Environment news

• Plagues and pests beset our trees

  24-08-2016 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Burrowing larvae and pathogens causing blight are a growing hazard for many of the best-loved trees in the landscape – the horse chestnut, elm, oak and ashTrees are looking lush this summer, but appearances can be deceptive. Britain’s trees are being ravaged by a myriad of pests and diseases that could change the landscape out of all recognition. Many horse chestnut leaves are now turning brown, due to a leaf miner, the larva of a moth which burrows through the leaf. Even more seriou
  
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• Queensland solar projects that could create 2,600 jobs at risk in federal cuts

  24-08-2016 22:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Many schemes may not go ahead if the Australian Renewable Energy Agency is defunded in the government’s omnibus bill, ACF warnsThousands of jobs could be created in Queensland if 10 large-scale solar projects were to receive funding, according to analysis by the Australian Conservation Foundation.The projects, earmarked for funding by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena), would create around 2,695 jobs according to the study. Continue reading...
  
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• Hottest day of 2016 recorded at Gravesend in Kent

  24-08-2016 21:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK records its highest temperature of the year so far - 33.9C (93F) at Gravesend in Kent - as experts warn of possible health risks.
  
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• France denies it omitted elements in Renault emissions report

  24-08-2016 21:38
  France's Environment Ministry on Wednesday denied it had omitted key elements concerning some Renault cars in a report on vehicle pollution it commissioned following the Volkswagen emissions scandal last year. The Financial Times reported on Aug. 22 that three members of the French commission said the report did not include full details of their findings, including some discrepancies in Renault's Captur model cars. "The ministry wishes to formally deny Financial Times' affirmations in the story
  
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• Ecuador, Iran officials meet on need to stabilise oil prices

  24-08-2016 20:44
  QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's Foreign Minister Guillaume Long said on Wednesday that the South American country's authorities spoke with a visiting Iranian delegation about the need to stabilise oil prices. (Reporting by Alexandra Valencia, writing by Brian Ellsworth, editing by G Crosse)
  
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• Italy Earthquake: Complex Geology Drives Frequent Shaking

  24-08-2016 19:25
  
  Powerful earthquakes like the 6.2-magnitude temblor that rocked central Italy early this morning (Aug. 24) are surprisingly common in the region, geologists say. The shaking was caused by movement in the Tyrrhenian Basin, a seismically active area beneath the Mediterranean Sea. Here, the ground is actually spreading apart, said Julie Dutton, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
  
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• Human-induced climate change began earlier than previously thought

  24-08-2016 19:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Signs of warming appear as early as 1830 say researchers, whose analysis will help build accurate baseline of temperature before influence of human activityContinents and oceans in the northern hemisphere began to warm with industrial-era fossil fuel emissions nearly 200 years ago, pushing back the origins of human-induced climate change to the mid-19th century.The first signs of warming from the rise in greenhouse gases which came hand-in-hand with the Industrial Revolution appear as early as 1
  
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• Neighbouring star Proxima Centauri has Earth-sized planet

  24-08-2016 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists identify a planet only slightly larger than Earth that is orbiting Proxima Centauri - the closest star to our Solar System.
  
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• Five ways Proxima b find is important

  24-08-2016 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have discovered a planet similar to Earth that is orbiting our Sun's nearest neighbour, Proxima Centauri.
  
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• Microbeads – tiny objects, massive problem?

  24-08-2016 18:45 via theguardian.com
  
  There can be around 100,000 of them in the average face wash, but now MPs are calling for a ban and manufacturers are swapping plastics for ground-up peach-pits in productsThe late Dr John Ugelstad was a hero of Norwegian science. “Why go to space when you can go to Trondheim,” Newsweek crowed on a visit to his labs in the 80s. It had come to photograph him in the company of a few of the millions of tiny particles – microbeads – he had invented. Prior to Ugelstad, it had
  
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• U.S. crude down 3 percent after big stockpile build report

