the shock resignation, EDF reaffirmed its plan to go ahead with the £18 billion Hinkley Point project in southwest England. Developed as a partnership between state-controlled EDF and Chinese group CGN, the plan to build two 1,650-megawa
  
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• EU open to increasing 2030 carbon target, says top climate negotiator

  07-03-2016 14:51
  
  European commission appears to soften stance on whether it will strengthen its 40% carbon cut, after outcry over attempt to rule it outEurope’s chief climate negotiator has said he is open to increasing the EU’s carbon target for 2030, in a backdown by the European commission. Last week, the commission ruled out any increase in the bloc’s target of cutting emissions by 40% by 2030 on 1990 levels, sparking an outcry from several countries and green groups. Continue reading...
  
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• The buffalo hunt: a Native American photographer joins the cull

  07-03-2016 14:30
  
  The American bison once faced extinction – now they’re being culled. Native American photographer Joe Whittle attends a hunt held by tribal membersEvery winter the small town of Gardiner, Montana, welcomes Native American tribal members from around the Inland Northwest. Hospitality businesses are happy to see them arrive during the off-season, but they’re not the only ones – ranchers are thrilled.The tribal members are there to hunt American bison (or buffalo) that wander
  
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• 10 ways DECC is boosting investor confidence in the UK's energy market (according to DECC)

  07-03-2016 14:27
  
  The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released a list of ten ways it will stimulate investor confidence in the UK's energy market in the wake of widespread criticism aimed at numerous abrupt policy amendments.
  
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• 'Dodgy diesel' threatens biofuel market

  07-03-2016 14:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  There are growing concerns about cheap biodiesel imports from Poland that are alleged to be damaging the European market in biofuels.
  
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• Relocating Nepal's rhinos - in pictures

  07-03-2016 13:39
  
  A greater one-horned rhino has been successfully moved to a new home in Bardia national park. The healthy adult male is the first of 30 rhinos to be ‘translocated’ from Chitwan national park over the next two years to secure a second, viable breeding population and hopefully restore rhino numbers to historical levels Continue reading...
  
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• Could this 'Zero Bills' home galvanise a troubled housing sector?

  07-03-2016 13:23
  
  An innovative new housing prototype that incorporates roof-integrated solar photovoltaics and air-source heat pumps as an energy storage system has been unveiled, with the designers claiming that the building will make domestic energy bills 'obsolete'.
  
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• Government supports EDF nuclear plant project - Cameron's spokeswoman

  07-03-2016 12:58
  The government supports plans by French energy company EDF to build a new nuclear power station in Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron's spokeswoman said on Monday after the company's finance director resigned. EDF's Thomas Piquemal resigned over the company's plan to build the nuclear reactors, a source familiar with the situation said on Sunday. "We continue to fully support the project," Cameron's spokeswoman told reporters, adding that the French government had also expressed its full supp
  
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• EDF's Hinkley Point nuclear nightmare adds to company's woes

  07-03-2016 12:40
  
  Debts, boardroom disputes, delayed nuclear projects – the many troubles of the French-owned power companyBuilding an £18bn nuclear power station such as Hinkley Point C would be a huge financial commitment for any energy company – even one that is mainly state-owned.EDF, the company at the heart of the Somerset project that is 85% owned by the French government, has brought in Chinese state-owned firms as partners and negotiated generous subsidies with the UK government. Contin
  
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• VIDEO: Video shows Northern Lights over UK

  07-03-2016 12:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Spectacular displays of the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights, were spotted in parts of the UK last night.
  
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• During the most important year for climate news, TV coverage fell | Dana Nuccitelli

  07-03-2016 12:00
  
  A report by Media Matters for America reveals that the media are failing to inform the American public on the most important issue of our time
  Media Matters for America has published a report detailing US broadcast news coverage of climate change in 2015, and their findings are stunning.2015 was a banner year for climate news. February, June, October, November, and December were each their respective hottest months on record, and 2015 shattered the record for hottest year. The pope delivered a c
  
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• Solar farms to create natural habitats for threatened British species

  07-03-2016 11:49
  
  Project by RSPB and clean tech firm Anesco to boost wildlife at solar farms in England and Wales will help species including turtle doves and skylarksThreatened wildlife including turtle doves and skylarks could benefit from a scheme which has been launched to create natural habitats at solar farm sites. The project by wildlife charity RSPB and clean tech company Anesco aims to boost wildlife at the firm’s solar farms across England and Wales.Continue reading...
  
