Environment news

• Oil dips but notches fourth straight monthly gain

  31-05-2016 22:32
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices dipped on Tuesday as a stronger dollar and slide in equity prices sparked profit-taking, but crude futures posted a fourth straight monthly gain as investors bet that the global glut was slowly easing. Crude futures had gained early in the session, with investors expecting higher U.S. fuel demand as peak driving season arrived in the No. 1 oil consumer. Brent crude futures for July settled down 7 cents at $49.69 a barrel before expiring as the s
  
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• Asteroids 'dumped water in molten Moon'

  31-05-2016 21:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Water found deep in the Moon was delivered when icy asteroids splashed into magma oceans 4.3 billion years ago, a study suggests.
  
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• In rare compromise, Nigerian emerges as frontrunner for OPEC boss

  31-05-2016 20:44
  A Nigerian oil technocrat has emerged as frontrunner to take the top job at OPEC, with members seeing Mohammed Barkindo as what would be a rare compromise candidate to lead the group amid rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Barkindo has been a key face of the Nigerian oil industry for the past decade, during which various governments tried and effectively failed to reform national oil company NNPC. Today, Nigeria has alongside Venezuela become one of the main victims of oil's price co
  
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• I’ve spent a lifetime with gorillas. Shooting them should be a last resort | Ian Redmond

  31-05-2016 20:17 via theguardian.com
  
  The killing of Harambe after a child fell into his enclosure at Cincinnati zoo was a tragedy. Lethal force is not the only way to deal with these reasoning animalsThe tragic events at Cincinnati zoo last Saturday triggered an outpouring of emotion all over the world. Shock at the killing of a splendid young silverback, Harambe, mixed with relief that the four-year-old boy came through it relatively unscathed (though doubtless traumatised). What lessons can we learn from such a sad turn of events
  
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• Oil tankers in limbo as Venezuela's PDVSA fails to pay BP - sources

  31-05-2016 19:11
  By Marianna Parraga and Sarah McFarlane HOUSTON/LONDON (Reuters) - Four tankers carrying more than 2 million barrels of U.S. crude are stuck at sea and cannot discharge at a Caribbean terminal because Venezuela's PDVSA has so far failed to pay its supplier BP Plc , according to two sources and Thomson Reuters vessel tracking data. The cargoes are part of a tender Petroleos de Venezuela SA[PDVSA.UL], known as PDVSA, awarded in March to BP and China Oil. The deal was to import some 8 million barre
  
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• Oil up as U.S. summer draws beckon; set for fourth month of gains

  31-05-2016 18:57
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Tuesday, heading for the fourth straight monthly gain, with investors betting on higher U.S. fuel demand as peak driving season arrived in the No. 1 oil consumer. Data from market intelligence firm Genscape showed a drawdown of 686,700 barrels at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery point for U.S. crude futures in the week to May 27, traders said, a report that provided further support to oil. Strong U.S. consumer spending data also supported
  
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• OkCupid for unwanted fruits and veg: tech joins the fight against food waste

  31-05-2016 18:48 via theguardian.com
  
  A crop of web and mobile developers from Silicon Valley and beyond are stopping blemished produce from ending up in landfillsWhen Zoe Wong moved to the San Francisco Bay Area three years ago, she fell in love with the fresh and abundant produce from surrounding farmers’ markets. Wong grew up in Hong Kong, where fruits and vegetables were scarce and imported. After attending college in upstate New York, she moved to California, the largest agricultural state in the country.Soon, though, Won
  
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• Want to help fight climate change? Start with reproductive rights

  31-05-2016 18:30 via theguardian.com
  
  With overpopulation a key environmental concern, safe access to birth control, abortion and reproductive health services offer a simple solutionAn often-ignored factor when examining environmental issues and climate change is the powerful role played by women. In the developed world, although women still struggle to achieve parity in issues of pay and opportunity, we typically hold the most sway in household decisions. According to the Wall Street Journal, women control nearly three-quarters of
  
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• OPEC oil output falls from near-record in May on Nigeria outages

  31-05-2016 18:28
  By Alex Lawler VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC's oil output fell in May from near a record high, a Reuters survey found on Tuesday, as attacks on Nigeria's oil industry and other outages outweighed increases in Iran and Gulf members. A rise in supply from Saudi Arabia plus Iran suggests the group's top producers remain focussed on market share, following the failure of an initiative in April between OPEC and non-OPEC producers to support prices by freezing output. With OPEC meeting in Vienna on Thursday
  
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• Better combustion for power generation

  31-05-2016 17:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  In the United States, the use of natural gas for electricity generation continues to grow. The driving forces behind this development? A boom in domestic natural gas production, historically low prices, and increased scrutiny over fossil fuels' carbon emissions. 
  