  24-08-2016 17:51
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled on Wednesday, with U.S. crude falling more than 3 percent, after an unexpectedly large inventory build in the world's biggest oil consumer renewed worries about oversupply. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that crude inventories rose 2.5 million barrels last week, versus analysts' forecasts for a draw of 500,000 barrels. Gasoline and distillate stocks also rose, the EIA said, driving down oil prices that had most
  
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• Call the old bill: police try to quack case of 200 lost ducks

  24-08-2016 17:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Police investigating after the animals, worth a four-figure sum, were stolen from a farm near Laurencekirk, AberdeenshirePolice are hunting thieves who stole more than 200 rare ducks from a farm.The 230 ducks, worth a four-figure sum, were taken from a shed and officers believe they were rounded up and loaded into a pickup truck or van. Continue reading...
  
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• VW sees car output back to normal by Monday after supplier deal

  24-08-2016 17:00
  HAMBURG/BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen said on Wednesday production of cars at its German plants should be back to normal by next Monday after it resolved a dispute with parts suppliers over contract terms. The dispute with suppliers Car Trim and ES Automobilguss, which had stopped deliveries of seat covers and cast iron parts for gearboxes, had threatened to undermine Volkswagen's (VW) recovery from its diesel emissions scandal. VW and the two suppliers on Tuesday resolved the dispute affecting
  
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• Oil down more than 2 percent after big U.S. crude stock build

  24-08-2016 16:58
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices extended their losses on Wednesday, with U.S. crude futures falling more than 2 percent, after an unexpected large build in U.S. crude stockpiles renewed worries about oversupply in the market. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported crude inventories rose 2.5 million barrels last week, versus analysts forecasts for a drawdown of 500,000 barrels. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were down $1.35, or 2.8 percent, at $46
  
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• Climate change is thawing deadly diseases. Maybe now we'll address it? | Mona Sarfaty

  24-08-2016 15:22 via theguardian.com
  
  An anthrax outbreak in Russia came from a 75-year-old caribou carcass thawing out. This is only the beginning of this sort of thing happeningEarlier this month, an outbreak of anthrax in northern Russia caused the death of a 12-year-old boy and his grandmother and put 90 people in the hospital. These deadly spores – which had not been seen in the Arctic since 1941 – also spread to 2,300 caribou. Russian troops trained in biological warfare were dispatched to the Yamalo-Nenets region
  
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• Scottish energy production boosted by £200m hydro scheme

  24-08-2016 15:16
  
  Installation plans for a 300MW pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH) scheme in Scotland were announced today (24 August), in the same week that the Scottish Energy Minister claimed that the sector was "at a crossroads" and required substantial UK Government support.
  
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• 1st Look at World War II-Era Aircraft Carrier Sunk in the Pacific

  24-08-2016 14:48
  
  More than 60 years after a World War II-era aircraft carrier sunk to the bottom of the sea, the word "Independence" could still be made out on its surface. By exploring the wreck with robotic subs, scientists are getting their first look at this decades-old ship, which was a target during atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific in the 1940s. The exploration is already revealing secrets: Scientists operating the underwater robot discovered a fighter plane within the sunken aircraft carri
  
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• Selecting the right house plant could improve indoor air

  24-08-2016 14:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  Indoor air pollution is an important environmental threat to human health, leading to symptoms of "sick building syndrome." But researchers report that surrounding oneself with certain house plants could combat the potentially harmful effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a main category of these pollutants. Interestingly, they found that certain plants are better at removing particular harmful compounds from the air, suggesting that, with the right plant, indoor air could become cleaner
  
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• Smoke Waves Are the Next Climate Change Problem

  24-08-2016 14:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  In the hills near Los Angeles, the Blue Cut Fire just ripped through 36,000 acres, taking dozens of homes along with it, spurring a major evacuation, and even requiring temporary highway closures. But the merciless flames of the Blue Cut Fire almost pale in comparison with the flood of wildfires across the Golden State, and the West at large, in an era when the wildfire season is growing longer and more aggressive every year. Climate change is the reason why, and researchers are discov
  
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• Obama's offshore drilling puts whales and dolphins in peril, groups warn

