Environment news

• Carbon-coated iron catalyst structure could lead to more-active fuel cells

  12-09-2016 23:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  Fuel cells have long held promise as power sources, but low efficiency has created obstacles to realizing that promise. Researchers at the University of Illinois and collaborators have identified the active form of an iron-containing catalyst for the trickiest part of the process: reducing oxygen gas, which has two oxygen atoms, so that it can break apart and combine with ionized hydrogen to make water. The finding could help researchers refine better catalysts, making fuel cells a more energy-
  
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• Russia's Norilsk Nickel admits 'red river' responsibility

  12-09-2016 23:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Russian metals giant Norilsk Nickel admits one of its industrial plants is responsible for turning an Arctic river blood-red.
  
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• Can our need for a carbon-free future override our fears of nuclear energy?

  12-09-2016 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Unlike coal and natural gas plants that emit carbon emissions while producing electricity, nuclear generates none. So why aren’t more states getting onboard?Nestled between Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee, the Watts Bar 2 nuclear power plant sits on 1,700 acres in an area friendly to nuclear power. It’s near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which might be best remembered for its work on the Manhattan Project. The 1,150-megawatt plant is undergoing testing to go fully online this m
  
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• Getting to grips with London's road traffic congestion

  12-09-2016 22:45 via theguardian.com
  
  The London Assembly is investigating how the mayor and Transport for London can prevent clogged roads suffocating the capitalAs the London Assembly transport committee investigates what Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) can do to reduce rising levels of road traffic congestion in London, bear in mind that the price of gridlock is not only paid in frustration and pollution. A TfL analysis (pdf) of vehicle delays on Greater London’s roads during 2014-15, published in May, estimated t
  
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• Oil rises on dollar, U.S. equities; crude inventories eyed

  12-09-2016 22:18
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices ended nearly 1 percent higher on Monday as a softer dollar and stronger U.S. equity markets helped crude futures rebound from an early drop pressured by worries about increased drilling activity for oil in the United States. Forecasts that U.S. shale oil production could fall for an 11th straight month in October also supported oil prices, although gains were capped by expectations that U.S. stockpiles may have built again last week after a shar
  
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• North Dakota arrest warrant for Amy Goodman raises fears for press freedom

  12-09-2016 21:26 via theguardian.com
  
  The Democracy Now! host has been accused of entering private property during her reporting on the Native American protests of an oil pipelineNorth Dakota police have issued an arrest warrant for the Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, who has been reporting on the Native American protests against an oil pipeline, accusing her of entering “private property” to conduct interviews. The charges have raised concerns about possible free speech violations and press intimidation, since the Mort
  
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• World's first large-scale tidal energy farm launches in Scotland

  12-09-2016 21:24 via theguardian.com
  
  MeyGen tidal stream project leads the way in tackling climate change and providing jobs, says Nicola SturgeonThe launch of the world’s first large-scale tidal energy farm in Scotland has been hailed as a significant moment for the renewable energy sector.A turbine for the MeyGen tidal stream project in the Pentland Firth was unveiled outside Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.Continue reading...
  
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• Solar tuk-tuk arrives in UK after road trip from India

  12-09-2016 20:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An engineer arrives in the UK in his solar-powered tuk-tuk seven months after setting off from India on a 6,200 mile (9,978 km) journey.
  
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• Russian metals firm admits spillage turned river blood red

  12-09-2016 20:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Norilsk Nickel insists the temporary problem will not affect people or wildlife, but environmental activists say it is too early to tellRussian metals giant Norilsk Nickel has admitted a spillage at one of its plants was responsible for turning a local river blood red.Russia’s environment ministry last week launched an investigation into the incident after images showed the Daldykan river near Norilsk in the far north of Russia flowing bright red, with local activists blaming the nearby Na
  
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• Bring back childhood’s wild side | Patrick Barkham

  12-09-2016 19:35 via theguardian.com
  
  The opportunities to roam free are not what they once were, but the rise of forest schools shows we still see the outdoors as a great educatorOnce we had forests and children, like my dad, John, roamed them freely. One day in the 1950s, he encountered a forester (now an extinct species, like the free-roaming child) in a nearby wood. The old woodman showed him how to use a billhook; John slung his hook and gashed his knee.I only learned this story when reading A Tale of Trees, a new book by
  
