Environment news

• Tree-saving campaign focuses eyes on the white-letter hairstreak

  04-08-2016 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Patrick Barkham on how a colony of rare butterflies living in a healthy elm has become a key element for citizens resisting Sheffield council tree fellingWe tend to picture butterflies feeding on flowers, but five British species spend most of their lives in the tops of trees. These insects are often overlooked during their unobtrusive lives. But the white-letter hairstreak finds itself in the spotlight this month as local people fight to save a fine mature elm in Sheffield. Related: Rare UK but
  
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• Oil jumps 3 percent as short-covering pushes U.S. crude firmly over $40

  04-08-2016 21:41
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 3 percent on Thursday, with U.S. crude advancing firmly above the $40-per-barrel mark on short-covering and after a modest stockpile drop at the delivery hub for U.S. crude futures. It was a second straight day of gains for crude futures from April lows below $40, after Wednesday's 3 percent run-up powered by data showing a hefty U.S. gasoline inventory drawdown. Market intelligence firm Genscape reported that stockpiles at the Cushi
  
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• Rocks tell story of China's great flood

  04-08-2016 20:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Geologists have found evidence for an ancient megaflood which they say could be the mythical flood at the dawn of the first Chinese dynasty.
  
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• Men may have evolved better 'making up' skills

  04-08-2016 19:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An analysis of sports events suggests men may be better at reconciliation after conflicts which could give them advantages in the workplace.
  
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• City-level climate disclosure increases by 70% in wake of Paris talks

  04-08-2016 18:42
  
  A record 533 of cities, representing 621 million citizens, across the globe are now measuring environmental data and disclosing climate action plans, a new update from CDP has revealed.
  
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• Oil jumps 2 percent, U.S. crude firmly over $40 on short-covering

  04-08-2016 18:31
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 2 percent on Thursday, with U.S. crude advancing firmly above the $40 a barrel mark on short-covering and after a modest stockpile drop at the delivery hub for U.S. crude futures. It was a second straight day of gains for crude futures from April lows below $40 after Wednesday's 3 percent run-up powered by data showing a hefty U.S. gasoline inventory drawdown. Brent crude was up 85 cents, or 2 percent, at $43.95 a barrel by 12:19
  
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• Your pictures of the newly enlarged Yorkshire Dales and Lake District

  04-08-2016 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  After boundaries were re-drawn on 1 August, we asked you to share your best pictures of the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks – including the newly incorporated areas now on many walkers’ bucket listsSee more images and add yours using the blue GuardianWitness button below
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• Hinkley Point C is not only new energy option, says windfarm developer

  04-08-2016 17:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Henrik Poulsen of Dong says UK investment in turbines and offshore farms can power country without new nuclear stationThe biggest offshore windfarm developer in Britain has said the country can meet its future energy commitments without the £18bn Hinkley Point C nuclear project.Henrik Poulsen, chief executive of Dong Energy, said wind turbines could be built on time and on budget, giving the UK a reliable source of power if combined with output from new biomass or gas-fired plants. Continu
  
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• Exclusive - Russneft bids for Russian government stake in Bashneft: two sources

  04-08-2016 16:12
  By Olga Popova, Darya Korsunskaya and Katya Golubkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Privately-held Russneft has submitted a bid to buy the Russian government's stake in oil producer Bashneft , which is set for privatisation later this year, two sources told Reuters on Thursday. The stake sale in Bashneft, a mid-sized oil company that has been rapidly growing its output in recent years, is the Russian government's second major sell-off after it reduced its stake in diamond firm Alrosa last month. Part of a
  
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• Granting this licence to shoot buzzards will unleash a killing spree | Patrick Barkham

  04-08-2016 15:39 via theguardian.com
  
  With business interests being prioritised over wild birds, a deadly precedent has been set. The natural world is under assault and needs all our helpEvery year, thousands of pheasants are slaughtered by cars. What would we say if the government’s conservation watchdog issued a licence to allow a gamekeeper to shoot 10 careless motorists?Natural England has instead issued a licence to allow a gamekeeper to kill something like us: a legally protected predator, a clever, adaptable native spec
  
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• Hinkley Point C is not only new energy option, says windfarm company boss

  04-08-2016 15:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Henrik Poulsen, CEO of Dong, says Britain’s investment in turbines and offshore farms can power country without new nuclear stationThe biggest offshore windfarm developer in Britain said the country can meet its future energy commitments without the £18bn Hinkley Point C nuclear project.Henrik Poulsen, chief executive of Dong Energy, said wind turbines could be built on time and on budget, giving the UK a reliable source of power if combined with output from new biomass or gas-fired
  
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• Hidden Degas portrait revealed

  04-08-2016 15:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A hidden portrait by the French Impressionist painter Edgar Degas has been revealed using powerful x-rays, scientists report.
  