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• Secrets of killer whale evolution revealed by genetic study

  31-05-2016 17:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Orcas exist in every ocean, adapting to different conditions and diets. Genome sequencing has allowed insights into their evolution - and similarity to humansGeneticists have deciphered the brief history of the killer whale: the predator that exists in every ocean but has evolved over the generations to hunt in disciplined packs, and specialise in a range of diets.The lesson is that genetic mutations that may have favoured survival in changing circumstances were then enhanced by natural selectio
  
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• Space Culinary Challenge! Students' Tasty Meal Will Feed Astronauts

  31-05-2016 17:14
  
  It's quite a challenge to make good food that can work in a zero-gravity environment, meet all of NASA's nutritional requirements and taste good — but high-school students from Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, New Jersey, were able to do it. As part of the High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program, NASA centers all over the United States hosted a set of culinary challenges designed to make better-tasting astronaut food. The Passaic County students
  
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• At least 4 BP oil cargoes stuck at sea by PDVSA cash woes - sources

  31-05-2016 16:55
  (Reuters) - More than 2 million barrels of U.S. light sweet crude sold by BP are stuck waiting to be paid before discharging at PDVSA's terminal on the Caribbean island of Curacao, according to sources and Thomson Reuters vessel tracking data. The cargoes started to be sent in late April as part of a tender awarded by PDVSA of Venezuela to BP and China Oil to import some 8 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate crude in the second quarter. But payment issues are causing delays. (Reporting by
  
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• Dismay in oil Twitterverse upon popular U.S. crude trader's exit

  31-05-2016 16:23
  Eric Rosenfeldt, who goes by the Twitter handle of Oil Merchant or @energyrosen, had attracted more than 8,000 Twitter followers for his quirky and candid opinions on the crude oil market. Rosenfeldt does not identify himself or his company on his Twitter profile, but he previously confirmed his identity to Reuters. The trader, who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Thursday deleted his account after a user questioned some of his tweets about crude prices and called him dishonest.
  
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• San Francisco mandates solar on all new buildings 10 stories or less

  31-05-2016 15:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  Although those who reside outside of San Francisco may not be aware of the fact, mid-April 2016 marked a huge milestone in the advancement of green technology in the city and its mandated usage in all newly-constructed buildings.The new legislation, unanimously approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on April 19, states that all new buildings with 10 stories or fewer, including all residential and commercial projects, must include a photovoltaic solar panel installation that encompass
  
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• QUIZ: How could climate change destroy World Heritage Sites?

  31-05-2016 15:54
  
  Why is New York's Statue of Liberty under threat of destruction from global warming? How could extreme weather events destabilise the masonry at Stonehenge? Find out which of the world's official Heritage Sites are most at-risk of being destroyed by global warming in our latest flip-card quiz.
  
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• Libyan security forces pushing Islamic State back from vicinity of oil terminals

  31-05-2016 15:54
  Libyan security forces captured a second town from in as many days from Islamic State, a spokesman said, pushing the militant group back towards its stronghold of Sirte and away from positions near to key oil terminals. The Petroleum Facilities Guard took control of Nawfiliyah, about 130 km (80 miles) from Sirte, though fighting outside the town raged on and some PFG members had been wounded, spokesman Ali al-Hassi said. The PFG captured the nearby town of Ben Jawad on Monday after clashes that
  
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• Will the Pact of Amsterdam strengthen the UK's air quality regulations?

  31-05-2016 15:47
  
  With Britain's crucial European Union (EU) referendum just weeks away, a major new EU-wide initiative has been launched to introduce more ambitious measures to improve air quality and implement closed-loop business processes, in an effort to create smarter, greener cities within EU Member States.
  
