Environment news

• NASA spies major Hurricane Georgette

  25-07-2016 23:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  Hurricane Georgette is a major hurricane in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible image of the powerful storm that showed a clear eye.On July 24, at 21:20 UTC (5:20 p.m. EDT) the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Hurricane Georgette in the eastern Pacific Ocean that showed an open eye with strong bands of thunderstorms circling the center.Shortly after Suomi NPP captured
  
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• Disasters linked to climate can increase risk of armed conflict

  25-07-2016 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Research found that 23% of violent clashes in ethnically divided places were connected to climate disastersClimate-related disasters increase the risk of armed conflicts, according to research that shows a quarter of the violent struggles in ethnically divided countries were preceded by extreme weather.The role of severe heatwaves, floods and storms in increasing the risk of wars has been controversial, particularly in relation to the long drought in Syria. But the new work reveals a strong link
  
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• Marine carbon sinking rates confirm importance of polar oceans

  25-07-2016 22:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  About the same amount of atmospheric carbon that goes into creating plants on land goes into the bodies of tiny marine plants known as plankton. When these plants die and sink, bacteria feed on their sinking corpses and return their carbon to the seawater. When plankton sink deep enough before being eaten, this carbon is taken out of circulation as a greenhouse gas to remain trapped in the deep ocean for centuries.How much of this happens in different regions of the ocean would seem like an acad
  
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• Why concrete + rain = flash floods

  25-07-2016 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Britain’s front gardens are being paved for parking while back gardens become patios. But in Canada and the US, the Depave movement is tearing up hard surfacesIn towns and cities, flash floods are a growing problem. The concrete jungle can’t soak up rainwater, so in heavy downpours it has nowhere to go except into drains, overloading them and setting off flash floods. A movement in Canada and the US called Depave is tearing up concrete and asphalt in local neighbourhoods and replacin
  
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• Australia's first hybrid wind-solar farm to be built near Canberra

  25-07-2016 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: farm gets the green light to be built by Chinese companies after $9.9m grant from renewable energy agency Australia’s first large-scale hybrid wind and solar farm is set to be built near Canberra, with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) providing a $9.9m grant.The money would go towards the $26m cost of building a 10MW solar photovoltaic plant alongside the existing Gullen Range windfarm. Continue reading...
  
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• Scans reveal how teenage brain develops

  25-07-2016 21:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The areas of the brain involved in complex thought are the ones that change the most during the teenage years, research shows.
  
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• Global Economy Has Reduced Its Energy Intensity by One-Third Since 1990

  25-07-2016 20:41 via feedproxy.google.com
  The global economy is becoming less energy intensive, using fewer fossil fuels to power productivity and economic growth, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Energy. Global energy intensity — a measure of energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) — has decreased nearly one-third since 1990, the agency said. The U.S., for example, burned 5,900 British thermal units per dollar of GDP in 2015, compared to 6,600 BTUs in 2010.
  
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• Unlocking the secret to cheaper solar power

  25-07-2016 20:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  As climate change garners more attention around the world, scientists at the University of Virginia and Cornell University have made critical advances in understanding the physical properties of an emerging class of solar cells that have the potential to dramatically lower the cost of solar energy.Solar cells remain a focal point of scientific investigation because the sun offers the most abundant source of energy on earth. The concern, however, with conventional solar cells made from silicon is
  
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• Oil falls on oversupply, demand concerns; U.S. crude hits 3-month low

  25-07-2016 20:01
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 2 percent on Monday, with U.S. crude hitting a three-month low, on rising concerns that a global glut of crude and refined products would pressure markets, delaying a long-anticipated rebalance in the market. Data from market intelligence firm Genscape pointing to an inventory rise of 1.1 million barrels at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery point for U.S. crude futures in the week to July 22 weighed on crude prices, said traders
  
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• New lithium-oxygen battery greatly improves energy efficiency, longevity

  25-07-2016 19:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  Lithium-air batteries are considered highly promising technologies for electric cars and portable electronic devices because of their potential for delivering a high energy output in proportion to their weight. But such batteries have some pretty serious drawbacks: They waste much of the injected energy as heat and degrade relatively quickly. They also require expensive extra components to pump oxygen gas in and out, in an open-cell configuration that is very different from conventional sealed b
  
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• Animal welfare groups push US to classify all leopards as endangered

  25-07-2016 19:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Conservationists are calling on the US to raise the protection level for leopards, severely curbing hunters’ ability to import body parts as trophiesConservationists have demanded a crackdown on the import to the US of leopards killed by American hunters, in an attempt to replicate the protections introduced in the wake of the furore caused by the death of famed lion Cecil.Related: Cecil the lion's legacy: death brings new hope for his grandcubsContinue reading...
  
