Environment news

• Subantarctic seabed creatures shed new light on past climate

  01-09-2016 23:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new marine biodiversity study in one of the largest Marine Protected Areas in the world reveals the impact of environmental change on subantarctic seabed animals and answers big questions about the extent of South Georgia's ice sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum around 20,000 years ago.Reporting this week in the Journal of Biogeography researchers at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) describe how colonies of seabed creatures, such as sea sponges - that play an important role in absor
  
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• 'Ring of fire': Moon passes before Sun

  01-09-2016 22:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Thousands of people have watched the Moon pass in front of the Sun, to make a so-called "ring of fire".
  
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• Baffling decline of the small tortoiseshell

  01-09-2016 22:30
  
  My spectacles are not rose-tinted when I remember several dozen late-summer butterflies supping on buddleia to gain energy for their winter hibernationThe fact that I was delighted this week to find a trio of small tortoiseshells and three red admirals on one of a dozen buddleia I’ve planted in my garden shows how low our expectations have sunk.My spectacles are not rose-tinted when I remember several dozen late-summer butterflies supping on buddleia to gain energy for their winter hiberna
  
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• SpaceX rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral ahead of launch

  01-09-2016 22:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A rocket operated by the aerospace company SpaceX explodes on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral where it was being test-fired ahead of a launch.
  
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• The Crick, one of Europe's biggest biomedical labs opens

  01-09-2016 21:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Europe's biggest biomedical laboratory, the Francis Crick Institute, has opened in London.
  
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• Moment SpaceX Falcon rocket exploded at Cape Canaveral

  01-09-2016 21:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  SpaceX was fuelling the unmanned Falcon 9 rocket for a test engine firing when the blast happened.
  
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• Oil slides on glut worry, on track for biggest weekly drop since January

  01-09-2016 21:18
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 3 percent on Thursday, heading for their sharpest weekly slide since January as investors brushed aside talk that OPEC might freeze production and focussed on a growing glut from U.S. crude stockpiles. Inventories of distillates, which include diesel and heating oil, rose nearly 10 times as much as forecast, the data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed. U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures closed d
  
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• Dog vaccine offers hope in China’s fight against rabies

  01-09-2016 20:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists in China find that a dog vaccine can also protect large livestock against rabies infection.
  
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• Over 1,000 arrested as post-election riots rage in Gabon

  01-09-2016 20:06
  By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Three people were killed and up to 1,100 were arrested in Gabon on Thursday, the government said, in a second day of rioting over the announcement of President Ali Bongo's re-election and his main rival's accusation that the vote was rigged. Opposition challenger Jean Ping accused the elections commission of inflating Bongo's score to hand him a slim victory and extend his family's nearly half-century rule in the oil-producing Central African c
  
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• The Guardian view on Pope Francis: an unlikely voice for the environment | Editorial

  01-09-2016 19:47
  
  We need more than enlightened self interest to save the planetIt is less than a week since the International Geological Conference declared that we should recognise that we entered a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, in around 1950. The changes that we have made to the planet are now irreversible and their effects will continue for millennia to come. None the less, this may prove to be the shortest of all geological epochs, since there is no guarantee that humans, who made it, will survive
  
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• Oil tumbles on glut worry; biggest weekly drop since January looms

  01-09-2016 19:24
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell nearly 3 percent on Thursday, heading for their sharpest weekly slide since January, as investors brushed aside talk that OPEC might freeze production and focussed on a growing glut from U.S. crude stockpiles. Inventories of distillates, which include diesel and heating oil, rose nearly 10 times as much as forecast, the data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed. Brent crude futures were down $1.29, or 2.8 percent, at $45.6
  
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• Shell becomes first oil company to join Mexico's hedging programme - Bloomberg

  01-09-2016 18:09
  Royal Dutch Shell Plc participated in Mexico's oil hedging programme for 2017, the first time an oil company has taken part in the world's large commodities hedging programme, according to Bloomberg, citing four people with knowledge of the matter. Shell's trading unit was one of the seven counterparties to the Mexican government, the report said, adding that their involvement is the first known participation since Mexico started to lock in prices regularly 15 years ago. Earlier this week, Mexic
  
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• World Water Week: Six innovations to quench the global thirst for clean water

  01-09-2016 18:00
  
  With World Water Week bringing experts and innovators to Stockholm to foster new thinking and develop solutions to water-related issues, edie rounds-up the projects and products that could aid efforts to combat water scarcity.
  