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• Libyan commander's seizure of oil ports risks new conflict

  12-09-2016 19:26
  By Aidan Lewis and Ayman al-Warfalli TUNIS/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar said on Monday they had tightened their control over four major oil ports, casting a Western-backed project to unite Libya and revive oil exports into deep uncertainty. Haftar's forces met little resistance as they seized the terminals at Ras Lanuf, Es Sider, Zueitina and Brega in an operation launched on Sunday, displacing a rival armed faction aligned with the U.N.-bac
  
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• We need leaders who refuse to fly, not another airport runway for the UK | Letters

  12-09-2016 18:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Again, self-selected business leaders are calling for a new runway (Letters, 7 September). They offer the interesting example of the desperate need to fly Scottish salmon, presumably farmed, to the world’s developing economies.Are they living on a different planet? How many individuals in the world’s poorer nations “need” salmon flown thousands of miles to accompany the salad presumably shipped in similar style from Harrods (another signatory)? Continue reading...
  
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• The world needs leaders who refuse to fly, not another airport runway for the UK | Letters

  12-09-2016 18:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Again, self-selected business leaders are calling for a new runway (Letters, 7 September). They offer the interesting example of the desperate need to fly Scottish salmon, presumably farmed, to the world’s developing economies.Are they living on a different planet? How many individuals in the world’s poorer nations “need” salmon flown thousands of miles to accompany the salad presumably shipped in similar style from Harrods (another signatory)? Continue reading...
  
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• Four South Korea nuclear reactors suspended due to earthquakes

  12-09-2016 18:22
  South Korea's nuclear operator said early on Tuesday it suspended operation of four reactors at a nuclear power complex as a precaution late on Monday after two earthquakes struck the country's southeast. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake was the strongest recorded in South Korea, an official at the meteorological agency said.
  
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• The true impact of the food crisis on people's lives has been masked

  12-09-2016 18:13 via theguardian.com
  
  The food price spike of 2008 has led to higher consumption of junk food and more precarious employmentWhen food prices spiked in 2008, the international price of basic items peaked at unprecedented levels, bringing a wave of food riots in low-income countries.Subsequent price volatility and peaks put huge pressure on millions of people, many of whom already spent half or more of their incomes and labour effort on getting enough rice, maize or bread. It was as though their real incomes had been c
  
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• The man who ​thinks trees talk to each other

  12-09-2016 17:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Beech trees are bullies​ and​ willows are loners, says forester Peter Wohlleben, author of a new book claiming that trees have personalities and communicate ​via a ​below-ground ​‘woodwide web’Trees have friends, feel loneliness, scream with pain and communicate underground via the “woodwide web”. Some act as parents and good neighbours. Others do more than just throw shade – they’re brutal bullies to rival species. The young ones
  
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• Oil up on dollar, U.S. equities; crude inventories eyed

  12-09-2016 17:39
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday as a softer dollar and stronger U.S. equity markets helped crude futures rebound from an earlier drop pressured by worries about increased drilling activity for oil in the United States. Data from energy monitoring service Genscape showing a draw of 330,611 barrels at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery point for U.S. crude futures in the six days to Sept. 12 also supported oil prices, said traders who saw the data. Brent crude was up
  
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• Healthcare costs for infections linked to bacteria in water supply systems are rising

  12-09-2016 17:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new analysis of 100 million Medicare records from U.S. adults aged 65 and older reveals rising healthcare costs for infections associated with opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens--disease-causing bacteria, such as Legionella--which can live inside drinking water distribution systems, including household and hospital water pipes.A team led by researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and Tufts University School of Medicine found that between 1
  
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• Total halts some units at Gonfreville refinery following incident

  12-09-2016 16:59
  PARIS (Reuters) - French oil and gas company Total has shut down some units at its 247,000 barrels-per-day Gonfreville refinery in northern France following a technical incident, a spokesman said on Monday. The spokesman said the incident occurred in a steam producing unit whose backup was under maintenance. "The site decided to protectively shutdown some of its units," he said, adding that it was still unclear how much production was affected and when the units would resume. (Reporting by Bate
  
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• Jeff Bezos names big next rocket New Glenn

  12-09-2016 16:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Amazon boss Jeff Bezos says the big, re-usable rocket he has been developing inside his Blue Origin space company will be called New Glenn, after John Glenn.
  