  24-08-2016 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Environmental groups warn president’s climate legacy could be at risk over research showing areas cleared for oil and gas extraction contain marine lifeEnvironmental groups have turned on the Obama administration over offshore oil and gas extraction, warning it puts whales and dolphins in peril and risks undermining the president’s commitment to putting the brakes on climate change.
  Barack Obama, who recently called global warming an “genuine existential threat”, has enjo
  
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• U.S. oil falls 2 percent on surprise build in crude stocks

  24-08-2016 13:55
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices fell more than 2 percent on Wednesday on an unexpected increase in U.S. crude stocks that revived worries about the supply glut that has capped prices for the past two years. Industry data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) showed on Tuesday that U.S. crude inventories had risen by 4.5 million barrels in the week ending Aug. 19. This pushed U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude down more than $1, erasing gains made in the previous
  
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• Animal jams and selfies: Yellowstone deals with record number of tourists – video

  24-08-2016 13:47 via theguardian.com
  
  With limited resources, Yellowstone national park is trying to manage crushing tourism that tangles roadways, spawns traffic accidents and provokes clashes between humans and the park’s natural worldIncrease in Yellowstone visitors raises park’s concerns over wildlife and safety
  Continue reading...
  
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• Human impact on environment may be slowing down, study shows

  24-08-2016 13:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Humanity’s environmental footprint has increased, but at a much slower rate compared to population and economic growth because of more efficient use of natural resources, reports MongabayHuman activities have taken a heavy toll on our environment. But there may be some hope, researchers say.
  Although human pressures continue to expand across our planet, their overall rate of increase is slower than the rates of population and economic growth, a new study published in Nature Communications
  
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• Increase in Yellowstone visitors raises park's concerns over wildlife and safety

  24-08-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Park rangers reassess how to manage tourist violations, staff burnout and ‘animal jam’ as number of national park guests peaked to four million last yearYellowstone national park is finding new ways to manage tourism after visits jumped by almost 600,000 between 2014 and 2015. After 15 years of steady growth, last year’s 4m visits was a tipping point, says park ranger Charissa Reid.The park expects the number to rise in 2016. July is likely to be the first million-visit month i
  
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• Is depression a state of body not mind?

  24-08-2016 12:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Prof Ed Bullmore from the University of Cambridge discusses a potential revolution: immunopsychiatry
  
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• Bane of the oceans

  24-08-2016 12:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  MPs have recommended banning the tiny particles of plastic called "microbeads" which are used in a number of cosmetics and cleaning products. But why have they taken the move?
  
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• Oil falls on surprise build in U.S. crude stocks

  24-08-2016 12:27
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Wednesday on an unexpected increase in U.S. crude stocks that revived worries about the supply glut that has capped prices for the past two years. Global benchmark Brent crude was down 52 cents, or one percent, at $49.44 a barrel at 1010 GMT, after touching an intraday low of $49.07. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 80 cents, or 1.7 percent, at $47.30 a barrel.
  
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• Air pollution threat hidden as research 'presumes people are at home': study

  24-08-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Previous investigations fail to reveal impact of ‘world’s largest human health threat’ because they do not account for people’s movement, researchers sayThe true impact of air pollution has been obscured by the failure to consider people’s exposure as they move around during the day, according to a new study that has mapped the hotspots of New York’s air pollution based on where people gather for work or recreation.The research cites air pollution as “th
  
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• Balkan countries unite in a war on waste

  24-08-2016 10:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Trash activists from former war-torn countries formed some of the world’s largest cross-border civic movements against rubbish and pollutionBalkan countries once divided by war, nationalism and religion have been quietly uniting to confront a common foe: rubbish.
  Under the rubric of the Let’s Do It campaign, Albanian and Kosovar activists jointly cleared their border area and the polluted Lake Vermica last April, in a Wombles-style campaign that has involved more than 5% of Albania&r
  
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• Army of chefs wage war on polystyrene waste in London

  24-08-2016 10:25
  
  Britain's 'war on waste' has seemingly taken a turn from paper to polystyrene cups as a selection of top chefs - including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - have sent a letter to London Mayor Sadiq Khan calling for a city-wide ban on non-biodegradable polystyrene packaging.
  