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• Land Rover BAR becomes first British sports team to operate BREEAM Excellent building

  25-07-2016 18:43
  
  Sailing team Land Rover BAR has raced ahead in its quest to become the UK's most sustainable professional sports team, after becoming the first British team to operate from a BREEAM Excellent building.
  
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• FTSE ends lower after 11-month highs as energy shares weigh

  25-07-2016 17:59
  By Atul Prakash and Kit Rees LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top share index ended lower after hitting an 11-month high on Monday, with a fall in crude oil prices hurting energy stocks and weaker gold prices and negative company updates dragging down precious metals miners. The internationally-exposed FTSE 100 index finished 0.3 percent weaker at 6,710.13 points after setting an intra-day peak of 6,756.13, the highest level since August last year.
  
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• Unilever and Hubbub launch 'Joint Ambition for Zero Food Waste Britain'

  25-07-2016 17:43
  
  Global consumer goods firm Unilever has teamed up with social enterprise charity Hubbub to launch a collaborative, social media-driven project aimed at eliminating food waste.
  
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• 'Damaged' solar sector hit by job losses and deployment slowdown

  25-07-2016 17:43
  
  Solar deployment for 2016 is expected to shrink from the 1GW UK average of the last five years to less than 300MW, as firms within the industry reveal that employment levels have fallen by 32%.
  
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• Oil prices fall 2 percent on oversupply, demand concerns

  25-07-2016 17:43
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to 2-1/2-month lows on Monday on rising concerns that a global glut of crude and refined products would weigh on markets, delaying a long-anticipated rebalance in the market. Data from market intelligence firm Genscape pointing to a an inventory rise of 1.1 million barrels at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery base for U.S. crude futures in the week to July 22 weighed down crude prices, said traders who saw the numbers. A massive overhang
  
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• Azerbaijan top court clears Aliyev's bid to extend presidential term

  25-07-2016 17:34
  By Nailia Bagirova BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's highest court on Monday approved an initiative by President Ilham Aliyev to extend the head of state's term of office to seven years from five, a step his critics see as illegal and undemocratic. Ratifying an extension in the presidential term in the oil- and gas-exporting, ex-Soviet republic will require constitutional amendments and a referendum, the constitutional court said in a statement. A 2009 referendum scrapped Azerbaijan's two-term presi
  
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• China's coal peak hailed as turning point in climate change battle

  25-07-2016 17:02 via theguardian.com
  
  Study by economists say achievement by world’s biggest polluter may be a significant milestone, rather than a blipThe global battle against climate change has passed a historic turning point with China’s huge coal burning finally having peaked, according to senior economists.They say the moment may well be a significant milestone in the course of the Anthropocene, the current era in which human activity dominates the world’s environment. Continue reading...
  
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• Diplomatic win for China as ASEAN drops reference to maritime court ruling

  25-07-2016 16:57
  By Michael Martina and Lesley Wroughton VIENTIANE (Reuters) - China scored a diplomatic victory on Monday as Southeast Asian nations dropped a U.S.-backed proposal to mention a landmark international court ruling against Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea in a joint statement. A weekend deadlock between Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers was broken only when the Philippines withdrew its request to mention the ruling in the face of resolute objection
  
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• RSPB calls for shooting estates to be licensed

  25-07-2016 16:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Group says move would allow shoots to be banned if birds of prey are illegally killed, amid withdrawal from hen harrier scheme Grouse shooting estates should be licensed so that authorities have the power to ban them if birds of prey are illegally killed, the RSPB has urged, as it quit a government initiative to save the hen harrier in England.The hen harrier action plan is a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs-led scheme in which landowners, shooting groups and conservation organ
  
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• What will the green economy look like in 10 years' time? Experts predict future trends...