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• Libya oil guard says second town captured from Islamic State

  31-05-2016 14:10
  BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A force that controls oil terminals in eastern Libya said on Tuesday it had gained further ground against Islamic State, taking a second town in as many days east of the militant group's stronghold o f Sirte. The Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) is in full control of Nawfiliyah, about 130 km (80 miles) east of Sirte, and has not suffered any losses, spokesman Ali al-Hassi said. The PFG captured the nearby town of Ben Jawad on Monday after clashes that left five of its
  
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• BT's bold customer emissions target passes halfway mark

  31-05-2016 13:48
  Telecoms giant BT is on course to help its customers reduce carbon emissions by three times the end-to-end carbon impact of its own operations by 2020, with the group's latest sustainability report revealing that it achieved a customer-to-business carbon reduction ration of 1.6 to one last year.
  
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• Salt in their veins and fire in their bellies: fishermen battling for Brexit

  31-05-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The EU referendum has united an often fractious industry, with skippers in ports from northern Scotland to Cornwall desperate to dump imposed quotasWilliam Whyte has a new flag flying from the rigging of his vast blue-hulled trawler, its fabric snapping in the brisk breeze coming in off the North Sea. It features the cartoon of a militant-looking fish wearing armour, a union jack shield at its waist and the legend “Fishing for Leave”.
  These flags are appearing on boats around Britain
  
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• G7 nations commit to ending 'inefficient' fossil fuel subsidies by 2025

  31-05-2016 12:27
  
  Plans to drive a low-carbon transition as part of the recent Paris Agreement have been given a timely boost, after the G7 nations agreed a landmark deal to end the majority of fossil fuel subsidies by 2025.
  
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• Short-Snouted Sea Monsters Evolved Rapidly After Wipeout

  31-05-2016 12:20
  
  The discovery of a short-snouted, oceangoing reptile with a whip-like tail suggests that some marine reptiles evolved quickly (geologically speaking) after a mass extinction 250 million years ago, a new study finds. The finding turns an old theory on its head, showing that early marine reptiles didn't evolve slowly after the end-Permian extinction. The extinction wiped out about 96 percent of all marine species, largely due to climate change, volcanic eruptions and rising sea levels, the researc
  
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• Global glut to temper oil price gains this year - Reuters poll

  31-05-2016 12:06
  Global oversupply in crude oil is likely to limit price gains this year despite a series of unplanned outages and shrinking U.S. shale production, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday. With Iran likely to increase output by at least 500,000 to 1 million bpd in the near term, and despite the fall in U.S. shale production of 600,000-800,000 bpd, the overall market will continue to remain oversupplied as demand growth is expected to remain weak," said Rahul Prithiani, director at CRISIL Research.
  
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• Baking soda 'sponge' to capture carbon

  31-05-2016 12:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists in California are testing a spongy material made with the key ingredient of baking soda as means of capturing carbon emissions.
  
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• New Saudi energy minister shows he takes OPEC seriously

  31-05-2016 11:44
  When the oil producer group holds its half-yearly meetings, what time the ministers arrive in Vienna, how they speak and which hotel they stay in - anything will be analysed in an attempt to predict its policies. For veteran OPEC watcher Gary Ross, founder of New York-based consultancy PIRA, that signals expectations should be low as far as OPEC policy is concerned. "OPEC is becoming far less important.
  
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• Brent crude lower on strong Middle East oil output

  31-05-2016 11:14
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude prices fell on Tuesday on rising output from the Middle East and ahead of an OPEC meeting later this week, while U.S. crude edged higher as the summer driving season began. Brent crude oil futures were down 40 cents at $49.36 a barrel by 0839 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures traded 10 cents higher at $49.43 a barrel. Iraq will supply 5 million barrels of extra crude to its international oil company partners in June, i
  
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• Eyewitness: California

  31-05-2016 10:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading...
  
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• U.S. oil rises, global crude weaker on strong Middle East output

  31-05-2016 09:14
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices rose on Tuesday, buoyed by the start of the U.S. summer driving season, while international fuel markets fell on rising output in the Middle East, which mostly serves Asian customers. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $49.58 per barrel at 0707 GMT, up 25 cents from their last settlement. Brent crude oil futures were down 18 cents to $49.58 a barrel.
  