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• Yuval Noah Harari: "We are probably one of the last generations of Homo sapiens."

  24-08-2016 10:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Historian and author of the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari speaks about the future of humanity.
  
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• BEIS formation 'makes complete sense' for the green economy, says Aldersgate Group

  24-08-2016 10:00
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The creation of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) provides a key opportunity for Britain's energy-intensive businesses to develop and deliver ambitious low-carbon strategies, the Aldersgate Group's executive director has told edie.
  
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• Saudi prince to discuss reform drive in visits to China, Japan

  24-08-2016 09:59
  Saudi Arabia's powerful Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will discuss the kingdom's drive to cut its reliance on oil exports in visits to China and Japan that begin next week, Saudi media and sources said on Wednesday. In April, Prince Mohammed launched radical economic reforms designed to develop non-oil industries in Saudi Arabia and attract billions of dollars of foreign investment. The prince will visit China early next week for talks on economic ties as well as security issues, the S
  
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• Saudi Aramco could reduce stake in $5.5 billion Indonesia refinery project

  24-08-2016 09:52
  By Wilda Asmarini JAKARTA (Reuters) - Oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco [IPO-ARMO.SE] may reduce its stake in a proposed $5.5 billion (4.17 billion pounds) refinery project in Indonesia, the country's energy minister said on Wednesday. Aramco has asked to cut its share of the project to upgrade a refinery in Cilacap in the province of Central Java to 30 percent from 45 percent, interim energy minister Luhut Pandjaitan told reporters. Such a move could be a setback to President Joko Widodo's plans t
  
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• MPs call for outright ban on plastic microbeads from cosmetics products

  24-08-2016 09:30
  
  The UK Government has today (24 August) been urged by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) to completely ban cosmetic companies from using environmentally harmful plastic microbeads in bathroom products by the end of 2017.
  
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• The best and worst of worlds in my Kenya

  24-08-2016 08:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Paula Kahumbu: When will we learn that wildlife conservation is part of wealth creation and not an obstacle to it?Three days spent in Samburu Reserve to celebrate World Elephant Day with 91 children from Kenya’s poor neighbourhoods, slums and rural areas were probably the most moving experience of my life. A team of staff, interns and volunteers from my NGO WildlifeDirect put on an ambitious three-day programme of discovery, play and learning for the children. The children experienced a re
  
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• Saudi Aramco could reduce stake in Indonesia refinery project

  24-08-2016 07:50
  By Wilda Asmarini JAKARTA (Reuters) - Oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco [IPO-ARMO.SE] may reduce its stake in a proposed $5.5 billion refinery project in Indonesia, the southeast Asian nation's energy minister said on Wednesday. Aramco has asked to cut its share of the project to upgrade a refinery in Cilacap in the province of Central Java to 30 percent from 45 percent, interim energy minister Luhut Pandjaitan told reporters. "Aramco's progress has been rather slow.
  
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• Young rabbit considers us as a threat

  24-08-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Wenlock Edge The rabbit we watched watching us was taking its sentry duty seriously, and had the makings of a dominant adult – if it survived long enoughAll ear and eye, the rabbit was as alert as an exclamation mark. It remained still and watchful, as if it thought it was invisible when in fact its attention was so intense it seemed as obvious as a warning beacon in an otherwise languid August afternoon. The young rabbit was assessing the distance of this particular threat – two peo
  
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• Investing in off-grid renewables in the developing world: what you need to know

  24-08-2016 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Renewables are getting cheaper but there’s still a huge investment gap. Here’s what our expert panel said in a recent debate on clean energy
  How can developing countries reach 100% renewables? – the debate
  At the Paris climate talks last December, governments agreed to work towards limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. But the topic of financing developing countries to help them adapt to climate change and transition to clean energy became a sticking poin
  
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• Can a company ever claim to be making a better world?