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• Newcastle United scores big energy savings with new CHP system

  04-08-2016 14:27
  
  Newcastle United Football Club has continued its 'carbon positive' crusade by installing a combined heat and power (CHP) system at its own St James Park Stadium, just before the new Championship season kicks off.
  
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• Exclusive: Russia's Russneft bids for government stake in Bashneft - two sources

  04-08-2016 14:19
  Russia's Russneft has submitted a bid for the government's stake in oil producer Bashneft , which is set for privatisation later this year, two sources told Reuters on Thursday. One of the sources, a financial market source, said a total of over 10 bids was submitted for the 50.08 percent stake in Bashneft, a mid-sized oil producer.
  
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• Oil prices give up early gains as oversupply weighs

  04-08-2016 14:15
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped after gains made earlier on Thursday and the previous day as overproduction and large volumes of unsold crude and ample refined products around the world weighed on markets. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading at $40.62 per barrel, down 21 cents, and after hitting an intra-day high of $41.41 per barrel and rising 3.3 percent in the previous session. U.S. gasoline stocks dropped 3.26 million barrels to 238.2 million
  
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• Johnson & Johnson aims to remedy global trends with new 2020 targets

  04-08-2016 14:12
  
  Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is facing up to new megatrends, such as an aging population and an increase in climate-related deaths, by announcing new "Citizenship and Sustainability" goals for 2020.
  
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• First evidence of sleep in flight

  04-08-2016 14:12 via feedproxy.google.com
  For the first time, researchers have discovered that birds can sleep in flight. Together with an international team of colleagues, Niels Rattenborg from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen measured the brain activity of frigatebirds and found that they sleep in flight with either one cerebral hemisphere at a time or both hemispheres simultaneously. Despite being able to engage in all types of sleep in flight, the birds slept less than an hour a day, a mere fraction of the time
  
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• How Paul Dacre will benefit from energy levy his paper has opposed

  04-08-2016 13:55 via theguardian.com
  
  Daily Mail editor due to profit from a hydro power plant on his Scottish estatePaul Dacre, the newspaper editor, has been highly critical of the renewable energy levy on household bills.Paul Dacre, the Scottish land owner, is about to reap the benefits of that levy as a renewable energy producer. Continue reading...
  
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• Electric vehicle charge points to outnumber petrol stations by 2020, say Nissan

  04-08-2016 13:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Analysis by the car manufacturer marks end of the decade as a potential tipping point for the mass take up of electric vehicles, reports Business GreenPublic electric vehicle (EV) charge points will outnumber petrol stations in the UK by the end of the decade, marking a potential tipping point in the adoption of zero emission vehicles.That is the conclusion of a new analysis by auto giant and EV manufacturer Nissan, which argues that based on current trends EV charge points will overtake traditi
  
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• First solar farm with contract for difference connected

  04-08-2016 13:10
  
  A 12MW solar farm in Shropshire has become the first solar project in the UK with a contract for difference (CfD) to be connected to the gridm
  
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• Shambala festival goes meat- and fish-free in bid to provoke environment debate

  04-08-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The UK festival will be the first to have no food vendors selling meat and fish – though an insect bar will be available for those who want to try a different source of proteinShambala, a family-friendly festival in the Northamptonshire countryside, is to become the UK’s first greenfield festival to go meat- and fish-free. The move is intended to spark a debate over what we eat and how it affects the environment.Festival organisers made the decision as part of a commitment to reduce
  
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• Sinochem, private equity groups in second round of bidding for Atotech - sources

  04-08-2016 12:49
  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - France's oil giant Total has invited chemicals Sinochem and a few private equity firms to prepare final offers for German surface finishing and metal plating company Atotech, people close to the matter said. Buyout groups including Cinven [CINV.UL] and BC Partners [BCPRT.UL] have also made it to the second round of bidding for the asset, which is expected to fetch more than 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion), the sources added. Total, Cinven and BC Partners declined to comment,
  
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• Reclaiming the streets ... for cars? Why Bucharest is reining in outdoor events

  04-08-2016 12:45 via theguardian.com
  
  While cities around the world embrace pedestrianisation, Bucharest’s new mayor is blaming traffic on street events such as Via Sport, when a central boulevard is closed to cars on the weekend. Is the Romanian capital taking a step backwards?“The reason we are doing this in the street in the summer and at the weekend is to encourage people to leave their cars, take their bicycles, walk with their kids, play games, and have fun,” says Alex Zamfir, one of the co-founders of Via Sp
  