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• Oil down 2 percent; U.S. stockpiles offset output freeze talk

  01-09-2016 17:44
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 2 percent on Thursday, heading for their sharpest weekly loss since January, as investors brushed aside talk that OPEC might freeze production and focussed on a growing glut from U.S. crude stockpiles. Energy monitoring service Genscape's report of a 714,282-barrel drawdown at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery point for U.S. crude futures during the week ended on Aug. 30 did little to bolster sentiment, traders said. Investors focus
  
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• Record-Low Arctic Sea Ice Is the 'New Normal,' NASA Says

  01-09-2016 17:38
  
  Melt season in the Arctic Ocean has consistently experienced record lows in recent years. This year, a record low for the sea-ice extent (the area of ocean covered by the ice) was set in March, with relatively rapid ice loss continuing through May, according to NASA scientists. Although the melting slowed in June — likely keeping this year's summertime sea-ice minimum extent from setting a new record low — the Arctic ice is not bouncing back, the scientists said.
  
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• Germany goes to EU with accusation of Fiat emissions cheating

  01-09-2016 17:33
  Germany's Transport Ministry has asked the European Commission to investigate exhaust emissions of Fiat Chrysler vehicles for potential illegal manipulation devices, German government documents showed on Thursday. Germany's motor vehicle authority KBA began testing the vehicles of several manufacturers, including Fiat, after Volkswagen's admission in September last year that it had cheated emissions tests with motor-management software.
  
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• Post-election riots rage in Gabon capital, several dead

  01-09-2016 17:32
  By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon's capital Libreville erupted into a second day of violent protests on Thursday sparked by a disputed election, with at least three dead and hundreds arrested after the challenger rejected results that gave President Ali Bongo a narrow victory. Riots raged in at least nine Libreville neighbourhoods on Thursday morning, two witnesses and a police source said. Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya said three people had been killed and up
  
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• Eclipse in Africa: 'Ring of Fire' eclipse wows stargazers

  01-09-2016 17:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An annular eclipse delivered a memorable spectacle across several African countries, as the moon's movement creates a "ring of fire" in the sky.
  
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• Norway may review oil safety rules after Eni 'failures' in Arctic

  01-09-2016 16:50
  Norway will review whether to tighten offshore safety rules after "repeated failures" at Eni's Arctic Goliat platform including a power outage last week, a minister said. Norway's only oil-producing platform in the Barents Sea has been shut since last Friday, when a power supply loss triggered a partial evacuation, the second such incident since the 100,000 barrels of oil (boe) per day capacity platform started in March. Hauglie has called a meeting next Tuesday with Norway's Petroleum Safety Au
  
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• Pope Francis says destroying the environment is a sin

  01-09-2016 16:30
  
  Pontiff says humans are turning planet into ‘wasteland full of debris, desolation and filth’ in call for urgent action on climate changePope Francis has called for urgent action to stop climate change and proposed that caring for the environment be added to traditional Christian works of mercy such as feeding the hungry and visiting the sick.
  In a message to mark the Catholic church’s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation that he launched last year, Francis said the wors
  
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• Saudi minister says OPEC moving to common position on oil output changes

  01-09-2016 16:13
  Saudi Arabia's minister of foreign affairs said on Thursday that it would be reasonable for the kingdom to go along with other producers in changes to oil production. Adel al-Jubeir, speaking at an event in Tokyo, said OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers were increasingly moving towards a common position. "If other producers were to agree it is reasonable to accept Saudi Arabia to go along with it." Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries are due to meet informally in Algeri
  
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• Saudi Aramco, Japan to expand Okinawa crude storage deal

  01-09-2016 16:08
  By Osamu Tsukimori and Yuka Obayashi TOKYO (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco and the Japanese government are set to agree on a roughly 2 million barrel expansion of crude storage capacity in Okinawa, used by the state-run firm to store oil, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said on Thursday. In return for providing free storage space, Japan gets a priority claim on the stockpiles in case of an emergency.
  
