Environment news

• Environmental and health impacts of US health-care system

  09-06-2016 23:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  If the U.S. healthcare system were a country, it would rank 13th in the world for greenhouse gas emissions, according to new research. The study, published June 9 in PLOS ONE, quantified previously unreported environmental and public health impacts of the nation's healthcare sector.
  
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• Climate change mitigation: Turning CO2 into rock

  09-06-2016 23:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  An international team of scientists have found a potentially viable way to remove anthropogenic (caused or influenced by humans) carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere - turn it into rock.The study, published today in Science, has shown for the first time that the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) can be permanently and rapidly locked away from the atmosphere, by injecting it into volcanic bedrock. The CO2 reacts with the surrounding rock, forming environmentally benign minerals.
  
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• Australia's largest cockatoo threatened by bauxite mining

  09-06-2016 22:26
  
  Exclusive: Proposed mines to produce aluminium are putting the habitat of vulnerable Cape York palm cockatoo at risk, sparking calls for stronger environmental lawsAustralia’s spectacular palm cockatoo is being put at risk by proposed bauxite mines, conservationists have said.The Cape York palm cockatoo, Australia’s largest cockatoo, is listed as vulnerable under Australia’s federal environment laws. About 3,000 mature birds are thought to exist, and their numbers are declining
  
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• The role of dam removal in river management in New England

  09-06-2016 20:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  Dam removal in New England is not only an important aspect of river restoration but it also provides an opportunity to enhance the magnitude and rate of river re-connection, and improve watershed resilience in response to human impact on the environment, if a broader strategic removal approach is implemented throughout the region, according to a new Dartmouth-led study published in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene.The study is the first interdisciplinary, region-wide assessment of the
  
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• Experiment 'turns waste CO2 to stone'

  09-06-2016 20:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists think they have found a smart way to constrain carbon dioxide emissions - just turn them to stone.
  
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• Exclusive - Isabel dos Santos pledges transparency, efficiency at Angolan state oil giant

  09-06-2016 20:11
  By Ed Cropley LUANDA (Reuters) - Angolan state energy giant Sonangol is spinning off non-core investments in areas such as banking and real estate into a separate fund to allow it to focus exclusively on oil, new CEO Isabel dos Santos said on Thursday. In her first interview since being appointed last week, the daughter of Angola President Jose Eduardo dos Santos also pledged to bring openness and efficiency to the 40-year-old company that is frequently criticised as opaque and unwieldy. Dos San
  
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• CO2 turned into stone in Iceland in climate change breakthrough

  09-06-2016 20:00
  
  Radical new technique promises a cheaper and more secure method of burying CO2 emissions underground instead of storing it as a gasCarbon dioxide has been pumped underground and turned rapidly into stone, demonstrating a radical new way to tackle climate change. The unique project promises a cheaper and more secure way of burying CO2 from fossil fuel burning underground, where it cannot warm the planet. Such carbon capture and storage (CCS) is thought to be essential to halting global warming, b
  
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• Using Lake Michigan turtles to measure wetland pollution

  09-06-2016 19:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  Decades of unregulated industrial waste dumping in areas of the Great Lakes have created a host of environmental and wildlife problems. Now it appears that Lake Michigan painted and snapping turtles could be a useful source for measuring the resulting pollution.
  
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• Greenland's 2015 melt records consistent with 'Arctic amplification'

  09-06-2016 18:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Following record-high temperatures and melting records that affected northwest Greenland in summer 2015, a new study provides the first evidence linking melting in Greenland to the anticipated effects of a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification.
  
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• Welcome to Formentera, the island that wants all its cars electric

  09-06-2016 17:59
  
  Tiny Spanish island takes first delivery of electric vehicles as it sets out to become the first in Europe to banish petrol and diesel cars from its shoresThe tiny Mediterranean island of Formentera has taken delivery of six electric cars as part of an ambitious plan to be the first island in Europe to banish traditional cars from its shores.
  At 12 miles (19km) from end-to-end and with a population of about 12,000, Formentera is the smallest of Spain’s Balearic Islands. In summer, however,
  
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• Oil down after three-day rally; dollar rise sparks profit-taking

  09-06-2016 17:58
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Thursday, snapping a three-day rally after notching another 2016 high, as a strong dollar sparked profit-taking in crude futures by investors. Continuous threats by militants against Nigeria's oil industry and fear of more security incidents that could hit supplies worldwide, however, limited losses in crude. Brent crude oil futures were down 51 cents at $52 (£35) a barrel by 11:38 a.m. EDT (1638 BST), after setting a 2016 high of
  
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• Urgent action needed to stop terrifying rise in air pollution, warns OECD