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• UK-GBC: Construction industry needs a collaborative 'evolutionary jump'

  31-05-2016 09:00
  
  Collaboration within the construction industry is crucial to ensuring that businesses can embed best practice and overcome barriers to applying circular economy principles to the built environment, the UK Green Building Council's (UKGBC) sustainability officer has claimed.
  
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• Construction industry needs a collaborative 'evolutionary jump' towards a circular economy

  31-05-2016 09:00
  
  Collaboration within the construction industry is crucial to ensuring that businesses can embed best practice and overcome barriers to applying circular economy principles to the built environment, the UK Green Building Council's (UKGBC) sustainability officer has claimed.
  
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• How Hayward's Genel lost its Kurdish oil reserves

  31-05-2016 08:10
  By Ron Bousso and Dmitry Zhdannikov LONDON (Reuters) - On the last Sunday of February 2016, late in the evening, Genel Energy's Chairman and former BP boss Tony Hayward held an urgent call with the board to break some bad news: the firm's prized oil field was worth much less than they had thought. Hours later, the company released a statement to the London Stock Exchange announcing the halving of the reserves of the Taq Taq oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan, the value of which had already been hurt b
  
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• Close encounters on a bear mountain

  31-05-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Tara national park, Serbia The extraordinary thing is not how comfortable local people are around bears but how they live in almost parallel worldsSitting in a forest hut for three hours watching a glade fill with shadows tests to the limits all that modern life has made of us, especially our capacities for patience, stillness, silence.Not that I expected the objects of our vigil to reciprocate. On the contrary, brown bears in this park can be 250kg, so I was assuming that they might give warnin
  
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• Shell reports restarting unit at Scotford, Alberta facility

  31-05-2016 05:37
  (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell reported restarting an unspecified unit at its Scotford, Alberta, facility on Monday, according to a community information line. There may be intermittent flaring for the next 12 hours, the message added. The Scotford facility houses a 100,000-barrel-per-day refinery and a 255,000-barrel-per-day oil sands upgrader. (Reporting by Apeksha Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
  
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• Q&A: Di Natale decries major parties' support for coalmines as 'great tragedy' – video

  31-05-2016 05:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Greens leader Richard Di Natale criticises Labor and the Coalition for their commitments to new coalmines, accusing them of taking huge donations from the fossil fuel lobby and harming the future of renewables on ABC’s Q&A program on Monday. When asked about his plans for central Queensland, Di Natale says: ‘I tell you what we won’t be doing is opening up a new coalmine and killing the Great Barrier Reef.” Continue reading...
  
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• How Greg Hunt and his department turned good news into an international scandal

  31-05-2016 04:24 via theguardian.com
  
  The full draft of the Unesco report on climate change reveals many mentions of Australia were actually positiveGreg Hunt has conducted one of the strangest manoeuvres of his already rather gymnastic career, over the erasure of Australia from a United Nations report on climate change. Guardian Australia had broken the story that all mentions of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef had been scrubbed from the report at the request of the environment department.Continue reading...
  
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• U.S. oil prices rise on start of summer driving season

  31-05-2016 03:00
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices were lifted early on Tuesday by the start of the peak demand summer driving season, although international fuel markets were weighed down by rising output in the Middle East, which mostly serves Asian customers. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $49.50 per barrel at 0042 GMT, up 17 cents from their last settlement. Demand in North America is set to pick up along with the official start of the U.S. summe
  
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• Nigeria's Buhari to visit restive Niger Delta region this week

  31-05-2016 01:30
  By Felix Onuah and Anamesere Igboeroteonwu ABUJA/ONITSHA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday visit the Niger Delta region, rocked by attacks on oil and gas facilities, for the first time since taking office a year ago, an official said on Monday. The visit was announced as the Niger Delta Avengers militant group, which has claimed a string of recent attacks, issued a warning to oil firms in the southern region that their "facilities and personnel will bear
  
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• Most voters support transition to 100% renewable energy, says Australia Institute

  31-05-2016 01:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Polling indicates 71% would be more likely to vote for a party that supported distributed small-scale solar and storageBattery storage technology has the potential to reshape not just the energy and transport sectors but also the upcoming Australian federal election, according to a new report.The Australia Institute report Securing Renewables: How Batteries Solve the Problem of Clean Electricity includes polling indicating that 71% of Australians would be more likely to vote for a party that sup
  
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