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• Halogen spotlights to be phased out across Europe

  01-09-2016 16:02
  
  New European ruling bans any new orders on GU10 spotlights and PAR30 floodlights, which can waste up to 10 times more energy than LEDsEnergy-gobbling halogen spotlights will be phased out across Europe from Thursday, in a boost for super-efficient LEDs ahead of a wider halogen bulb ban in 2018.Directional halogen bulbs already in stores can still be sold after today but no new retailer orders will be possible for the spotlights, which can waste up to 10 times more energy than LEDs. Continue read
  
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• Knorr calls on consumers to consider the 'hidden' impacts of water in food consumption

  01-09-2016 16:01
  
  During World Water Week, food producer Knorr has launched a new behaviour change campaign to drive awareness of the "hidden" water waste impacts in food production, encouraging consumers to take action to reduce their water footprint.
  
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• Oil falls as high stocks outweigh talk of output freeze

  01-09-2016 15:14
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Thursday after a rise in U.S. crude inventories focussed attention on a supply glut that has pushed stockpiles to record highs around the world. U.S. crude oil stocks increased by 2.3 million barrels to 525.9 million barrels in the week to Aug. 26, data from the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration showed. "On top of that, anticipation of a higher dollar if the Fed starts to hike rates is negative for oil prices.
  
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• Rare stick insects breed at Bristol Zoo

  01-09-2016 15:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of the world's rarest stick insects successfully breeds at Bristol Zoo - the first time the species has done so outside Australia.
  
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• Gabon opposition leader says two killed, riots engulf capital

  01-09-2016 14:52
  By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon opposition leader Jean Ping said on Thursday that two people were killed and others were wounded as a second day of violent protests against the re-election of President Ali Bongo engulfed the capital, Libreville. Ping said he won the poll and rejected results announced on Wednesday that handed the incumbent a slim victory, extending the Bongo family's half-century grip on power in the oil producer for another seven years. Riots were ragi
  
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• 7 things you might not know about the G20's low-carbon progress

  01-09-2016 14:46
  
  As a new report warns that the G20 must strengthen its commitment towards a low-carbon economy through collective climate action, edie investigates how the world's leading economies members measure up in their respective decarbonisation efforts.
  
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• Pope Francis proposes adding climate action to core Catholic duties

  01-09-2016 14:18
  
  Pontiff says caring for the environment should be added to Catholics’ seven works of mercyPope Francis has urged Christians to make caring for the environment a core part of their faith as he called for concerted action against ecological degradation and climate change. “God gave us a bountiful garden, but we have turned it into a polluted wasteland of debris, desolation and filth,” Francis said in a document released to coincide with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Cre
  
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• Meet a Surprising Plastic Alternative: Milk

  01-09-2016 14:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  What if you could have your packaging and eat it too? We’ve seen rice paper packaging on Japanese candies, but edible plastic? Thanks to researchers at the USDA, it’s not too far in the future.And it’s not just an edible and environmentally-friendly plastic alternative; it’s actually better at keeping food fresh than petroleum-based plastics. It’ll be a few years before you see the material on shelves — don’t start chomping down just yet &
  
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• Germany accuses Fiat of using illegal emissions device - government documents

  01-09-2016 13:55
  Germany found unusual increases in the emissions of four Fiat Chrysler vehicles, and Berlin therefore accuses the Italian-American carmaker of using an illegal device to switch off exhaust treatment systems, German government documents showed on Thursday. In letters sent to the European Commission and the Italian Transport Ministry on Wednesday and seen by Reuters, Berlin said the test findings by German authorities proved the "illegal use of a device to switch off exhaust treatment systems" by
  
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• Pope calls for new work of mercy: Care for environment

  01-09-2016 13:51
  
  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Thursday proposed that caring for the environment be added to the traditional seven works of mercy that Christians are called to perform, taking his green agenda to a new level by supplementing Jesus' Gospel call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the sick.
  