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• No production, maintenance impact from North Sea strikes - Shell

  04-08-2016 12:09
  Hundreds of maintenance workers employed by Wood Group on Shell's North Sea platforms started a 48-hour strike on Thursday over a pay dispute but field production or maintenance schedules were not affected, Shell said. Two of the affected Shell oil and gas platforms, Nelson and Shearwater, are currently on outage for planned maintenance unrelated to the strike, a spokesman said. On July 26, the same workers downed tools for 24 hours in what was the first North Sea strike action undertaken by Uni
  
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• Surviving on wild seeds after failed harvests in Chad – in pictures

  04-08-2016 11:27 via theguardian.com
  
  In drought-prone Chad, 4.3 million people – more than a third of the population – are food insecure, and 176,000 children have severe acute malnutrition, after erratic rains led to ruined crops Photographs: Peter Caton/Tearfund Continue reading...
  
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• Siemens lifts profit forecast, adapts to low-growth world

  04-08-2016 11:18
  By Georgina Prodhan FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German industrial group Siemens raised its full-year earnings forecast for the second time this year after large energy projects helped to take its third-quarter results above expectations and sent its shares to a 12-month high. Siemens reported growth in orders and sales that outpaced those of its main rivals despite global political uncertainty that is dampening customers' appetite to invest in areas from oil and gas to industrial plants and transport
  
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• Environment minister accused of conflict of interest over farm subsidies

  04-08-2016 10:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Lord Gardiner, who will be involved in reforming EU farming support post-Brexit, receives £49,000 a year in payments, it has been revealedOne of Theresa May’s new environment ministers has been accused by campaigners of a conflict of interest over tens of thousands of pounds he receives annually in EU farming subsidies.Lord Gardiner is parliamentary under secretary of state and the House of Lords spokesperson for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), whi
  
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• Virgin Media hails 'biggest carbon reduction ever' following major efficiency drive

  04-08-2016 10:00
  
  Telecoms giant Virgin Media has recorded its "biggest ever" annual carbon reduction, with emissions falling by 6.1% between 2014 and 2015 as a part of the firm's 'Digital for Good' sustainability programme launched last year.
  
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• Oil prices give away previous gains as oversupply bites back

  04-08-2016 09:19
  U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading at $40.89 per barrel at 0700 GMT, slightly above their previous settlement but after hitting an intra-day high of $41.41 per barrel and rising 3.3 percent the previous day. "Oil prices rallied after the EIA weekly report showed gasoline inventories declined the most at this time of the year for at least five years," ANZ bank said on Thursday. U.S. gasoline stocks dropped 3.26 million barrels to 238.2 million barrels, according to the
  
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• One Nation's Malcolm Roberts vows to halt 'ridiculous lies' on climate change

  04-08-2016 08:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Roberts wins second seat in Queensland for Pauline Hanson’s party and calls for government to abandon all policies that aim to reduce greenhouse gasesOn the day the government moved to save 15 of 35 climate science positions planned to be cut at the CSIRO, the Senate election results in Queensland showed One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts had won a second seat for the party in that state.He stood in front of the media and denounced the government for taking part in an international climate
  
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• Those pigs in Westminster: inside London's most central urban farm

  04-08-2016 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Nestled between office blocks, on a patch of unimaginably valuable real estate directly across the river from Whitehall, live London’s most unlikely urbanites: lambs, chickens, sheep and a new brood of piglets. So how exactly do you run a farm in the shadow of Parliament?If you stand on a planter made from old potato boxes in London’s most central city farm, you can see the flag flying from the Houses of Parliament. As a military helicopter rumbles overhead, two lambs caper around th
  
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• China farewells Jade Rabbit Moon rover

  04-08-2016 07:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  China's Jade Rabbit says a final goodbye and shuts down forever, after 31 months exploring the Moon, far outliving its predicted lifespan.
  
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• Oil prices bounce on U.S. gasoline stock draw, dollar's decline

  04-08-2016 07:19
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Thursday, extending gains from the previous session following a large draw in U.S. gasoline inventories and a big drop in the dollar since the end of July. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading at $41.11 per barrel at 0513 GMT, up 28 cents, or 0.7 percent, after rising 3.3 percent in the previous session. International Brent crude futures were trading at $43.28 a barrel, up 18 cents, or 0.44 percent.
  
