Environment news

• Russia hasn't dropped idea of new gas route to south Europe - Putin

  17-06-2016 23:23
  Russia still wants a new pipeline route to export gas to southern Europe despite the cancellation of the South Stream gas project, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. Putin said the expansion of the Nord Stream pipeline, under the Baltic Sea, was not an alternative to the cancelled South Stream route.
  
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• Oil jumps 4 percent as Brexit fears ease, still down on week

  17-06-2016 22:04
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped about 4 percent on Friday, as a weaker dollar and less anxiety about Britain's possible exit from the European Union encouraged investors to buy riskier assets. Brent more than recovered the losses of the previous day, when it slid 3.6 percent, yet crude futures still ended the week lower after daily declines from Monday through Thursday. Brent crude futures' front-month contract settled up$1.98, or 4.2 percent, at $49.17 a barrel.
  
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• Lukoil to consider spinning off Europe downstream assets, focus on drilling

  17-06-2016 21:38
  By Olesya Astakhova, Katya Golubkova and Dmitry Zhdannikov ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Russia's Lukoil may consider spinning off or selling its downstream assets in Europe to focus on exploration both in Russia and abroad, Chief Executive Vagit Alekperov told Reuters in an interview. Lukoil, which is pumping around 2 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) - a little less than OPEC member Venezuela does - is refocusing on upstream both at home and abroad, Alekperov said. In the medium-term, t
  
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• Nasa-style mission needed to map ocean floor

  17-06-2016 20:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ocean experts call for international action to generate the kinds of maps of global seabeds that space missions have already returned for the Moon and Mars.
  
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• EDF’s top managers tell MPs that Hinkley Point should be postponed

  17-06-2016 19:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Senior figures at French energy company declare in letter that delay is needed until issues including reactor design are solvedSenior managers at EDF have told MPs that they remain convinced that the French state-controlled group should postpone the Hinkley Point project until it has solved a litany of problems, including the reactor design and multibillion-euro lawsuits over delays on similar schemes.The letter from EDF managers to the UK parliament’s energy and climate change committee i
  
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• Air quality crisis: 7 shocking statistics that will take your breath away

  17-06-2016 18:28
  
  With a plethora of recent reports highlighting the devastating extent to which the issue of air pollution is impacting the health of UK citizens and the world population in general, edie takes a look at the shocking statistics behind the coverage.
  
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• Oil up as Brexit fears ease, still down for week

  17-06-2016 18:18
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Friday for the first time in a week as the dollar fell and investors in global markets cautiously bought some riskier assets as anxiety eased about Britain's possible exit from the European Union. Crude futures were still on track for a weekly loss after daily declines Monday through Thursday. Brent crude futures' front-month contract were up $1.28, or 2.7 percent, at $48.47 a barrel by 11:14 a.m. (1514 GMT).
  
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• Italian appeals court accepts class action against VW - consumer group

  17-06-2016 17:39
  An appeals court in Venice has accepted a class action suit against Volkswagen over allegations the German carmaker understated the fuel consumption of its Golf model, an Italian consumer group said on Friday. Consumer group Altroconsumo filed the class action in September 2014, long before Volkswagen was engulfed in a scandal over its cheating of diesel emissions tests and before it admitted last year to understating fuel consumption.
  
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• Seven climate records set so far in 2016

  17-06-2016 17:26 via theguardian.com
  
  From soaring temperatures in Alaska and India to Arctic sea ice melting and CO2 concentrations rising, this year is smashing records around the world1) Arctic sea ice is melting at a rate that by September could see it beat the record low set in 2012. The maximum extent of sea ice in winter was at a record low, and the extent in May was the lowest for that month ever, by more than 500,000 sq km.Continue reading...
  
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• Shattered records show climate change is an emergency today, scientists warn

  17-06-2016 17:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Unprecedented temperature levels mean more heatwaves, flooding, wildfires and hurricanes as experts say global warming is here and affecting us nowMay was the 13th month in a row to break temperature records according to figures published this week that are the latest in 2016’s string of incredible climate records which scientists have described as a bombshell and an emergency. Related: Seven climate records set so far in 2016Continue reading...
  
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• Green news roundup: Russian wildfires, microbeads ban and hot May

  17-06-2016 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox Continue reading...
  
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• Melt ponds suggest no Arctic sea-ice record this year

  17-06-2016 16:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Arctic sea-ice may have hit a record low in May but that does not mean September will set a new minimum mark, say polar experts at Reading University, UK.
  