  25-07-2016 15:18
  
  By 2026, the global adoption of a low-carbon economy will have taken huge strides, with smart city revenues and energy storage deployment skyrocketing, and the number of low-carbon heavy-duty vehicles on the roads also increasing at impressive rates.
  
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• What will the green economy look like in 10 years' time? Experts predict cleantech trends...

  25-07-2016 15:18
  
  By 2026, the global adoption of a low-carbon economy will have taken huge strides, with smart city revenues and energy storage deployment skyrocketing, and the number of low-carbon heavy-duty vehicles on the roads also increasing at impressive rates.
  
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• Scotland's renewables sector threatened by political 'cloud of uncertainty'

  25-07-2016 14:12
  
  Despite successfully expanding renewable energy capacity, Scotland's renewable energy sector is in a "state of flux", with policy amendments to the Renewables Obligation (RO), Feed in-tariffs (FiT) and Contract for Difference (CfD) auctions all contributing to an uncertain future.
  
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• Scotland's renewable sector threatened by political 'cloud of uncertainty'

  25-07-2016 13:51
  
  Despite successfully expanding renewable energy capacity, Scotland's renewable energy sector is in a "state of flux", with policy amendments to the Renewables Obligation (RO), Feed in-tariffs (FiT) and Contract for Difference (CfD) auctions all contributing to an uncertain future.
  
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• Hotel chain set for £75,000 savings with water supplier switch

  25-07-2016 13:48
  
  Luxury hotel group Malmaison and Hotel du Vin has signed a ground-breaking contract with Anglian Water Business (AWB) to supply water to all of its UK properties, ahead of next year's water retail market reform.
  
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• Young people urge UK politicians to help safeguard nature

  25-07-2016 12:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Two-thirds of 16- to 34-year-olds consider environmental and wildlife policies a top voting priority, according to survey Almost nine out of 10 young people think it is important for politicians to take care of wildlife and the environment, according to a new poll.Two-thirds of 16- to 34-year-olds agree the environment is a top voting priority for them, the CensusWide survey of 1,000 people of all ages revealed. Continue reading...
  
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• Can the honeyguide show us a new way to connect with nature?

  25-07-2016 12:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Humans have few wild friends, but the honeyguide birds who lead Mozambican hunters to honey give us hope for relationships with mutual benefitNature works rather like the EU. There are deals between species. Uneasy relationships. Mistrust. Boundaries. Borders. Territory. Investments. Yet every now and then, new and surprising relationships emerge between animals. Among the rarest is mutualism.In humans, as in other animals, mutualism is rare. But this week, scientists announced that the mutualis
  
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• Oil prices slide on oversupply, economic headwinds

  25-07-2016 12:27
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Monday, holding near two-month lows amid worries that a global glut of crude and refined products would weigh on markets for some time. "The potential for larger-than-normal stock builds is growing," Morgan Stanley said in a note. "With the market increasingly trading on DOE (U.S. Department of Energy) stats, this could be a catalyst for additional downside," the bank said.
  
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• These are the best arguments from the 3% of climate scientist 'skeptics.' Really. | Dana Nuccitelli

  25-07-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Contrarian climate scientist Roy Spencer summed up the contrarian case for a fossil fuel and tobacco-funded think tank
  When I give a presentation and mention the 97% expert consensus on human-caused global warming, I’m often asked, “what’s the deal with the other 3%?”. These are the publishing climate scientists who argue that something other than humans is responsible for the majority of global warming, although their explanations are often contradictory and don’t
  
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• Solar subsidy cuts lead to loss of 12,000 jobs

  25-07-2016 11:46 via theguardian.com
  
  UK loses third of solar posts as survey reveals almost four in 10 companies are considering leaving market entirely More than 12,000 solar power jobs have been lost in the past year because of government subsidy cuts, according to the industry.
  A third of solar jobs have been lost in the UK, found the report by PwC for the Solar Trade Association (STA), based on a survey of 238 companies, around 10% of the industry.Continue reading...
  
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• China sets up South China Sea environment protection fund

  25-07-2016 11:08
  China has set up a 15 million yuan (1.7 million pounds) environmental protection fund for the South China Sea having already spent double that in the past four years, the Xinhua state news agency said on Monday. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled this month that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea and it criticised environmental destruction in the waters. China rejected the ruling and refused to participate in the case.
  