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• Enbridge's Sandpiper looks to be latest victim of pipeline overbuild

  04-08-2016 07:13
  By Catherine Ngai and Liz Hampton HOUSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The long-planned and oft-delayed Sandpiper pipeline through the U.S. Midwest may not be dead, but it appears to be on life support, a likely casualty of the oil-and-gas industry's infrastructure overbuild amid a two-year global oil rout. After years of delays, refiner Marathon Petroleum Corp and midstream giant Enbridge Inc on Tuesday announced they would scrap their joint venture agreements and transportation services for the 450,00
  
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• As U.S. crude wobbles near $40, new oil rally in doubt

  04-08-2016 07:12
  U.S. crude's slide below $40 a barrel this week has hardened the resolve of oil market bears to drive prices lower, with oversupply, refining cutbacks and a breakdown in the oil/dollar trade spelling an end to this year's rally. Few believe oil will revisit the 12-year lows of $26 to $27 a barrel seen in the first quarter, but many are zeroing in on $35 a barrel or lower for U.S. crude. Short bets have increased in recent weeks as investors believe the spring rally that nearly doubled the price
  
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• National Trust calls for complete reform of British farm subsidies

  04-08-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Proposals would see the basic income support system of subsidies scrapped and farmers being paid out of public funds for environmental servicesThe National Trust has called for complete reform of the British farm subsidy system after Brexit, by ending payments for owning land and only rewarding farmers who improve the environment and help wildlife.“The subsidy system is broken. It is not working. Farmers are going out of business. The state of wildlife is in steep decline and large parts o
  
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• Sea shell, a masterpiece of animal architecture

  04-08-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Warkworth beach, Northumberland Wave-agitated sand had ground down the shell revealing its hidden structure, a helter-skelter chamberWe have beachcombed this tideline on scores of summer days but have only gone home with painted top shells (Calliostoma zyzyphinum) on a handful of occasions.Of all the shells washed ashore here, this is the most desirable: a pointed yellow cone decorated with purple streaks. Stand it on its tip and it resembles a 1in tall replica of an old-fashioned spinning top.
  
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• U.S. states signed pact to keep Exxon climate probe confidential

  04-08-2016 06:05
  By Terry Wade HOUSTON (Reuters) - A pact that 15 U.S. states signed to jointly investigate Exxon Mobil Corp for allegedly misleading the public about climate change sought to keep prosecutors' deliberations confidential and was broadly written so they could probe other fossil fuel companies. The "Climate Change Coalition Common Interest Agreement" was signed by state attorneys general in May, two months after they held a press conference to say they would go after Exxon, the world's largest publ
  
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• Bear hitches ride on garbage truck for five miles in New Mexico

  04-08-2016 04:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Driver says he realised the bear was on the truck when he heard a squeal, before driving close to a tree to give it an escape routeA bear has hitched a ride on top of a garbage truck in the American state of New Mexico, travelling at least five miles on the vehicle before it was able to make its escape up a tree.The driver was picking up a dumpster last week when he heard a squeal then realised the bear was on top of the truck, said a spokeswoman for Santa Fe national forest, Julie Anne Overton.
  
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• Oil prices bounce after U.S. gasoline inventory draw

  04-08-2016 03:54
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rose early on Thursday, extending gains from the previous session following a large draw on U.S. gasoline inventories. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading at $41.15 per barrel at 0139 GMT, up 32 cents, or 0.8 percent, after rising 3.3 percent and back over $40 the previous session. International Brent crude futures were trading at $43.39 per barrel, up 29 cents, or 0.7 percent, from their last close.
  
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• CSIRO cuts: Turnbull government orders U-turn on climate science research

  04-08-2016 02:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Organisation to lose 20 positions instead of initial 96 as Greg Hunt says ‘it’s a new government and we’re laying out a direction that climate science matters’Only 20 climate science positions will be lost from the CSIRO, down from an initial 96, after the Turnbull government intervened, issuing a ministerial directive to the independent agency.Guardian Australia understands 35 climate scientist will still be sacked, but there will be 15 new hires. It is also understood t
  
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• Mining town Coober Pedy shows the rest of Australia how to turn to renewables

  04-08-2016 02:20 via theguardian.com
  
  The South Australian town is abandoning its reliance on expensive diesel and forging a future in which most of its power comes from wind and solar Coober Pedy is the epitome of the Australian mining town. Located in the South Australian outback, it is as famous for its opals as it is for the extraordinary underground housing that has become a feature of its way of life.Now the township of 3,500 people may be about to make a name for itself in another way – abandoning its total reliance on
  
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• Brain's thirst circuit 'monitors the mouth'

  04-08-2016 01:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists observe activity in the mouse brain which can explain why we get thirsty when we eat, and why cool water quenches thirst more quickly.
  
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