  09-06-2016 17:56
  
  Toxic air set to cause as many as 9 million premature deaths a year around the world in the next four decades, with economic costs rising to trillions a yearAir pollution is becoming a “terrifying” problem around the globe, one of the world’s leading economic organisations has warned, and will get much worse in the coming decades if urgent steps are not taken to control the pollution.The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Thursday that pollutio
  
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• Spice gull: seabird turns orange after falling into vat of curry

  09-06-2016 16:01
  
  Wildlife hospital uses washing-up liquid to clean bird that was scavenging for food at factoryA seagull turned bright orange after it fell into a vat of chicken tikka masala.The bird fell into the container while trying to scavenge meat from a food factory bin on Monday. It was rescued by workers at the site in Wales, and picked up by a volunteer for Vale wildlife hospital, near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Continue reading...
  
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• Oil hits 2016 highs before turning lower on profit taking

  09-06-2016 15:46
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Thursday as traders took profits after three sessions of gains and after reaching 2016 highs thanks to a fall in U.S. crude inventories and supply disruptions. Brent crude oil futures were down 90 cents a barrel at $51.61 (£35.65) a barrel at 1316 GMT (1416 BST), after setting a 2016 high of $52.86. "If you look at the week behind us ... there was support for commodities from the currency side, the equity side, and the emerging markets
  
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• 'The world never stands still': M&S continues green business evolution with Plan A update

  09-06-2016 15:27
  
  Nearly three-quarters of products now have an 'eco' or ethical quality; retail food waste has significantly declined, and energy and water efficiency have greatly improved, capping off another hugely successful year of progress for Marks & Spencer's (M&S) Plan A sustainability programme.
  
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• The latest oil bet: from too much to too little

  09-06-2016 15:08
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil investors are finally buying into the notion that the biggest risk to the price now is likely to be supply falling short of demand, rather than from any stubborn overhang of unwanted crude, the options market shows. The price of Brent crude has hit $52 a barrel, virtually double January's near-13-year lows, driven primarily by a decline in global production that has been speedy enough to bring supply and demand into line faster than many had anticipated. "
  
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• Windfarm owner Dong Energy floats for £10bn

  09-06-2016 14:49
  
  Copenhagen-based company happy with IPO while in process of moving from fossil fuels to renewables Dong Energy, a Danish company that owns offshore windfarms around the UK, was valued at Kr 98.2bn (£10bn) as it successfully pulled off Europe’s largest stock market flotation this year.
  The Copenhagen-based group, which employs 700 people in Britain and is in the middle of a transition from a focus on fossil fuels to renewables, saw its shares soar a further 10% after they were sold to
  
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• Sustainability professionals rue ignorance of green issues in EU debates

  09-06-2016 14:26
  
  With just two weeks to go before Britain's crucial European Union (EU) referendum, a new survey has revealed that an overwhelming majority of sustainability professionals believe voters have insufficient information to take environment and sustainability issues into account when they cast their vote.
  
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• Bristol mayor approves £5m low-carbon heating scheme

  09-06-2016 13:55
  
  New low-carbon heating network is first stage of a plan to transform Bristol into a carbon-neutral city by 2050, reports BusinessGreenBristol’s newly elected mayor, Marvin Rees, has approved the city’s first major step towards becoming carbon neutral by 2050, giving the go-ahead for £5m in capital funding to build a low-carbon district heating network to serve the city.
  The first phase of the heat network, which was approved earlier this week, will supply low-carbon heat to bui
  
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• Could this new mapping toolkit solve the palm oil transparency challenge?

  09-06-2016 13:35
  
  With rising transparency issues leading to supplier contracts being scrapped and green groups piling on the pressure to tackle the situation, a new World Resources Institute (WRI)-backed initiative could finally allow companies to gauge deforestation risks by evaluating satellite surveillance of global palm oil mills.
  
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• Flooding: Government must change 'stop-start approach', say MPs

  09-06-2016 12:59
  
  The UK Government is failing to protect communities and businesses at risk of flooding, according to a new report released today (9 June) by the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee.
  
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• Flooding: Government must change inefficient and reactive approach, say MPs

  09-06-2016 12:59
  
  The UK Government is failing to protect communities and businesses at risk of flooding, according to a new report released today (9 June) by the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee.
  
