Environment news

• Exclusive - Saudi's deputy crown prince to visit U.S. for talks: sources

  03-06-2016 23:51
  By Warren Strobel and Yara Bayoumy WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's powerful deputy crown prince is expected to visit Washington in mid-June for talks with top U.S. officials, possibly including President Barack Obama, amid growing friction between the longtime allies, three sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. Mohammed bin Salman, son of Saudi Arabia's King Salman, has been leading a drive to end the kingdom's dependence on oil and liberalize its economy.
  
  Read more

• Do You Conserve Water? You Could Probably Stand to Do Much More

  03-06-2016 23:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  Nearly 15 percent of the contiguous United States is suffering from moderate to severe drought, which makes water conservation critical in certain parts of the country. How do we convince people to save more water, though?That’s the question that professors at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences put to the test. They polled over 1,000 people in Florida to determine which types of people would respond best to conservation efforts, and the answer i
  
  Read more

• Nigerian militants say aim is zero oil output after three new attacks

  03-06-2016 22:47
  By Libby George and Ulf Laessing LONDON/ABUJA (Reuters) - The Niger Delta Avengers militant group has claimed responsibility for three new attacks on Nigeria's oil infrastructure, promising to cut production to zero. The attacks are the latest in a Delta region conflict that a major local youth group said is "rapidly deteriorating and getting out of control", putting intense pressure on Nigeria's stretched finances. The Nigerian Air Force, in a statement issued late on Friday, said it had deploy
  
  Read more

• Value of eco crimes soars by 26% with devastating impacts on natural world

  03-06-2016 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Environmental crime is now the world’s fourth biggest crime and is a growing threat to security and natural resources, say UN and InterpolThe value of the black market industry behind crimes such as ivory smuggling, illegal logging and toxic waste dumping has jumped by 26% since 2014 to between $91bn (£62bn) and $258bn, according to an assessment by the UN and Interpol. Environmental crime is now the world’s fourth largest illicit enterprise after drug smuggling, counterfeiting
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Young bear may have been killed in California for its paws and gallbladder

  03-06-2016 21:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Black bear ‘yearling’ was mutilated by the side of the road, possibly for his gall bladder, which could sell for upwards of a thousand dollars on the black marketA young bear killed by a vehicle on a California road this week was found by highway maintenance workers to have been mutilated, possibly so that parts of it could be sold on the black market, according to officials.The bear had injuries consistent with being hit by a car in the early hours of Thursday morning, not shot or p
  
  Read more

• Oil slides as U.S. rig count rises, economy concerns

  03-06-2016 20:45
  
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled more than 1 percent on Friday, extending losses after weekly data showed U.S. drillers added rigs for only the second time this year. Drillers added nine oil rigs in the week to June 3, Baker Hughes said. The closely followed report rekindled fears that U.S. shale drillers would turn the spigots back on as prices flirted with $50 a barrel.
  
  Read more

• EU dilutes proposal to halve air pollution deaths after UK lobbying

  03-06-2016 20:25 via theguardian.com
  
  If implemented, weakened proposal means 14,000 people could die prematurely across Europe each year from 2030EU states have agreed to water down a proposed law aimed at halving the number of deaths from air pollution within 15 years, after intense lobbying from the UK that cross-party MEPs have condemned as “appalling”. Some 14,000 people will die prematurely every year across Europe from 2030 as a result, if the weakened proposal is implemented, according to figures cited by the env
  
  Read more

• Shell confirms signs of leak in Forcados export pipeline after attacks

  03-06-2016 19:46
  (Reuters) - Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd on Friday confirmed signs of a leak in the 48 inch Forcados export pipeline at a location between shoreline and the Forcados terminal in the western Niger Delta. Given this latest incident and the wider security situation in the Niger Delta, Shell said it was unable to determine the probable timing of the resumption of exports from the Forcados terminal. Shell's Forcados crude oil has been under force majeure since February.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Saudi Arabia's Uber venture: a case of if you can't beat 'em, join 'em

  03-06-2016 19:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Global firms are investing in startups threatening to shake up motoring because they know self-driving cars are the futureThe global automotive industry and the oil majors are not known for meekly rolling over when a competitor comes along – from General Motors’ involvement in killing public transport in Los Angeles in the 1940s to Shell lobbying to undermine EU renewables targets in more recent years.But recently, the world has started to see a new side to the sector: “If you
  