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• 'The best solution? Move the Mauritanian capital': water on the rise in Nouakchott | Alex Duval Smith

  25-07-2016 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A prisoner of climate change, Nouakchott faces challenges of flooding and erosion that have been exacerbated by preparations for the Arab League summitThe two events are not unrelated. As heads of state fly into Nouakchott’s new airport for the Arab League summit on Monday, Vieux Fall will be raising the roof – and the floor – of his family’s small compound.“The water table has risen more than usual this year. The toilets are overflowing. We are flooded again,&rdquo
  
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• The secret life of an engineer: Blights on the landscape make my eyes light up | Anonymous

  25-07-2016 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  I may have missed British industry’s glory days but I will never tire of seeing our back-of-a-fag-packet ideas ramped up to keep the country ticking overAs I walk from the main plant area to the jetty, the view before me is spectacular. The sun is bursting through the clouds and illuminating a hive of activity, and the contrast between the man-made and the natural is striking. A family of grey seals is lounging by the shore; and alongside, an Indonesian tanker is docked and ready to receiv
  
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• China calls for tension over South China Sea to be toned down

  25-07-2016 09:00
  International tension over maritime disputes in the South China Sea should be toned down, China's Foreign Minister said on Monday, after a "deeply flawed" international court ruled against Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea. The U.N.-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague handed an emphatic legal victory to the Philippines in the maritime dispute earlier this month. The court ruling was built on flimsy legal grounds, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in the Laos
  
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• ASEAN breaks deadlock on South China Sea, Beijing thanks Cambodia for support

  25-07-2016 08:11
  By Michael Martina and Manuel Mogato VIENTIANE (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations overcame days of deadlock on Monday when the Philippines dropped a request for their joint statement to mention a landmark legal ruling on the South China Sea, officials said, after objections from Cambodia. Beijing publicly thanked Cambodia for supporting its stance on maritime disputes, a position which threw the regional block's weekend meeting in the Laos capital of Vientiane into disarray. Competing claims wi
  
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• Burning coal for gas in UK seabeds would flame pollution, says report

  25-07-2016 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Friends of the Earth condemns Coal Authority for granting licences for underground coal gasification at 19 UK sites Plans to set fire to coal under the seabed at up to 19 sites around the UK would cause significant climate pollution, groundwater contamination and toxic waste, according to a report by environmentalists.The UK government’s Coal Authority has granted licences for underground coal gasification (UCG) covering more than 1,500 sq km of seabed off north-east and north-west England
  
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• Oil prices dip on ongoing oversupply, economic headwinds

  25-07-2016 06:43
  By Henning Gloystein and Osamu Tsukimori SINGAPORE/TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices held near two-month lows on Monday amid worries that a global crude and refined product glut would weigh on markets for some time to come. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was at $44.09, also down 10 cents a barrel.
  
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• Wildflower heaven in the west of Ireland

  25-07-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Iveragh Peninsula, County Kerry Roadsides are a riot of primary yellow, pinks and purplesThis verdant isle is indeed a green gem, but for the visitor from eastern England the abundance of richly coloured flowers is the stand-out botanical feature of the west coast of Ireland.Roadsides are a riot of primary yellow – bird’s foot trefoil, St John’s wort, ragwort and cat’s ear; pinks and purples – including common, bell and cross-leaved heather and whole hedges of fuchs
  
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• Crude stays near 2-month low on oil glut worries

  25-07-2016 01:25
  Crude prices inched down on Monday in Asia, staying not far from two-month lows hit in the previous session, amid worries over a global oil glut. A strong dollar and the fourth weekly rise in the U.S. oil rig count have helped relieve pressure on crude futures. London Brent crude for September delivery was down 4 cents at $45.65 a barrel by 2243 GMT on Sunday, after settling down 51 cents on Friday.
  
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• Former militants confirm talks with Nigerian government to end Niger Delta attacks

  25-07-2016 00:25
  A Nigerian former militant group said on Sunday it has been holding talks with the government to end a wave of attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta which has crippled the country's crude output. On Thursday, the office of President Muhammadu Buhari said the government was using oil firms and security agencies to talk to the militants "to find a lasting solution to insecurity in the region". "The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) wishes to confirm that indeed
  
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