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• 'Fat cat free': Community wind projects seek investment in Wales and Scotland

  17-06-2016 15:10
  
  Not-for-profit energy developer Sharenergy has launched a new initiative offering local communities the opportunity to support wind projects in Wales and Scotland through stable investment bonds and shares; without the intervention from energy companies that people "don't trust".
  
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• Rajshahi: the city that took on air pollution – and won

  17-06-2016 14:54 via theguardian.com
  
  In Bangladesh, one of the world’s most polluted cities has led the way globally in ridding itself of harmful PM10 particles Once, Rajshahi’s sweltering summers were made worse by a familiar problem on the Asian subcontinent: windows would have to be shut, not because of the wind or monsoon, but because of the smog.Dust blown up from dry riverbeds, fields and roads, and choking smog from ranks of brick kilns on the edge of town helped to secure the place a spot in the top tier of the
  
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• Mars crater named after Nepal quake village Langtang

  17-06-2016 14:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A crater on Mars is named Langtang, in tribute to one of the worst-hit villages during the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
  
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• Best photographs of the day: tributes to Jo Cox and California wildfires

  17-06-2016 14:36 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of photo highlights from around the world, including tributes to Jo Cox MP, wildfires in California and bomb-detecting rats Continue reading...
  
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• First Mammal Goes Extinct From Manmade Climate Change

  17-06-2016 14:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  We’ve reached a sad milestone: Climate change has claimed its first mammal species. Scientists have been warning us that a large percentage of species will face extinction thanks to manmade global warming, and the future is unfortunately here.According to The Guardian, climate change’s first mammal victim was an adorable rodent known as the Bramble Cay melomys. Sometimes called a mosaic-tailed rat, the melomys was named after Bramble Cay, an Australian island close to Papua
  
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• Crude oil prices rise for the first time in seven days

  17-06-2016 14:06
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Crude oil prices rose on Friday for the first time in seven days, but trading remains volatile less than a week before Britain goes to the polls over its EU membership. Brent crude futures were up $1.11 at $48.30 a barrel by 1142 GMT, having dropped 3.6 percent in the previous session. Analysts said that investors had closed some short positions after a week of volatile trading, which helped to bring about some correction in oil prices on Friday.
  
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• Study unlocks surprising behaviour of soil bacteria

  17-06-2016 13:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Newly sequenced genomes of soil bacteria have led to questions about how differing land management affects the organisms' behaviour, on agriculture and emissions.
  
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• The sculpture controlled by bees: Wolfgang Buttress's Hive

  17-06-2016 13:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Its 170,000 pieces of aluminium are a hive-like structure of latticework, controlled by the vibrations of honeybees in a hive at Kew that is connected to the sculpture“My approach to a sculpture seeks to frame nature so one can experience it more intimately,” says British artist Wolfgang Buttress, whose 17-metre high Hive installation opens at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, in London on Saturday. “I want visitors to feel enveloped, wrapped-up and involved in the experience
  
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• Berkeley Homes unveils sustainable housing design concept

  17-06-2016 13:32
  
  Property developer Berkeley Homes has unveiled a new sustainable housing design concept which outperforms traditional terraced housing by reducing up to 25% off utility bills and allowing residents to save up to 83% on gas bills and 30% on water.
  
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• Malcolm Turnbull rules out changes to penalty rates in Facebook debate

  17-06-2016 12:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Fewer than 13,000 Australians stream final leaders’ debate, with audience members handing victory to Bill ShortenMalcolm Turnbull ruled out a change to penalty rates in the next term of government and Bill Shorten called on the prime minister to lead on marriage equality regardless of who was elected in the third and final leaders’ debate. Fewer than 13,000 of more than 23 million Australians streamed the final leaders’ debate on Facebook, though it was aired on the ABC and Sky
  
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• DHL unveils competitions aimed at unearthing circular economy innovations

  17-06-2016 12:21
  
  Delivery services company Deutsche Post DHL has called on innovators and visionaries from across the globe to generate new ideas covering the concept of sustainable logistics and robotics, as the firm launches two new challenge competitions to incentivise the circular economy movement.
  
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• BP to invest up to $300 million in Russian exploration JV with Rosneft

  17-06-2016 10:51
  BP and Rosneft signed a deal on Friday to create an oil exploration joint venture in Russia in which BP plans to invest up to $300 million (210.44 million pounds), according to the companies' statement. Rosneft will contribute its licences and production facilities to the venture. Rosneft will have a 51 percent stake in the Yermak venture, while BP will control 49 percent.
  