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• 10 Percent of the World's Wilderness Has Been Lost Since 1990s

  12-09-2016 16:19
  
  Wilderness areas around the world have experienced catastrophic declines over the last two decades, with one-tenth of global wilderness lost since the 1990s, according to a new study. Since 1993, researchers found that a cumulative wilderness area twice the size of Alaska and half the size of the Amazon has been stripped and destroyed. The shrinking wilderness is due, in part, to human activity such as mining, logging, agriculture, and oil and gas exploration.
  
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• Oil falls as speculators cool on crude, U.S. drillers add rigs

  12-09-2016 16:18
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell for a second day running on Monday, driven lower by evidence of speculators cooling towards crude and after U.S. drillers added more rigs for a tenth week running. Brent crude futures were down 60 cents at $47.41 a barrel by 1352 GMT, having recovered from a session low of $46.90, while U.S. crude rose from an intraday low of $44.72 to trade at $45.23, down 65 cents. Traders said the price falls on Monday and Friday were a result of increasing
  
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• The Science Behind the Samsung Galaxy Note 7's Battery Fires

  12-09-2016 16:17
  
  The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is suffering the same fate as countless hoverboards — there are reports that some phones have been bursting into flames, prompting Samsung is issue a recall and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to strongly discourage passengers from carrying the device on planes, news sources report. The answer has to do with its lithium-ion battery, a common power source that isn't just used in cellphones but also in computers, power tools and toys. Lithium, the third ele
  
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• Consistency and co-operation key to boost national recycling rates, surveys reveal.

  12-09-2016 15:10
  
  With today marking the launch of Recycle Week 2016 (12-18 September), two new public surveys have highlighted the need forgreater standardisation and co-operation between retailers and policymakers to improve the UK's recycling performance.
  
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• OPEC points to larger 2017 oil surplus as rivals keep pumping

  12-09-2016 13:39
  By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC raised its forecast of oil supplies from non-member countries in 2017 as new fields come online and U.S. shale drillers prove more resilient than expected to cheap crude, pointing to a larger surplus in the market next year. Demand for crude from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will average 32.48 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2017, OPEC said in a monthly report on Monday. The prospect of a larger surplus than expected adds to the ch
  
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• Electrolux launches global food action plan in support of SDGs

  12-09-2016 13:38
  
  Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer Electrolux has today (12 September) launched an ambitious and wide-ranging food sustainability action plan to address major global challenges, in support of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
  
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• Jobless recovery looms for white-collar U.S. oil workers

  12-09-2016 13:32
  By Ernest Scheyder SPRING, Texas (Reuters) - Elizabeth Huber lost her job inspecting oilfield pipes nearly 20 months ago and her prospects remain bleak even as oil executives cautiously plot production and budget increases. Despite crude trading 75 percent above its February lows and energy companies shifting focus from survival to recovery, white-collar jobs in the sector remain as scarce as during the depths of the two-year oil price rout. Like many laid-off energy sector specialists, Huber, 5
  
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• China fuel exports cast fourth-quarter pall over global oil products

  12-09-2016 13:31
  By Meng Meng and Chen Aizhu BEIJING (Reuters) - China's state oil refiners are readying to export more diesel and gasoline in coming months as a bleak outlook for what is typically the nation's period of greatest consumption sends shivers through an already saturated global market. Slackening demand this year and surging output from China's small independent refiners have swollen local inventories and spurred state-owned oil companies to sell refined products abroad. Analysts from Zibo Longzhong
  
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• Pittsburgh water: expensive, rust-colored, corrosive, and high in lead

  12-09-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Amid concerns about high levels of lead, the city’s water agency is fielding mounting complaints over the state of its tap water, while prices riseIn many American cities, finding elevated lead levels in drinking water is enough to spark serious concern. But in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where many residents are delivered expensive, rust-colored and corrosive water, it’s just one of many of complaints. On just one street, a pregnant 19-year-old and a Vietnam veteran said they no longe
  