  24-08-2016 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Companies such as Dell and Dow are working to define ‘net positive’ - where they put more into society than they take. Some suggest it’s self-serving rhetoricWhen you walk the aisles of your favourite shop you are bombarded with labels attempting to explain why this product is so much better than those others. It can be overwhelming, and it’s neither a new problem nor one that’s getting better; there are currently at least 465 different eco-labels in use around the
  
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• Investors controlling $13tn call on G20 leaders to ratify Paris climate agreement

  24-08-2016 05:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Investors say countries that move first will attract investments and call for regulators to force disclosure of climate-related risksA group of 130 institutions that control US$13tn of investments have called on G20 nations to ratify the Paris agreement this year and accelerate investment in clean energy and forced disclosure of climate-related financial risk.Countries that ratified the Paris agreement early would benefit from better policy certainty and would attract investment in low-carbon te
  
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• Fisherman hands in giant pearl he tossed under the bed 10 years ago

  24-08-2016 05:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Enormous pearl thought to have come from a giant clam could be the biggest in the world and, if authenticated, is estimated to be worth more than $100mA fisherman in the Philippines has kept what might be the largest natural pearl ever found hidden in his home for more than 10 years.The enormous pearl is 30cm wide (1ft), 67cm long (2.2ft) and weighs 34kg (75lb). If it is confirmed to have formed within a giant clam, as has been reported, it would likely be valued in excess of US$100m. Continue r
  
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• Oil prices fall on U.S. crude stocks build; fears over China demand

  24-08-2016 03:20
  By Mark Tay SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell early on Wednesday as an unexpected build in U.S. crude stocks weighed on markets, along with concerns that Chinese crude demand could falter as Beijing clamps down on alleged tax evasion in the oil industry. International Brent crude oil futures were trading at $49.57 a barrel at 0054 GMT, down 39 cents, or 0.8 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 46 cents, or 1 percent, at $47.64 a barrel.
  
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• Perfume traces could help to solve crimes

  24-08-2016 01:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Detecting traces of perfume could help in the fight against crime, a study suggests
  
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• MPs call for ban on plastic microbeads

  24-08-2016 01:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A worldwide ban on plastic microbeads in cosmetics should be imposed as soon as possible, MPs demand.
  
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• China's Silk Road powers bids for $1.5 billion Pakistan utility stake

  24-08-2016 01:39
  By Anshuman Daga and Tommy Wilkes SINGAPORE/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Chinese state-backed firms are frontrunners to buy a $1.5 billion (1 billion pounds) controlling stake in Pakistani utility K-Electric, sources said, as they bet the benefits of a Beijing-led economic corridor will trump the risks of investing in Pakistan. State-backed Shanghai Electric Power and China Southern Power Grid are among Chinese firms leading the pack of about half a dozen bidders in K-Electric , one person familiar wit
  
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• Swimming with dolphins could end as 'self-gratifying selfies' pose threat

  24-08-2016 01:16 via theguardian.com
  
  In Hawaii, large numbers of visitors disturb nocturnal spinner dolphins, which continue moving while they snoozeThe federal government is proposing a ban on swimming with dolphins in Hawaii – a move that may crush the dreams of many tourists, but will allow the marine mammals to finally get a good day’s sleep. The proposed rule would bar people from swimming or approaching within 50 yards of the Hawaiian spinner dolphin. The dolphins are an increasingly popular attraction for tourist
  
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• Microplastics should be banned in cosmetics to save oceans, MPs say

  24-08-2016 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Environmental audit committee calls for ban after hearing that microbeads harm marine life and enter the food chainCosmetics companies must be banned from using plastic microbeads in scrubs, toothpaste and beauty products because of the marine pollution they are causing, say a group of MPs.Members of the environmental audit committee have called for a ban within 18 months after hearing that trillions of tiny pieces of plastic are accumulating in the world’s oceans, lakes and estuaries, har
  
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• Hundreds of thousands of dead fish wash up in New Jersey

  24-08-2016 00:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hundreds of thousands of fish, commonly known as peanut bunker fish, have washed up dead in a New Jersey creek.
  
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