Environment news

• Saudi king replaces minister for water and electricity

  23-04-2016 22:38
  Saudi Arabia's King Salman replaced the minister for water and electricity Abdullah al-Husayen on Saturday with Agriculture Minister Abdulrahman al-Fadhli, who will do the job on an acting basis, state media reported, citing a royal decree. This week Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is responsible for sweeping economic reforms in the world's top oil exporter, was quoted as saying increases in water tariffs had not been implemented in line with the plans. Saudi Arabia is seeking to re
  
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• Australian river on fire with fracked coal seam gas

  23-04-2016 22:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  So much methane is bubbling into a river surrounded by hundreds of fracking wells that it's a fire hazard! Local campaigners blame the coal seam gas industry for the gas releases which are spreading along Queensland's river Condamine and gaining in intensity.So much methane gas is now bubbling up through the Condamine River in Queensland, Australia that it exploded with fire and held a large flame.Gas seeping into the river began shortly after coal seam gas operations started nearby and is growi
  
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• Militants, guards clash near Libya's Brega port, oil commander wounded

  23-04-2016 22:01
  Islamic State militants clashed with a Libyan force guarding oil ports near Brega terminal on Saturday, killing one guard and wounding four including Ibrahim Jathran, leader of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), a spokesman and medical sources said. Islamic State has a base in the Libyan city of Sirte and has launched frequent attacks against oil facilities and ports, including major export terminals that are closed but controlled by Jathran's PFG brigades. The PFG is one semi-official armed
  
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• Militants, guards clash near Libya's Brega port, oil commander wounded - sources

  23-04-2016 15:41
  Islamic State militants clashed with a Libyan force guarding oil ports near Brega terminal on Saturday, killing one guard and wounding four including Ibrahim Jathran, leader of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), security and medical sources said. Islamic State has a base in the Libyan city of Sirte and has launched frequent attacks against oil facilities and ports, including major export terminals that are closed but controlled by Jathran's PFG brigades. The PFG is one semi-official armed gro
  
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• Black hikers breaking the 'green ceiling' and clearing a path for enthusiasts

  23-04-2016 14:30
  
  African Americans make up just 7% of people venturing to national parks while white visitors make up 78% – but Outdoor Afro is training leaders to change thatDavid McCullough often gets sideways glances while he is hiking near Philadelphia. There is nothing immediately startling about McCullough, a museum educator with a studious look and a neatly trimmed goatee. But as a black man in the great outdoors, McCullough is usually in a racial minority of one.“It’s conspicuous, you&r
  
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• Iran finds Doha meeting, despite failure, a positive step

  23-04-2016 11:47
  Iran's oil minister said on Saturday that last week's Doha meeting to freeze oil production, despite its failure, was a positive step and Iran would support any plan to stabilise the market. "Doha meeting was not fruitful but we see it as a positive step as it initiated negotiations between OPEC and non-OPEC member countries and showed to the main oil producers in OPEC that something should be done to change the situation," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying by the oil ministry's news ag
  
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• The annotated picture: climbing Nelson’s column

  23-04-2016 11:00
  
  Luke Jones and Ali Garrigan climbed the monument in Trafalgar Square on Monday to protest about air pollutionLuke Jones, a 30-year-old former rope-access technician who now works for Greenpeace full-time, has previously climbed on to the roofs of Parliament and the National Gallery. He is currently on bail after being arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage, although he says he caused none. No previous climber of Nelson’s column has been prosecuted for it. Continue reading...
  
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• Why it makes sense to burn ivory stockpiles

  23-04-2016 09:06
  
  On 30 April Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta will set fire to 105 to tonnes of ivory in Nairobi National Park. This article explains why it’s the right thing to do By burning almost its entire ivory stockpile, Kenya is sending out the message that it will never to benefit from illegal ivory it captured from poachers or seized in transit. However, as the day of the burn approaches, commentators and experts have been lining up to condemn it. Some of the objections put forward are based on wr
  
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• Revealed: nearly all new diesel cars exceed official pollution limits

  23-04-2016 08:00
  
  Health experts lambast ‘deceitful’ carmakers as data suggests 97% of vehicles fail to meet NOx emissions standards in real-world conditionsNinety-seven percent of all modern diesel cars emit more toxic nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution on the road than the official limit, according to the most comprehensive set of data yet published, with a quarter producing at least six times more than the limit. Related: Diesel cars' emissions far higher on road than in lab, tests showContinue reading
  
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• Gas goes green as suppliers opt for carbon neutral sources

  23-04-2016 08:00
  
  Electricity has long led the green energy market, but now both utilities are coming under the eco umbrellaMany of us have signed up with energy companies that offer 100% renewable electricity, so why not switch to a gas tariff that also promises to be carbon neutral? Energy firm Good Energy is hoping to tempt green households to do exactly that. This week the Chippenham-based firm started offering a domestic gas tariff that will allow customers to claim their gas usage produces no overall net ca
  
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• Ask Alys: I have small mysterious holes all over my lawn. What's causing them?

  23-04-2016 07:00
  
  The population of long-tailed field mice can explode quickly, but they are an important source of food for barn owlsAll over my lawn, I have holes that are 1-2 inches across but appear to lead into tunnels. What is making these holes? They are not big enough for rats or rabbits.
  I went to see my mum and she took me through a lengthy tour of her field and all the holes it contains. Rabbit holes, mole holes, bee holes, mice holes – it was quite the tour, because every hole needed t
  
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• The air is alive with harmless hirundines

  23-04-2016 06:30
  
  Loch Flemington, Highlands The mute swan is asleep on her nest, while the swallows are wheeling and criss-crossing each other in flightAs I sat on the extreme western end of the loch, two scenes unfolded before me, one tranquil and the other hectic. In the former a female mute swan, the pen, was asleep on her huge nest, which was partially obscured by the remnants of last year’s reed bed. She would probably have been on her full clutch of eggs – five or six of them – and they a
  
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• Climate deal won't stop Great Barrier Reef from getting 'cooked', say Greens

  23-04-2016 02:57
  
  Australia’s lack of action on pollution reduction targets has made the country a laughing stock on the international stage, according to senator Larissa WatersAustralia’s lack of follow-through on climate change will leave the Great Barrier Reef “completely cooked” despite it signing the Paris climate deal, the Greens say.The federal environmental minister, Greg Hunt, has joined leaders from 170 other countries in New York to sign the Paris Agreement to limit global warmi
  
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• EDF delays Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant

  23-04-2016 00:04
  
  Greenpeace brands project an ‘utter mess’ after French company admits it won’t make investment decision before summer
  The Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, at the heart of government energy plans, has been hit by fresh delays in another blow to confidence surrounding an already troubled project.EDF, the French energy company promoting the £18bn reactor scheme, admitted there would be no final investment decision at least till the summer, leading the environmental group Green
  
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