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• M&S invites customers to invest in community solar project

  17-06-2016 09:00
  
  Marks & Spencer (M&S) has launched a unique collaborative initiative designed to generate renewable electricity from solar panels installed on the retailer's stores.
  
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• Rogue crocodiles: Indigenous councils want more power 'before a human life is taken'

  17-06-2016 08:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Mayors in Queensland’s far north call for council rangers to be able to capture problem crocodiles rather than wait for state wildlife officers to take actionRogue crocodiles are terrorising communities in Queensland’s far north and Indigenous councils are pleading for greater powers to deal with them before someone is killed.They want the state government to give their rangers the authority to capture and relocate problem crocodiles from local waterways. Continue reading...
  
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• Giant crab horde gathers in Australia

  17-06-2016 08:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A massive population of giant spider crabs amasses in waters off the Australian city of Melbourne.
  
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• Unique underwater caves link Mexico's Caribbean coast to the jungle – in pictures

  17-06-2016 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Mexican government is planning a marine reserve extending 200 miles out from the Caribbean coast on the Yucatán peninsula. However a network of caves connecting the sea to the jungle will remain outside of the reserve. Environmentalists are calling for this unique ecosystem to be protected too to safeguard its future and that of the wider reserve Continue reading...
  
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• Journey into a wild Derbyshire canyon

  17-06-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Chee Dale, Derbyshire Every so often, looming out of the mist, I’d encounter the massive arch of a viaduct, like Inca ruins lost in the jungleGrike is a northern English word, probably of Norse origin, used most commonly for the solution fissures that characterise limestone pavements, and therefore not often heard in upland Derbyshire, which has almost none. But I can’t help thinking of Chee Dale as a colossal grike. The familiar version offers protection to juicy plants from the eve
  
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• Coal-fired power stations face closure to meet emissions target, says government agency

  17-06-2016 06:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Australian Energy Market Operator also finds this would push wholesale energy prices up, but reduce consumptionAustralia’s coal-fired power stations will face early closure to meet 2030 emissions reduction commitments, according to assumptions made by a government agency that runs the national electricity grid.The Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) also found such closures would push wholesale energy prices up, but that would be offset by reduced energy consumption and greater energy
  
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• Crude oil rises for first time in seven days

  17-06-2016 03:57
  By Aaron Sheldrick TOKYO (Reuters) - Crude oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Friday for the first time in seven days as markets took a breather from concerns about the impact of Britain's possible exit from the European Union. The British pound rose from a two-month low after campaigning for next week's so-called Brexit vote next week was suspended following the murder on Thursday of UK member of parliament Jo Cox, who was a vocal advocate for Britain to stay in the European Union.
  
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• Factbox - Japan counts on technology to clean up push for coal power

  17-06-2016 03:22
  (Reuters) - Japan is set to release a long-term plan aimed at making thermal power generation cleaner and more efficient to help the world's fifth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases meet a pledge to cut emissions under a global climate agreement. Japan has also been trying to boost exports of its thermal power technology, sparking criticism from environmental groups and some other developed economies. Japan aims to use carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon and utilization (CCU) to help re
  
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• Oil rises for first time in seven days

  17-06-2016 03:02
  Crude oil prices rose in early Asian trade for the first time in seven days after a small decline in stockpiles at the U.S. Cushing hub overrode concerns about the impact of Britain's possible exit from the European Union. Market intelligence firm Genscape on Thursday reported a weekly decline of 76,317 barrels in stockpiles at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery point for WTI futures, traders who saw the data said. In the previous week, Genscape reported a drawdown of 299,058 barrels at Cushing.
  
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• UK-funded ice breaker in 'elite' Arctic tourism row

  17-06-2016 02:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Criticism is made of the use of a UK-government-funded ice breaker to guide a luxury cruise in the Arctic, as worries grow over the environmental impact of tourists.
  
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• Dead Sea drying

  17-06-2016 01:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Dead Sea is one of the great ecological treasures of the world but it is shrinking at an alarming rate, as Kevin Connolly reports.
  
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• National Grid needs overhaul, say energy committee MPs

  17-06-2016 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Report raises fears over conflict of interest and calls for independent system operatorA powerful parliamentary group has called for the National Grid to be stripped of its powers for balancing the energy system in Britain due to a potential conflict of interest.The House of Commons energy and climate change committee is urging the government to transfer control for ensuring all methods are used to keep the lights on to a newly created independent system operator (ISO). Continue reading...
  
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