  Read more

• Oil slips on U.S. economy concern, Brent holds near $50

  03-06-2016 18:51
  
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices dipped on Friday on concerns about the U.S. economy, but Brent crude held close to $50 a barrel in choppy trading with support from a weaker dollar and relief that most OPEC members do not plan to flood the market with excess crude. Weaker-than-expected U.S. non-farm payroll data sent the dollar index to its lowest since mid-May, which also supported crude prices. The weak data raises concerns about U.S. gasoline demand this summer driving
  
  Read more

• Germany grounds Merkel's helicopter after fatal Norway crash

  03-06-2016 18:09
  The German Defence Ministry decided on Friday to ground the three Airbus Cougar AS532 helicopters used to transport Chancellor Angela Merkel, after a Europe-wide grounding of the civilian version of the aircraft, a ministry spokesman said. An Airbus H225 Super Puma helicopter ferrying passengers from a Norwegian oil platform operated by Statoil crashed on April 29, killing all 13 people on board as the main rotor blades separated from the aircraft. In response to the accident, the European Aviat
  
  Read more

• Under attack from beetles, ancient Polish forest faces chop

  03-06-2016 18:07
  Inside Poland's ancient Bialowieza Forest, birds chirp and bison graze as visitors explore the lush green surroundings, a home to boars, beavers, lynx - and beetles. Occupying almost 580 square miles of woodland, Bialowieza is a UNESCO World Heritage site sprawling across the border with Bielorussia. Foresters working in Bialowieza and the government say the solution is to cut down more trees, to save other trees.
  
  Read more

• Nigerian militants warn of 'zero' oil output in new attacks

  03-06-2016 17:56
  By Libby George and Anamesere Igboeroteonwu LONDON/ONITSHA (Reuters) - The Niger Delta Avengers militant group has claimed three new attacks on Nigeria's battered oil infrastructure, promising to drag production down to "zero". The attacks are the latest in a Delta region situation that a major local youth group said is "rapidly deteriorating and getting out of control", putting intense pressure on Nigeria's stretched finances. Early on Friday, the group said via its Twitter account it had blown
  
  Read more

• NASA satellite sees heavy rain in tropical depression Bonnie

  03-06-2016 17:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Global Precipitation Measurement mission known as GPM passed over Tropical Depression Bonnie and found heavy rainfall from a few thunderstorms within.Tropical Storm Bonnie weakened to a tropical depression on May 29, 2016. The circulation was labeled as "post-tropical" and has been moving very slowly to the northeast near the Carolinas coastline. Bonnie developed organized convection near the center and on June 2, 2016 the system was again labeled a tropical depression.
  
  Read more

• Where and when were dogs first domesticated?

  03-06-2016 17:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  Supported by funding from the European Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council, a large international team of scientists compared genetic data with existing archaeological evidence and show that man’s best friend may have emerged independently from two separate (possibly now extinct) wolf populations that lived on opposite sides of the Eurasian continent. This means that dogs may have been domesticated not once, as widely believed, but twice.A major international rese
  
  Read more

• Foxes are in the doghouse again – and everyday foxism is to blame | Lucy Jones

  03-06-2016 16:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Tales of vulpine hooliganism are deep in our cultural DNA. But why do we still feel the need to vilify these brilliant, adaptable predators?Another day, another story about urban foxes up to no good. Police officers in Tunbridge Wells said foxes are to blame for “destroying” brake lines on a number of cars. Poor foxes, in the doghouse once again.Certainly, the animals, especially when they are young and developing, like to chew on objects, and may choose to hang out in the warmth und
  
  Read more

• Upcoming U.N. ruling on South China Sea dominates Asian security summit

  03-06-2016 16:40
  By Greg Torode and Marius Zaharia SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Thailand's prime minister and India's defence minister called on Friday for upholding international law as they spoke at an Asian security summit that is being held ahead of a key U.N. court ruling on the South China Sea dispute. The Philippines has gone to court to contest China's claims to an area of the sea stretching deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia. "We support peaceful resolution of the disputes in line with internationa
  
