Environment news

• Oil dives four percent on the week on U.S. rigs rise, glut threat

  22-07-2016 21:11
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices settled lower on Friday, losing 4 percent on the week, after the fourth weekly rise in the U.S. oil rig count added to worries about a global crude glut. Crude futures were already down, with Brent at two-month lows, on fears of more Iraqi supply before a report by energy services firm Baker Hughes showed U.S. oil drillers added 14 rigs this week to bring the total rig count to 371.
  
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• The Sustainable Business Covered podcast: Episode 06 - Supply chain challenges and Shell's Eco-marathon

  22-07-2016 19:49
  
  How should companies be driving truly sustainable supply chains? Which innovations will help deliver the zero-carbon cars of the future? And should we still be optimistic about green business development following the recent political turmoil?
  
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• Britain’s rail network constrained by history | Letters

  22-07-2016 19:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Simon Jenkins (Opinion, 21 July) still doesn’t understand what HS2 is about. It was perhaps foolish to call the project “High Speed 2”, so that many people think it’s about getting from London to points north more quickly. But its main raison d’être is increasing the capacity of the railways. When in the 1960s we ran out of capacity on the roads and built the M1 and M6, people didn’t see the reason for these as being able to get somewhere by car more qui
  
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• Powered by Google, UN flexes tech muscle to fight climate change

  22-07-2016 19:22
  By Magdalena Mis ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - New Google-powered software will help the world tackle problems related to climate change, deforestation and food production, a United Nations agency said on Friday, as it presented its revamped online platform. Open Foris, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) software, uses high-resolution satellite images to monitor the environment and changes in land use and forest cover. "We make maps that used to take three years in a week," Erik
  
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• Oil down, heads for weekly loss on concern about glut

  22-07-2016 18:54
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell again on Friday, on track to a weekly loss, with Brent hitting two-month lows, as Iraqi crude exports looked likely to rise, adding to the global glut. Earlier this week, the U.S. government reported that domestic crude inventories were at 519.5 million barrels last week, historically high for this time of year, even after a ninth straight week of drawdowns.
  
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• Oil down again, heads for weekly loss as glut fears persist

  22-07-2016 17:16
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were on track to a weekly loss, with Brent hitting two-month lows on Friday, weighed by potentially higher Iraqi crude exports and bearish U.S. inventory data from earlier in the week. Crude futures fell nearly 2 percent for a second day in a row as Iraq's oil exports looked to rise in July, according to loading data and an industry source. U.S. crude inventories are at a historically high 519.5 million barrels for this time of year, despite a n
  
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• Food for Thought: Americans Just Can't Stop Throwing Out Food

  22-07-2016 17:11
  Food waste is piling up in America, and although the vast majority of Americans feel bad about throwing out food, most of us also think it would be hard to reduce the amount of food we throw away, a new survey finds. The survey of 500 people in the U.S. found that 77 percent of respondents said they felt guilty about throwing away food. In addition to being a waste of resources, throwing away food has a negative impact on the environment, according to the study, published today (July 21) in the
  
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• Soon solar will be the cheapest power everywhere

  22-07-2016 17:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  Solar is already the cheapest available power across large swathes of the tropics, writes Chris Goodall - its cost down 99.7% since the early 70s. Soon it will be the cheapest electricity everywhere, providing clean, secure, affordable energy for all.Towards the end of last year, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden made a little-noticed remark. He said that solar would become the "dominant backbone" of the world's energy system.He didn't give a date for his prediction, or indeed define what 'dom
  
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• Businesses urged to 'think differently' and adopt Sustainable Development Goals

  22-07-2016 16:12
  
  The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) has called on business, governments and local authorities to adopt new ways of thinking that align the "critical challenges of our time" with operational models and frameworks.
  
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• Vattenfall delivers £300m investment for Scotland's largest offshore wind farm

  22-07-2016 14:44
  
  Plans to build Scotland's largest offshore wind farm near US presidential hopeful Donald Trump's Menie Estate golf resort in Aberdeenshire received a major boost this week after Swedish energy company Vattenfall pledged £300m towards the project.
  
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• If the government cuts farmers’ subsidies, what will the rest of the UK lose?