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• Pittsburgh water: expensive, rust-colored, corrosive

  12-09-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The city’s water agency fields mounting complaints and trades accusations with the French corporation that until recently ran the system, while prices riseIn many American cities, finding elevated lead levels in drinking water is enough to spark serious concern. But in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where many residents are delivered expensive, rust-colored and corrosive water, it’s just one of many of complaints. On just one street, a pregnant 19-year-old and a Vietnam veteran said they
  
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• Just 10 new community energy schemes registered after Tories cut subsidies

  12-09-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Number of new local renewable energy schemes has crashed from 76 last year after government slashed support for wind and solarThe number of new community-owned renewable energy projects of the sort backed by Jeremy Corbyn this week has plummeted after a series of government decisions have made many proposals for wind and solar farms no longer viable.Only 10 new community energy organisations have been registered so far this year, compared to 76 last year, according to new data from the trade bod
  
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• Ignorance was bliss – but is it time to go vegan?

  12-09-2016 12:32 via theguardian.com
  
  I grew up eating lovely stews and roast dinners, but they were more innocent times – we didn’t yet know that the planet was almost totally destroyedI was in the local fish shop buying my dinner when another customer in front held up two live lobsters that he had just bought. He needed some advice about what to do with them. “I’m going to boil one today,” said he, “but how long can I keep the other before I boil it? Will it last two days?”There were the p
  
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• Legal rhino horn and ivory trade should benefit Africa, says Swaziland government

  12-09-2016 12:28 via theguardian.com
  
  As talks about a complete ban on both the international and domestic markets heat up, the Swaziland government accuses western NGOs of being ‘armchair preservationists’The government of Swaziland has called the destruction of rhino horn “extravagantly wasteful destruction” and accused western NGOs of compromising Africa’s wildlife by blocking the legalisation of the ivory and rhino horn trades.In an official document sent to the Convention on International Trade in
  
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• BBC climate coverage is evolving, but too slowly | Geoffrey Supran

  12-09-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  While the BBC no longer gives climate denial and science equal air time, it continues to struggle with creeping false balance
  For years, the BBC has been criticised for the false balance of its climate change coverage. And for years, the BBC has apparently been doing “ongoing work” to fix it. So far, however, this ‘reform’ has been more like a triumph of the middling. Yes, the BBC may broadcast less outright misinformation, but as a scientist and a citizen, I still feel l
  
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• Oil falls as U.S. drills more

  12-09-2016 11:26
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell for a second trading day in a row on Monday, after speculators cut their bullish bets by the most in three months last week and U.S. crude drillers added more rigs for a tenth week running. Brent crude oil futures fell 53 cents on the day to $47.48 a barrel, by 0830 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 66 cents to $45.22 a barrel. Traders said the price falls on Monday and Friday were a result of increasing oil drilling activity in the
  
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• Green-powered boat prepares for round-the-world voyage

  12-09-2016 11:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Vessel aiming to be the ‘Solar Impulse of the seas’ will be powered solely by renewable energies and hydrogen during its six-year voyageDubbed the “Solar Impulse of the seas”, the first boat to be powered solely by renewable energies and hydrogen hopes to make its own historic trip around the world.
  A water-borne answer to the Solar Impulse – the plane that completed its round-the-globe trip using only solar energy in July – the Energy Observer will be powered
  
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• BEIS needs to 'completely re-think' strategy for heating

  12-09-2016 11:13
  
  The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy needs to "completely re-think" its strategy for the decarbonisation of heating, Policy Exchange has warned.
  
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• Oil falls as U.S. rigs rise, speculators cut bullish bets

  12-09-2016 11:04
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell on Monday after speculators last week cut their bullish bets by the most in three months and U.S. crude drillers added rigs for a tenth consecutive week. Brent crude oil futures were down 53 cents to $47.48 a barrel by 0830 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were off 66 cents at $45.22 a barrel. Traders said the price falls on Monday and Friday were a result of increasing oil drilling activity in the United States, which indicated that pr
  
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• UK climate targets at risk unless 'immediate action' taken to develop CCS

  12-09-2016 10:30
  
  The UK Government must take "immediate action" to boost the development of the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology in order to reduce the cost of meeting Britain's climate change obligations by up to £5bn each year, according to a report by the Parliamentary Advisory Group.
  