  Read more

• Flooding threat: worried Parisians watch Seine level rise – video

  03-06-2016 16:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Residents voice their fears as the water level of the Seine river in Paris continues to rise. Officials forecast the Seine could peak at 6.5 metres, its highest level for more than 30 years in central Paris, stressing this is still well below the level at which it would threaten residents and businesses. Photograph: Philippe Wojazer/ReutersEurope floods: Seine could peak at 6.5 metres as Louvre closes doors
  Sinkholes and landslides follow flooding in France and Germany – videoContinue read
  
  Read more

• Hopping hares and playful lambs: readers' May wildlife pictures

  03-06-2016 16:02 via theguardian.com
  
  We asked you to share your May pictures of the wildlife around the world wherever you are. Here’s a selection of our favourites• You can add your June wildlife photographs by clicking on the ‘Contribute’ button belowContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• Russia to maintain OPEC relations, plans autumn meeting

  03-06-2016 15:24
  By Vladimir Soldatkin and Olesya Astakhova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia, the world's top oil producer, plans to continue its consultations with OPEC and may hold a meeting with the group this autumn, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, of which Russia is not a member, failed to agree on output targets on Thursday, at its first meeting since April when Saudi Arabia refused to sign up to an oil output freeze without Iran - which is tr
  
  Read more

• Brent crude oil holds near $50 on signs of rebalance

  03-06-2016 15:07
  By Libby George LONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude prices held around $50 (£34) a barrel on Friday on signs the market was moving back to more balanced supply and demand, and on an OPEC meeting viewed as supportive. "The market is heading towards rebalancing." The positive tone of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in Vienna on Thursday assuaged concerns over an intensified battle for market share between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. "The meeting removed a su
  
  Read more

• Thai police charge 22 with wildlife trafficking from tiger temple

  03-06-2016 14:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Three monks among those charged as police remove more dead animals from tourist temple, including bear and leopardThai police have charged 22 people, including three Buddhist monks, with wildlife trafficking and have removed more dead animals, including a bear and a leopard, from a Buddhist temple known as the tiger temple. The temple in Kanchanaburi province, west of the capital, Bangkok, has been a major tourist attraction for more than two decades, with visitors paying 600 baht (£12) ad
  
  Read more

• Falih charm offensive slowly wins back OPEC for Saudis

  03-06-2016 14:10
  By Dmitry Zhdannikov, Rania El Gamal and Reem Shamseddine VIENNA (Reuters) - Russian oil billionaire Vagit Alekperov isn't easily swayed, but Saudi Arabia's new Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih achieved it this week. Intense diplomacy by the soft-spoken Falih at his first OPEC meeting - with his speech peppered by words such as "gentle approach", "no shocks" and "consensus" - has persuaded Alekperov that OPEC is more alive than dead. "The fact that OPEC agreed on its new management shows they wan
  
  Read more

• England should 'hang its head in shame' over static recycling efforts

  03-06-2016 14:05
  
  With new figures released on Thursday (2 June) revealing that recycling figures for Wales had edged towards 60%, charity Keep Britain Tidy (KBT) has claimed that the lack of progress on recycling in England "reflects very badly on the situation".
  
  Read more

• ING joins Circular Economy 100 to unlock business opportunities

  03-06-2016 13:55
  
  Dutch multinational banking group ING has become the latest global institution to join the Circular Economy 100 (CE100), the innovation platform launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to accelerate circular economy ambitions.
  
  Read more

• Hubble clocks faster cosmic expansion

  03-06-2016 13:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Universe may be expanding up to 9% faster than previously thought, according to new measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope.
  
  Read more

• Iraq SOMO head says so far, so good for OPEC's strategy

  03-06-2016 13:22
  By Alex Lawler VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC's strategy of letting the oil market balance itself is working as investment in the industry is falling and any recovery will take time to bring new supplies, a senior Iraqi oil official said on Friday. "OPEC let the market work and so far they are succeeding, because it's affected investment," Falah Alamri, the head of Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO), told Reuters. Iraq is OPEC's second-largest producer.
  
  Read more

• Philadelphia water department faces class action lawsuit over water testing

  03-06-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  City is under increasing pressure to change test methods that scientists said may underestimate the amount of lead found in water after a Guardian investigationThe Philadelphia water department, accused by some experts of having water testing “worse than Flint”, is facing a class action lawsuit and a lead-testing campaign mounted by citizens concerned about water quality.
  On Thursday, hours after the Guardian published an investigation into the water-testing practices of 33 cities ea
  
  Read more

• Kellogg's pours 'heart and soul' into new science-based targets as footprints shrink

  03-06-2016 13:00
  
  Food manufacturer Kellogg's has unveiled new reductions across key operational footprints that the "business depends on", as the company drives towards its new science-based sustainability targets.
  