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• What was it like before the Clean Air Act of 1956? Share your memories

  09-06-2016 12:38
  
  Sixty years on since the introduction of measures to reduce air pollution we’d like to hear your smog recollections
  In 1952 the great smog of London saw a week-long pea-souper take over the capital which contributed to the deaths of at least 4,000 people. In response to the disaster, the government passed the Clean Air Act of 1856 aimed at reducing air pollutants.
  Recently, the new mayor of London Sadiq Khan unveiled plans to substantially increase the size of London’s clean air char
  
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• UK's benchmark oilfield Buzzard, once unreliable, pumps more in 2016

  09-06-2016 12:34
  By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's North Sea Buzzard oilfield, which helps price global crude exports and in the past was beset by unplanned outages, has had a smooth year, industry sources said, boosting supply of crude that underpins the Brent benchmark. Unplanned shutdowns at the British field can boost Brent prices and lead to higher premiums of Brent futures for immediate delivery - leading to price volatility. Buzzard is operated by Nexen, a unit of Chinese state company CNOOC.
  
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• The communities of Cochabamba taking control of their own water supply

  09-06-2016 11:43
  
  Bolivia’s ‘city of eternal spring’ has a history of water struggles. Now some neighbourhoods that lack piped water are taking matters into their own handsLeer este artículo en españolOn a parched hill in central Bolivia, a blue tanker winds its way past half-built houses carrying water to Alto Buena Vista, a hillside settlement in the south of the city of Cochabamba. For this particular neighbourhood, trucks like this are the only source of water. Related: The hum
  
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• Nasa to map coral reefs from the air to show impact of climate change

  09-06-2016 11:31
  
  Scientists hope large-scale maps will offer new insight into effects of warming and pollution as previous studies have almost always been done up close in the water Coral reefs have almost always been studied up close, by scientists in the water looking at small portions of larger reefs to gather data and knowledge about the larger ecosystems. But Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is taking a step back and getting a wider view, from about 23,000 ft above.Nasa and top scientists from around
  
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• Engie closes UK coal-fired power station

  09-06-2016 11:08
  The coal-fired power plant at Rugeley in Britain has now been closed, operator Engie said on Wednesday. The closure of the 1 gigawatt plant was announced in February as a surge in renewable energy production and cheap gas prices have effectively priced coal-fired power plants out of the market in Britain. Late last year Britain's energy minister also announced the permanent closure of all coal-fired power plants by 2025 in a bid to lower carbon emissions from the electricity sector.
  
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• Aggressive innovation needed as tipping point looms for cement industry

  09-06-2016 11:07
  
  Global cement companies have been urged to innovate as a means to "future-proof" the sector, after a new report from climate change research provider CDP warned that the majority of emission reduction targets in the industry look set to expire.
  
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• Oil prices soften on profit taking after hitting 2016 highs

  09-06-2016 11:00
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower on Thursday as traders took profits after three sessions of gains, though prices remained close to their highest this year thanks to a fall in U.S. crude inventories and supply disruptions. Oil prices gained ground after data on Wednesday from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed U.S. crude stocks last week fell 3.23 million barrels to 532.5 million, the third consecutive weekly fall. A weaker dollar is also supporting
  
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• Alaska on track for hottest year since records began

  09-06-2016 10:59
  
  Warmest spring on record helps push states’s year-to-date temperature more than 5.5C above average, reports Climate CentralAlaska just can’t seem to shake the fever it has been running. This spring was easily the hottest the state has ever recorded and it contributed to a year-to-date temperature that is more than 10°F (5.5°C) above average, according to data released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).The Lower 48, meanwhile, had its warm
  
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• MPs criticise government over flood protection plans

  09-06-2016 10:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government is failing to do enough to protect communities at risk of flooding and needs to do more long-term planning, MPs say.
  
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• Satellite eye on Earth: May 2016 – in pictures

  09-06-2016 10:00
  
  Rolling sand dunes of Arabia, thinning glaciers of Greenland and wildfires of Fort McMurray in Canada were among the images captured by European Space Agency and Nasa satellites last monthNasa astronaut Jeff Williams captured this image of the ancient Potidea canal in Greece from the International Space Station. For 2,000 years this canal has connected the Thermaikos and Toronaios Gulfs. Williams posted the photograph on Twitter, saying: ‘Coastal currents and erosion over 2,000 years appea
  
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• UK Government must 'ride' low-carbon wave or be 'swept away'

  09-06-2016 09:30
  
  The UK is "going backwards" on low-carbon energy policies and risks losing its international competitive edge unless the Government restores domestic confidence through "coherent, consistent policy" that champions low-carbon businesses, according to six of the UK's leading development and environment organisations.
  
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• Oil hits fresh 2016 highs as U.S. crude stocks fall

  09-06-2016 09:24
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices edged up to fresh 2016 highs on Thursday, buoyed by a fall in U.S. crude inventories, a weaker dollar and strong demand, although some analysts warned that the recent rally was starting to look overblown. International Brent crude oil futures hit a high of $52.86 a barrel, and were up 23 cents at $52.74 a barrel at 0700 GMT. U.S. crude hit a fresh high of $51.67 and was up 33 cents higher at $51.56 a barrel.
  