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• Green technology could mitigate environmental impacts of Heathrow expansion

  07-03-2016 11:48
  
  Technological advancements will mitigate the environmental impacts, such as noise and air pollution, of the controversial third runway developed at Heathrow, a new report from the Independent Transport Commission (ITC) has found.
  
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• Hinkley Point plan back in spotlight as EDF executive quits

  07-03-2016 11:44
  Tensions over plans to build a new nuclear power station in Britain were exposed on Monday after the finance director of project leader EDF quit his job in protest, sending the French company's shares down over 6 percent. The 18 billion pound project in southwest England was first announced in October 2013 but a final investment decision has been repeatedly delayed. Developed as a partnership between state-controlled EDF and Chinese group CGN, the plan to build two 1,650-megawatt nuclear reactor
  
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• Oil jumps as sentiment boosted; analysts warn of glut

  07-03-2016 11:17
  By Libby George LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices extended gains on Monday that have lifted crude benchmarks by more than a third from this year's lows, as tightening supply and an improving global outlook strengthened the sentiment for a market recovery. Front-month Brent crude futures were trading at $39.37 a barrel at 0945 GMT, up 65 cents from their last settlement. "The past days' oil price rally was from our perspective less related to a shift in fundamentals but a recovery of sentiment," said
  
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• China CO2 emissions may have peaked in 2014 - study

  07-03-2016 10:40
  By David Stanway BEIJING (Reuters) - China's carbon emissions, by far the world's highest, may have peaked in 2014, according to a study published on Monday, potentially putting Beijing under pressure to toughen climate pledges perceived as too lax. China has promised to bring greenhouse gas emissions to a peak by "around 2030" as part of its commitments to a global pact to combat global warming, signed in Paris last year. In response to the report, China's senior climate change envoy said on Mo
  
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• Pictures of the day: 7th March 2016

  07-03-2016 09:59
  
  Today: A licking cat, synchronised swimmers and inside an eyeball
  
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• London mayor race: high ideals and deep denials at Green Alliance debate

  07-03-2016 09:37
  
  Four of the leading candidates for City Hall offered a range of ideas for making London greener but also revealed some no go areas All mayoral candidates say they want a greener London, so which has the best ideas for achieving this and which is the most likely to deliver? The Green Alliance think tank held a hustings at 1 Wimpole Street with Liberal Democrat Caroline Pidgeon, Conservative Zac Goldsmith, Labour’s Sadiq Khan and the Green Party’s Sian Berry on the panel. James O&rsquo
  
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• Hinkley Point C nuclear project in crisis as EDF finance director resigns

  07-03-2016 09:17
  
  Proposed £18bn Somerset plant has been pushed by George Osborne but some on French company’s board fear risky spendingThe £18bn Hinkley Point C nuclear project was in crisis on Sunday night after reports that the finance director of EDF, the company behind the scheme, had resigned. Related: EDF tells contractors to restart work on Hinkley Point, report saysContinue reading...
  
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• London builds 'circular economy hierarchy' into public procurement

  07-03-2016 08:30
  
  The Greater London Authority (GLA) is redefining its public procurement policies in a bid to position London as a global circular economy hub.
  
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• Chernobyl 30 years on: former residents remember life in the ghost city of Pripyat

  07-03-2016 08:30
  
  Evacuees from the Chernobyl nuclear accident remember relatives, friends and colleagues who died – and the abandoned city declared unsafe for 24,000 yearsIn a biting winter wind, Alexander Petrovich Zabirchenko walks slowly along a memorial to firefighters and workers who died in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, touching each of the portraits engraved in granite. He does not shiver or complain of the cold. He is a big man and draws himself up to his full height before each sombre stone. &ld
  
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• Insight - Wall Street vets battle BP in fallout over Canada refinery

  07-03-2016 07:24
  The oil company demanded, through arbitration, $110 million (77 million pounds) from the private equity-backed NARL Refining for its alleged failure to properly manage and maximize profits from the Come-by-Chance plant in Newfoundland. NARL filed a counter arbitration claim along with two lawsuits accusing BP - which is the refinery's sole supplier under a two-year contract - of providing varieties of crude that benefit its trading book but hurt the refinery's equipment and profits.
  
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• From gill to open hill

  07-03-2016 06:29
  
  Buckden Pike, Yorkshire Dales Dry stone walls over the snow-covered moor look like ropes lashed taut over cargoIf the Pennines are meant to be bleak and terrible, then Buckden Gill is very un-Pennine in its atmosphere, a tiered series of waterfalls tumbling through an exquisitely intimate gorge.The water runs over smooth slabs of bone-white limestone into green pools which today hold the sun with a crystalline clarity and look misleadingly inviting; the whole thing feels like it might have been
  
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