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• Hawaii under threat: the environment Obama has called to protect – in pictures

  01-09-2016 13:41
  
  The US president was in Honolulu on Wednesday to tell an audience of Pacific island leaders that ‘No nation … is immune from a changing climate.’ Last week Obama created the world’s largest marine reserve by quadrupling in size the biodiverse Papahānaumokuākea national monument. He will visit Midway Atoll, part of the protected area, on ThursdayObama makes climate change personal with call for action in home state HawaiiContinue reading...
  
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• Obama makes climate change personal with call for action in home state Hawaii

  01-09-2016 13:36
  
  US president delivers two major speeches on climate change, on in Nevada, pleading with politicians to act in the interest of future generationsBarack Obama has issued perhaps his most personal plea yet to overcome the existential threat posed by climate change.The US president gave two major speeches on climate change in the space of a day, one in Nevada and another in Hawaii, after Air Force One managed to safely dodge two hurricanes lurking in the Pacific.Continue reading...
  
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• Tired of cheap oil, Saudis eye price boost to drive Aramco IPO

  01-09-2016 13:26
  By Rania El Gamal and Alex Lawler DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Two years after triggering an oil price war, Saudi Arabia has seemingly had enough of cheap crude amid budget pressures, fear of a future supply shortage, and as it seeks to offload a stake in state-owned producer Aramco. The change in tone comes as OPEC and other producers such as Russia may resume talks on stabilising output when they meet in Algeria later this month, after a similar effort to boost oil prices collapsed in April due to
  
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• Fuel economy: just two cars deliver advertised mileage, tests show

  01-09-2016 13:22
  
  Thousands of models are 30% worse on average when measuring miles per gallon in real-world conditions, according to comprehensive new dataJust two cars deliver their advertised fuel economy when on the road, with the thousands of other models 30% worse on average in the real world, according to comprehensive new data. Some cars, such as the Fiat 500 and Ford Fiesta, gave barely half the mileage advertised. Continue reading...
  
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• Kenya's elephants at home in the Samburu national reserve – in pictures

  01-09-2016 12:57
  
  Though Kenya’s elephant population is stable and poaching is relatively under control, across Africa savannah elephants are increasingly under threatSaving Africa’s elephants: ‘Can you imagine them no longer existing?’ Continue reading...
  
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• Uber and Nissan launch three-month electric vehicle trial in London

  01-09-2016 12:38
  
  Automotive giant Nissan has announced a new partnership with car hailing service Uber on a new electric vehicle (EV) project to help tackle air pollution in London, on the same day that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was urged to impose mandatory carbon reduction plans on London's transport fleets.
  
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• Korean palm oil firm accused of illegal forest burning in Indonesia

  01-09-2016 12:31
  
  Some of the world’s biggest buyers have stopped trading with Korindo after the emergence of footage claiming to show illegal burning in Papua province A Korean palm oil company has been dropped by buyers after footage emerged that allegedly shows the illegal burning of vast tracts of tropical forest on lands it holds concessions for in Indonesia. Some of the world’s biggest palm oil trading producers including Wilmar, Musim Mas and IOI have stopped using palm oil sourced from Korindo
  
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• Martin George obituary

  01-09-2016 12:02
  
  Our father, Martin George, who has died aged 86, championed the conservation of the Norfolk Broads. He was one of the last great naturalists of his generation.His achievements were many and varied, those around him recalling his enthusiasm and energy as new sites and species were found. He put several initiatives in place, including the Hoveton Great Broad nature trail, which he designed and implemented. He led the Nature Conservancy’s ground-breaking 1965 report on Broadland, which alerte
  
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• Stranger in his own land: how to be green when you believe in Donald Trump