  22-07-2016 14:15 via theguardian.com
  
  There are certain environmental benefits only farmers can provide; a weakened subsidy system will dissuade their effortsIt was perhaps the most significant pre-Brexit tie between Britain and the European Union: for decades, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has provided supportive subsidies to EU farmers, consuming 40% of the EU’s annual budget in the process, almost £3bn of which went to the United Kingdom each year. CAP’s system of subsidies works to incentivise farmers to
  
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• Why Americans waste so much food

  22-07-2016 13:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  Even though American consumers throw away about 80 billion pounds of food a year, only about half are aware that food waste is a problem. Even more, researchers have identified that most people perceive benefits to throwing food away, some of which have limited basis in fact.A study published today in PLOS ONE is just the second peer-reviewed large-scale consumer survey about food waste and is the first in the U.S. to identify patterns regarding how Americans form attitudes on food was
  
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• Facebook's unmanned solar-powered internet drone takes flight

  22-07-2016 13:06
  
  Facebook has announced the successful first flight of its unmanned solar-power internet drone, which will eventually aim to break the world-record for the longest unmanned aircraft flight.
  
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• Trump resumes fight against windfarm near Scottish golf course

  22-07-2016 12:51 via theguardian.com
  
  US presidential candidate said planning conditions associated with Aberdeenshire project had not been satisfied Donald Trump has vowed to continue fighting the windfarm development off the coast from his Aberdeenshire golf course, branding the project an act of “public vandalism”.The US presidential candidate returned to the fray after Swedish energy company Vattenfall confirmed on Thursday that it is going ahead with its £300m investment, despite last month’s EU referend
  
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• Telescopes: A giant leap for Africa

  22-07-2016 12:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Currently under construction, the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa is establishing its role in scientific research.
  
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• Telecopes: A giant leap for Africa

  22-07-2016 12:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Currently under construction, the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa is establishing its role in scientific research.
  
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• We are the 'last generation' that can stop climate change, warns Leonardo DiCaprio

  22-07-2016 12:32
  
  The third annual gala for Leonardo DiCaprio's eponymous charity raised $45m for environmental causes on Wednesday night (20 July), with the Hollywood actor warning that this generation has been given the "last chance" to combat climate change.
  
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• Hot June, Kosovo coal and Andrea Leadsom's appointment – green news roundup

  22-07-2016 12:29 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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• Sunburned dolphin spotted in Moray Firth

  22-07-2016 12:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A dolphin that was sunburned while stranded out of water on mudflats for 24 hours in May appears to be recovering from its injuries.
  
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• Exclusive - Top Obama aide to take call for South China Sea calm to Beijing

  22-07-2016 12:07
  By Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice will urge Beijing next week to avoid escalation in the South China Sea when she makes the highest-level U.S. visit to China since an international court rejected its sweeping claims to the strategic waterway. Beijing has angrily rejected the verdict and pledged to pursue claims that conflict with those of several smaller neighbors.
  
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• Diving enthusiasts could be used to measure ocean temperatures

  22-07-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Decompression computers worn by recreational and commercial divers provides accurate data, study shows Millions of holidaying scuba divers are able to become citizen scientists and take vital measurements of ocean temperatures, which are being driven up by climate change.More than 90% of the heat trapped by global warming goes into oceans, where it drives hurricanes and disrupts fish stocks. Satellites can measure surface temperature when there are no clouds, but getting data from below the surf
  
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• Crude oil prices face weekly decline as glut fears persist

  22-07-2016 11:53
  By Libby George LONDON (Reuters) - Crude futures were on track for weekly losses on Friday as investors reassessed U.S. data on oil stocks and excesses in oil products in Europe and Asia. While many expect global oversupply of oil to ease in the near term, huge amounts of crude remain in vessels at sea and storage tanks on land as the rebalancing takes longer than some had anticipated. "The narrative of a balanced oil market (in the second half of 2016) has so far been an illusion," UBS oil anal
  
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• Elon Musk unveils 'part deux' of the Tesla master plan

  22-07-2016 11:06
  
  Disruptive manufacturer Tesla has unveiled a new four-step "master plan" that will see the company branch out from the development of electric vehicles (EV) in order to become an organisation that delivers a "sustainable energy economy".
  
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• Nippon Steel, Sumitomo renew contract to supply line pipes to BP

  22-07-2016 10:01
  Japan's biggest steelmaker Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp and trading firm Sumitomo Corp have renewed their contract with Britain's BP to supply line pipes. The new contract is effective for five years from July 1, with an option to extend the contract for another five years, Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Corp said on Friday. A plunge in global oil prices since mid-2014 has forced a number of oil and gas companies to scale back capital spending plans, hurting companies like Nippon Steel that
  
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• Oil futures ease, face weekly decline as glut fears persist