  Read more

• Getting 'High on Life' lands Canadian men in hot water for Yellowstone stunt

  03-06-2016 12:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Four men face charges over images on social media showing them going off trail in fragile area of park, after earlier wake-boarding incident at Bonneville Salt FlatsAuthorities in Yellowstone national park are urging a group of Canadian men accused of tramping off trail and dabbing in a delicate hot spring to turn themselves in, after images were posted on social media of their reported antics there and across a string of American “national treasures”.Federal warrants have been issue
  
  Read more

• Nissan switches on solar farm at largest European plant in Sunderland

  03-06-2016 12:29
  
  Japanese carmaker and leading electric vehicle (EV) producer Nissan has completed the installation of a 4.75MW solar farm in Sunderland - its biggest manufacturing plant in Europe - which along with other renewable sources will generate enough power to build more than 31,000 cars every year.
  
  Read more

• BP to pay $175m to investors over Deepwater Horizon spill

  03-06-2016 12:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Settlement compensates investors who claimed BP publicly underplayed amount of oil flowing from Macondo well into Gulf of MexicoBP has agreed to pay $175m (£120m) to settle claims that it deceived shareholders by underplaying the severity of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.The settlement, to be paid this year or next, ends a legal battle that began when a Houston judge ruled investors who bought shares shortly after the explosion at its Deepwater Horizon rig could sue BP. Continue readin
  
  Read more

• Russian deputy PM: outcome of OPEC meeting will not have impact on oil prices - RIA

  03-06-2016 12:13
  MOSCOW (Reuters) - The outcome of the Thursday's meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in Vienna won't have any impact on global oil prices, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich was quoted as saying on Friday. Brent oil prices held at around $50 (£34) a barrel on Friday although OPEC did not agree on output targets, supported by Saudi Arabia's pledge not to flood the market with more fuel. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; writing by Katya Golubkova)
  
  Read more

• Brent crude oil holds above $50 on signs of rebalance

  03-06-2016 12:07
  By Libby George LONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude prices held around $50 (£34) a barrel on Friday on signs the market was moving back to more balanced supply and demand, and on an OPEC meeting viewed as supportive. "The market is heading towards rebalancing." The positive tone of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in Vienna on Thursday assuaged concerns over an intensified battle for market share between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. "The meeting removed a su
  
  Read more

• Nigel Farage to lead pro-Brexit flotilla up Thames

  03-06-2016 12:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Fishing for Leave campaigners will coincide arrival at Westminster with final PMQs before EU referendumNigel Farage, the leader of Ukip, is to lead a flotilla of fishing trawlers up the Thames to central London to call for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, in a mass protest timed to coincide with prime minister’s questions.The flotilla of at least 35 boats – including huge herring and mackerel trawlers from the north of Scotland as well as smaller vessels from English ports &nda
  
  Read more

• From floods to forest fires: a warming planet – in pictures

  03-06-2016 12:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Droughts, floods, forest fires and melting poles – climate change is impacting Earth like never before. From the Australia to Greenland, Ashley Cooper’s work spans 13 years and over 30 countries. This selection, taken from his new book, shows a changing landscape, scarred by pollution and natural disasters – but there is hope too, with the steady rise of renewable energy Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Crocodile suspected of deadly Queensland attack is captured and killed

  03-06-2016 11:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Wildlife officers euthanise 4.3m estuarine crocodile believed to have killed New Zealand-born tourist Cindy Waldron in far north QueenslandWildlife officers have captured and put down a 4.3 metre-long crocodile believed to have killed the New Zealand-born tourist Cindy Waldron in far north Queensland.Officers from Queensland’s environment department removed the estuarine crocodile from the near the beach in the Daintree national park where Waldron was taken on Sunday night, before killing
  
  Read more

• University of East Anglia experts find 'lost city' was created by nature

  03-06-2016 11:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ancient underwater remains thought to be a "long lost city" are in fact the result of a naturally occurring phenomenon, researchers find.
  