  01-09-2016 12:00
  
  Mike Scadd loves the waters of Louisiana more than anything in the world. A vote for Clinton would help protect them. But there’s something more important to him and others than clean water: pride in his peopleSometimes you have to go a long, long way to discover truths that are distinctly close to home. Over the last five years, I’ve done just that – left my home in liberal Berkeley, California, and traveled to the bayous of Tea Party Louisiana to find another America that, as
  
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• Arctic sea ice will miss record low despite major melt, experts say

  01-09-2016 11:49
  
  Though Arctic sea ice started the summer at record lows, it is unlikely to set a new record annual minimum, reports Climate Central
  As the sun begins its seasonal descent in the Arctic sky and temperatures drop, the summer melt of sea ice is slowing down. In the next few weeks, the span of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice will reach its annual low.But despite beginning the summer at unprecedentedly low levels, this year’s minimum won’t break the stunning record of 2012, experts s
  
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• California moves to add methane limits to climate agenda

  01-09-2016 11:31
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Democrats are taking further steps to advance the state's ambitious climate-change agenda, agreeing to regulate methane emissions from landfills and dairy farms for the first time and approving $900 million in spending on environmental programs.
  
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• Oil steadies as Saudi sees OPEC "common position"

  01-09-2016 10:48
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices steadied on Thursday after Saudi Arabia said OPEC was moving towards a common position on oil production that some investors think could support prices. Brent crude futures for November were unchanged at $46.89 a barrel by 0825 GMT after settling $1.84 lower at Wednesday's close. U.S. crude futures were up 5 cents to $44.75 a barrel, after falling $1.65 in the previous session.
  
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• BP, CNPC sign second shale gas production sharing contract

  01-09-2016 10:24
  (Reuters) - Oil major BP Plc said on Thursday it had signed a second shale gas production sharing contract with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) [CNPET.UL]. The contract with state-owned CNPC, signed in July, covers an area of about 1,000 square kilometres at Rong Chang Bei in the Sichuan Basin, BP said in a statement. The Sichuan Basin, also known as the Szechwan Basin, is a lowland region located in southwestern China.
  
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• Germany accuses Fiat of using illegal device in diesel engines - magazine

  01-09-2016 09:57
  Germany has written a letter to the European Commission accusing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles of using an illegal device to switch off exhaust treatment systems in diesel engines, German magazine WirtschaftsWoche reported on Thursday. Germany's car watchdog KBA began testing vehicles of several carmakers after the diesel emissions scandal that engulfed Volkswagen , Europe's biggest car manufacturer. WirtschaftsWoche said the German Transport Ministry sent a letter to the European Union's executive
  
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• Kremlin aide: we should manage to carry out Rosneft privatisation this year

  01-09-2016 09:20
  BOLSHOI KAMEN, Russia (Reuters) - The Russian government should manage to privatise a 19.5 percent stake in oil producer Rosneft this year, Andrei Belousov, a Kremlin economic aide, told reporters on Thursday. Russia plans to sell the Rosneft stake as a part of a wider privatisation programme aimed at helping bridge a budget gap. The programme has suffered setbacks as the government postponed the sale of another oil producer, Bashneft . (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Katya Golubkov
  
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• Government failing on low-carbon vehicles, MPs warn

  01-09-2016 09:20
  
  The Department for Transport (DfT) must commit to a long-term green vehicle strategy through an increase in the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV) and a reduction in air pollution levels in order to achieve national decarbonisation targets, the latest report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has concluded.
  
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• Department for Transport urged to decarbonise sector and improve air quality

  01-09-2016 09:20
  
  The Department for Transport (DfT) must commit to a long-term sustainable strategy through an increase in the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV) and a reduction in air pollution levels in order to achieve decarbonisation targets, the latest report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has warned.
  
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• UK churches show faith in renewable energy suppliers

  01-09-2016 09:00
  
  Figures released today (1 September) have revealed that 3,500 UK churches have switched electricity suppliers to those that will only source renewable electricity, while US architects have also demanded new legislative action on climate change.
  
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