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• Jaguar unveils Formula E vehicle as reports surface of an electric SUV rollout

  12-09-2016 10:00
  
  British automotive giant Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed the design for its upcoming Formula E racing car, while reports have also surfaced suggesting that a fully-electric SUV could be in the pipeline.
  
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• Oil prices fall as U.S. drillers add rigs, traders cut long positions

  12-09-2016 09:02
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude prices fell over 1.5 percent on Monday after U.S. oil drillers added rigs and producers adapt to cheaper crude, with speculators cutting positions betting on further price hikes. International benchmark Brent crude oil futures were trading at $47.19 per barrel at 0645 GMT, down 82 cents, or 1.71 percent, from their previous settlement. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 86 cents, or 1.87 percent, at $45.02 a barrel.
  
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• Biodiversity in the spotlight as reports highlight need for infrastructure advances

  12-09-2016 09:00
  
  An international collaboration of top biologists has found that vital improvements must be made to forecast the global impact of climate change on plants and wildlife, as a separate report outlines how a planning framework is necessary for the UK to reverse biodiversity loss by 2020.
  
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• UK must move now on carbon capture to save consumers billions, says report

  12-09-2016 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Kickstarting the carbon capture and storage industry with a state-backed company will deliver the clean electricity needed to meet climate targets more cheaply than Hinkley Point C, says government advisory groupThe UK must immediately kickstart an industry to capture and bury carbon emissions in order to save consumers billions a year from the cost of meeting climate change targets, according to a high-level advisory group appointed by ministers.This requires the setting up of a new state-backe
  
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• The bats at home in our attic

  12-09-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales Our loft has become a maternity roost from which the brown long-eared bats emerge at dusk to scour the surrounding area for incautious insectsNearly a century ago, someone bought part of the pasture at the end of the lane and built the house we’ve lived in for about a quarter of its life. This quiet spot faces east into the Cambrian Mountains and the builder cleverly oriented the house to ensure the best view from the front windows. Related: Bats at large, un
  
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• 人口70亿的世界，如何保护野生动植物?

  12-09-2016 05:50 via theguardian.com
  
  关于如何保护濒危物种，世界正站在一个十字路口，9月份两次至关重要的全球性会议就这一紧迫问题展开讨论。翻译：奇芳(中外对话/chinadialogue)消费
  
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• Energy storage: how an abandoned goldmine will be converted into a world first

  12-09-2016 05:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Australia has no plan for managing disused mines but a company has a novel solution for producing renewable energy Gold was discovered on the Copperfield river in north-western Queensland in 1907. As men flocked to find their fortune, a small township was established and named for the state’s then premier, William Kidston. For close to 100 years, Kidston was a mining town.But, in 2001, the largest operation – a Canadian-owned goldmine – shut down. The site became another of the
  
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• Oil prices fall as U.S. drillers add new rigs, speculators cut long positions

  12-09-2016 02:50
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Monday after U.S. oil drillers added rigs to look for new production as producers adapt to cheaper crude, and speculators cut positions betting on further price rises. Brent crude futures were trading at $47.58 per barrel at 0041 GMT, down 43 cents, or 0.9 percent, from their last settlement. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 50 cents, or 1.1 percent, at $45.38 a barrel.
  
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• Oil extends decline amid projected rebound in U.S. stocks

  12-09-2016 01:30
  Oil prices extended declines on Monday amid projections that U.S. data is set to show a big rebound in crude inventories to offset an unexpected slump due to the impact of a tropical storm. London Brent crude for November delivery was down 49 cents, or 1.0 percent, at $47.52 a barrel by 2246 GMT on Sunday after settling down 4 percent on Friday. NYMEX crude for October delivery was down 60 cents, or 1.3 percent, at $45.28 a barrel, after closing down 3.7 percent on Friday.
  
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• Pump CO2 into rocks, report urges

  12-09-2016 01:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An Olympic-style delivery agency could ensure the costs of implementing carbon capture and storage technology are kept to a minimum, says a parliamentary report
  
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