  22-07-2016 08:18
  By Keith Wallis SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude oil futures eased on Friday, extending big falls in the previous session as investors reassessed U.S. data underlining the glut in petroleum, while Iraqi crude exports are also on the rise. The inroads into global stockpiles of oil are not as great as anticipated," said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at Sydney's CMC Markets. Brent crude fell 13 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $46.07 a barrel as of 0605 GMT after closing 2.1 percent lower in the previous s
  
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• Philippines' oil still in troubled waters after South China Sea ruling

  22-07-2016 08:03
  By Enrico Dela Cruz MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines, eager to resume development of vital oil and gas reserves off its coast, will likely need to reach an accord with a Chinese government infuriated by last week's ruling that granted Manila a big victory in the South China Sea. The Philippines relies overwhelmingly on imports to fuel its fast-growing economy. Beijing has refused to recognise the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that granted the Philippines sovereign rights to acce
  
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• Papua New Guinea PM survives no-confidence vote but strikes remain

  22-07-2016 06:41
  By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill survived a no-confidence vote on Friday, EMTV reported, an outcome unlikely to end upheaval in a country developing lucrative projects with energy majors ExxonMobil Corp and French giant Total SA. The Supreme Court last week ordered parliament to reconvene, for the first time since June protests between students and police boiled over into violent clashes, for the express purpose of allowing the opposition to lodge a
  
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• Shy dragonfly of the boggy moss

  22-07-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Delamere Forest, Cheshire Red and blue damsels drift around me like filaments on the breeze but I am here to see a rarer species: the white-faced darterI skirt the edge of lower Doolittle Moss, in Delamere Forest, treading through soft peaty soil and batting away the pungent bracken that has grown almost as tall as me. Hard green fruit are starting to appear on the brambles, and bumblebees are making the most of the last blossoms.Surrounded by forest on all sides, the moss is black acidic water
  
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• Super-hard metal 'four times tougher than titanium'

  22-07-2016 05:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A super-hard metal is made in the laboratory by melting together titanium and gold.
  
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• Drought 'shuts down Amazon carbon sink'

  22-07-2016 05:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A recent drought shut down the Amazon Basin's carbon sink by killing trees and slowing trees' growth rates, a first-of-its-kind study shows.
  
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• Papua New Guinea PM O'Neill survives no-confidence vote - media

  22-07-2016 04:29
  Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill on Friday survived a no-confidence vote, EMTV reported, an outcome unlikely to end the upheaval in a country developing lucrative projects with energy majors ExxonMobil Corp and French giant Total SA. The Supreme Court last week ordered parliament to reconvene for the first time since June protests between university students and police boiled over into violent clashes, for the express purpose of allowing the opposition to lodge a no-confidence motio
  
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• Oil futures up slightly, face weekly decline as glut fears persist

  22-07-2016 04:25
  Crude oil futures rose in quiet Asian trading on Friday but gains were limited following big falls in the previous session as investors reassessed U.S. data underlining the glut in petroleum, while Iraqi crude exports are on the rise. Brent crude was up 14 cents at $46.34 a barrel. Brent is on track for a decline of nearly 3 percent this week.
  
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• Oil futures mixed, face weekly decline as glut fears persist

  22-07-2016 02:54
  Crude oil futures were mixed in early Asian trading on Friday after big falls in the previous session as investors reassessed U.S. data showing growing supplies of petroleum, while Iraqi crude exports are on the rise. Brent crude was up 5 cents at $46.25 a barrel. Brent is on track for a decline of around 3 percent this week.
  
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• Tesla town and LED bridges: the best green innovations of the week

  22-07-2016 02:01
  
  In a week that has seen green business initiatives rise above the ongoing political furore, edie rounds up the latest low-carbon, resource efficient technologies and innovations that are reinforcing the business case for sustainability.
  
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• Cheap and clean: Australian company creates hydrogen with near-zero emissions

  22-07-2016 01:25 via theguardian.com
  
  With hydrogen tipped to become an important clean energy fuel, a new process may be the solution to powering electric vehicles and heating buildings An Australian company is using “cheap as dirt” iron ore to convert methane in natural gas into hydrogen. Importantly, their process generates near-zero emissions, as the carbon content of the gas is captured in the form of high-quality graphite. As a clean-burning fuel, hydrogen could play a key role in future energy markets, but product
  
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• Mars rover's laser can now target rocks all by itself

  22-07-2016 00:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  New software is enabling ChemCam, the laser spectrometer on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, to select rock targets autonomously -- the first time autonomous target selection is available for an instrument of this kind on any robotic planetary mission. Developed jointly at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse, France, the ChemCam (chemistry and camera) instrument aboard Curiosity "zaps" rocks on Mars and analyzes their chemical make-up
  
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