  Read more

• 'Lost city' was created by nature

  03-06-2016 11:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ancient underwater remains thought to be a "long lost city" are in fact the result of a naturally occurring phenomenon, researchers find.
  
  Read more

• Snails decide using 'two brain cells'

  03-06-2016 11:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Snails use two brain cells to make "complex decisions", a team of scientists finds.
  
  Read more

• Total readies sale of German chemicals maker Atotech - sources

  03-06-2016 11:27
  By Arno Schuetze FRANKFURT (Reuters) - French oil and gas producer Total has begun preparations for the sale of its speciality chemicals and equipment division Atotech, which may be valued at about 3 billion euros (2.32 billion pounds), sources said. Total said in February it was planning sales of mostly non-core assets worth about $4 billion (2.78 billion pounds) this year and Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne said last month that Atotech no longer fell within the company's strategic vision. The
  
  Read more

• Global oil giants seek inroads into India's retail fuel market - minister

  03-06-2016 11:26
  By Nidhi Verma NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Global oil majors including Saudi Aramco and Total plan to tap the retail fuel market in India, its oil minister said on Friday, reflecting the expanding role of the world's fastest-growing large economy on the global crude landscape. India's fuel markets could be a lucrative prize for the world's oil majors as they seek outlets for their gasoline and diesel. India posted the fastest oil demand growth in the world in the first quarter of 2016 and is replacing
  
  Read more

• Flat lens promises revolution in optics

  03-06-2016 11:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A flat lens made of paint whitener on a sliver of glass could revolutionise optics, its US inventors say.
  
  Read more

• Flat lens promises possible revolution in optics

  03-06-2016 11:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A flat lens made of paint whitener on a sliver of glass could revolutionise optics, its US inventors say.
  
  Read more

• McCain urges Asian nations to back binding South China Sea ruling

  03-06-2016 11:06
  By Greg Torode SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Influential U.S. Senator John McCain said on Friday he feared for the consequences if China rejected an impending U.N. court ruling on the South China Sea dispute and called on Asian nations to back U.S. statements that the outcome should be binding. In a speech in Singapore ahead of a key regional security forum, McCain, who chairs the U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee, said enforcement of the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague wo
  
  Read more

• Qatar energy minister - Oil market heading towards rebalancing

  03-06-2016 10:49
  By Vladimir Soldatkin and Olesya Astakhova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Global oil markets are heading towards rebalancing, Qatar's energy minister said on Friday, a day after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries failed to agree on a clear oil output strategy at a meeting in Vienna. The worst was over," Mohammed Al-Sada told reporters in Moscow. "The market is heading towards rebalancing." Brent oil prices held at around $50 a barrel on Friday although OPEC did not agree on output targets
  
  Read more

• IEA: Cities must lead the global decarbonisation process

  03-06-2016 10:30
  
  With two-thirds of the growth in global final energy demand expected to come from urban areas in emerging and developing economies by 2050, a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) has called on cities to play a "leading role" in the global low-carbon transition.
  
  Read more

• Total starts preparations for sale of Germany's Atotech - sources

  03-06-2016 10:21
  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - French oil and gas producer Total has started preparations for the sale of its specialty chemicals and equipment division Atotech, which may be valued at about 3 billion euros (2.32 billion pounds), people familiar with the matter said. The group is expected to ask Barclays to lead the divestment, the people said, adding that a final mandate has not yet been assigned but was imminent. The sell side advisor will then help prepare sales documents an auction will likely start
  
  Read more

• Agencies say 22% of Barrier Reef coral is dead, correcting 'misinterpretation'

  03-06-2016 09:54 via theguardian.com
  
  Two government agencies at odds with colleagues on bleaching taskforce over extent of reef damage, even though figures are broadly similar Share your pictures and stories of climate change in AustraliaAlmost a quarter of the coral on the Great Barrier Reef is now dead, according to two government agencies, with the previously pristine remote northern sections worst affected.The data from in-water surveys, released on Friday afternoon, was from the two agencies that were part of the national cora
  
  Read more

• Governments target 1,000 businesses to commit to 100% renewable energy

  03-06-2016 09:30
  
  A raft of new companies including Tetra Pak, Interface and Equinix have pledged to source 100% renewable energy as part of a RE100 initiative that will be galvanised by a government-led push to promote the renewables revolution to 1,000 businesses.
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!