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• What has the EU ever done for my … beach?

  09-06-2016 08:00
  
  Huge sections of the UK coastline were too polluted for swimming until EU legal action forced the government to clean upIn the 1980s, the British government tried to claim that the beaches of Brighton, Blackpool, Skegness and many other resorts weren’t used for bathing, to avoid dealing with the sewage, condoms and tampons that polluted them. Of the 27 beaches it agreed were used for swimming, nine were too dirty to reach the minimum bathing standard.Today, after legal action from the EU a
  
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• Australian election 2016: expect more frequent storms, says Turnbull – politics live

  09-06-2016 07:36
  
  The prime minister talks flood relief and climate change in Tasmania as Bill Shorten begins his tour of the floods. Follow all the developments with Katharine Murphy6.36am BSTEarly I know, but the campaign is over for today, and I need to bid you farewell in order to finish recording this week’s campaign podcast episode. Thanks very much for your company today.Love this picture from Mike Bowers. Natural disaster, meet travelling circus. 6.06am BST Continue reading...
  
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• Government failing to protect communities at risk of flooding, MPs say

  09-06-2016 07:01
  
  Environment committee report criticises lack of long-term planning and raises doubts whether target of protecting 300,000 homes by 2021 would be metThe government is failing to protect communities at risk of flooding, according to a highly critical report from MPs, who said they were sceptical that the target of protecting 300,000 more homes would be met.
  Ministers react after severe flooding rather than planning ahead for the long term, according to the cross-party environmental audit committee
  
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• The bloody-nosed beetle: a tank on sticks

  09-06-2016 06:30
  
  Dartmoor, Devon The beetle’s forelimb seemed to give a cheery wave to the world as it scooped at thin air then arced forwardWider than a thumbnail, almost as thick as a thumb, a black beetle with a shell like polished shoe leather was lumbering along a well-trodden path.Striking out in slow motion for the grassy edge with a six-legged doggy paddle, this bloody-nosed beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) gave the impression of a wind-up toy winding down. Watching this great tank on sticks was akin
  
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• Nestlé, if you care about the environment what's with your disposable coffee cups?

  09-06-2016 06:00
  
  Nescafé’s one-use cups are aimed at busy commuters who want cheap on-the-go coffee, but we already have reusable cups for thatNestlé has made it possible to skip the queues and make coffee-to-go in the comfort of your own kitchen. For £4.30 you can buy a box of four disposable coffee cups, pre-filled with a mix of instant coffee and ground coffee sealed under some tin foil.It’s an invention surely up there with the equally necessary egg cube (because oval eggs are
  
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• Ellen DeGeneres bombarded by Great Barrier Reef tweets from Australian minister

  09-06-2016 04:59
  
  Greg Hunt defends conservative government’s actions in torrent of posts to the Finding Dory starThe Australian environment minister, Greg Hunt, has bombarded Ellen DeGeneres with tweets after she appealed to Australia to do more to protect the Great Barrier Reef.Following news of the death of almost a quarter of the coral on the reef this year, DeGeneres, who plays the fish Dory in the 2003 film Finding Nemo and its upcoming sequel, Finding Dory, released a video message as part of a campa
  
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• Oil prices near 2016 highs as U.S. crude inventories drop

  09-06-2016 02:58
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices remained near 2016 highs in early trading on Thursday, buoyed by a fall in U.S. crude inventories, a weaker dollar and strong demand, but some analysts warned that the recent rally was starting to look overblown. International Brent crude oil futures were trading at $52.70 per barrel at 0045 GMT, up 19 cents from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was 32 cents higher at $51.55 a barrel.
  
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• Government criticised over flood plans

  09-06-2016 02:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government is failing to do enough to protect communities at risk of flooding and needs to do more long-term planning, MPs say.
  
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• How the Great Barrier Reef got polluted – from farms and fossil fuels to filthy propaganda | Graham Readfearn

  09-06-2016 00:40
  
  Policies and rhetoric around the Great Barrier Reef have rarely matched reality as the natural wonder suffers under the stress of pollutionIn late November 2015, as corals across the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef started to bleach white, the game was finally up.
  For years, Australians had been told the country’s jewel in the ocean’s crown was on the mend. Only months earlier the coalition government had won a two-year fight to keep the reef off a United Nations list of W
  
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• Names proposed for new chemical elements

  09-06-2016 00:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson are the names proposed for the four new chemical elements added to the periodic table in January.
  
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• Names proposed for chemical elements

  09-06-2016 00:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson are the names proposed for the four new chemical elements added to the periodic table in January.
  
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