Environment news

• Virgin Atlantic: Emissions from Steel Mills Could Fuel Airplanes

  16-09-2016 20:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  After five years of research and development, Virgin Atlantic and one of its clean-technology partners, Illinois-based LanzaTech, developed a source of jet fuel made of waste gases from steel mills. According to the companies, this new source of jet fuel passed extensive tests that both delivered on performance and promise to result in carbon emissions savings of 65 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.This discovery comes at a time when airlines, seeking to mitigate wha
  
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• China must wait four years for decision on Bradwell nuclear plant

  16-09-2016 20:26 via theguardian.com
  
  After Hinkley Point C go-ahead, Essex reactor would be even more significant for China - and more controversial for UKChina faces at least a four-year wait to find out whether its plans to build a nuclear power station in Essex will be approved.If it got the go-ahead, Britain would be relying heavily on Chinese investment for its future energy supply after the government approved the construction of an £18bn nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset, which will be 33% owned by Chi
  
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• Norway plans to cull more than two-thirds of its wolf population

  16-09-2016 19:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Environmental groups criticise plan that will allow hunters to shoot up to 47 of an estimated 68 wolves living in wildernessNorway is planning to cull more than two-thirds of its remaining wolves in a step that environmental groups say will be disastrous for the dwindling members of the species in the wild.There are estimated to be about 68 wolves remaining in the wilderness areas of Norway, concentrated in the south-east of the country, but under controversial plans approved on Friday as many a
  
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• Solar-powered tuk-tuk completes India to UK trip

  16-09-2016 19:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Engineer Naveen Rabelli has completed a 6,000 mile journey from India to the UK in a solar-powered tuk-tuk.
  
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• Venezuela to use Non-Aligned summit to push oil consensus

  16-09-2016 19:07
  Venezuela will use this weekend's Non-Aligned Summit to meet fellow oil producers and gather support for a global deal to strengthen oil prices at a gathering in Algeria this month, Oil Minister Eulogio del Pino said. "Obviously we are going to use this meeting to build consensus," Del Pino told reporters, saying leaders from OPEC nations from the Gulf to Ecuador would be present at the 120-nation bloc's meeting on Margarita island.
  
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• Oil hits multi-week lows on glut worry, gasoline surges

  16-09-2016 18:54
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crude oil prices fell by up to 2 percent on Friday to multi-week lows as swelling Iranian exports reinforced fears of a global glut, while gasoline rallied on refinery and pipeline outages. Falling U.S. equities and a rising dollar also weighed on crude futures and other industrial commodities denominated in the greenback. Gasoline surged 3 percent on news of an extended outage on Colonial Pipeline's main gasoline line and in a key unit of BP's Whiting, In
  
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• Peter Cubbage obituary

  16-09-2016 18:51 via theguardian.com
  
  My father, Peter Cubbage, who has died aged 91, was a leading gas forensic research scientist. He led a team that was responsible, among other things, for pioneering the flame-release chamber, a safety innovation used in offshore oil rigs and pipelines, which was compared to the miners’ Davy lamp for its significance.He was appointed by the crown in 1988 to write the report into what happened during the first two seconds of the Piper Alpha rig explosion. Continue reading...
  
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• Senate passes Everglades restoration measure to fight toxic algae blooms

  16-09-2016 18:48 via theguardian.com
  
  The Central Everglades Planning Project, hailed as a ‘huge victory’, will redirect water to undernourished Florida wetlands affected by manmade developmentsUS lawmakers have voiced hopes that the ailing Everglades will start to recover after the Senate overwhelmingly approved a nearly $2bn measure to combat the toxic algae blooms that have devastated Florida’s waterways.The Central Everglades Planning Project, touted by proponents as landmark legislation, passed the Senate on T
  
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• Climate change is threatening the world's coffee supplies: what can we do? #AskGSB

  16-09-2016 18:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Join us on this page on Tuesday 20 September, 2-3pm (BST), to debate the future of coffee, and the millions who depend on it, in the face of climate change 5.39pm BSTCoffee production provides work for more than 120 million of the world’s poorest people. Climate change, however, is a mounting threat. Rising temperatures in Central America are fuelling the growth of the devastating leaf disease known as coffee rust (pdf), leading to drops of 30% or more in coffee production in the region.5.
  
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• Marine life, nuclear power and clever crows – green news roundup

  16-09-2016 18:04 via theguardian.com
  
  The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox Continue reading...
  
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• Renewables have the economic advantage over fossil fuels

  16-09-2016 18:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new energy market analysis shows the average cost of electricity from renewables is already lower than from fossil fuels, writes Alex Kirby. And as renewables eat deeper into the 'market share' of coal and gas power plants, so the entire economics of fossil fuel power generation will unravel.The cheapest way of generating energy today is to use renewable fuels - and the authors of a new analysis predict that renewables are set to enjoy even more of an advantage within a few years.The stud
  
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• Undercover bike cops launch 'best ever' cycle safety scheme in Birmingham

  16-09-2016 17:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Campaigners hope the operation, that sees plain clothes police on bikes pull over drivers that pass too close, will be taken up across the countryWhen Mark Hodson gets on his bike in the morning, like many cyclists in the UK, he has come to expect a few close calls. Perhaps drivers will whizz past him too close, or someone will even try a ‘punishment pass’.Luckily, Hodson is a West Midlands Police traffic officer, albeit in plain clothes, and just yards up the road a colleague in a p
  
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• EU will take action against states over car emissions

  16-09-2016 17:12
  By Gabriela Baczynska and Alissa de Carbonnel BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will take legal action against some member states for failing to police car emission rules, its industry commissioner said on Friday, and is stepping up efforts to seek redress for consumers cheated by Volkswagen . Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska told Reuters she "definitely" wants to start formal infringement procedures against "not all and not one" member state for allowing an overshoot in emissions but is s
  
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• US clothing firm launches voting campaign to place environment back on the ballot

  16-09-2016 16:58
  
  American outdoor clothing company Patagonia has launched a major non-partisan environmental campaign in preparation for the upcoming Presidential election, calling on voters to elect sustainably-conscious candidates.
  
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• From the US to the Marshall Islands: Global climate action is on the march

  16-09-2016 16:26
  
  COP21's frantic, last-minute climate deal bookmarked a new era for global sustainability, and as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) evolve into tangible action, edie looks at six recent instances where national action is speaking louder than words.
  
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• Total looks beyond Bolivia's Incahuasi to regional gas market

  16-09-2016 15:35
  By Bate Felix PARIS (Reuters) - Oil and gas giant Total could start the second phase of its Incahuasi gas project in Bolivia as early as 2017 if the right market conditions and incentives for investments are in place, the company's director for the Americas said on Friday. The $1.2 billion Incahuasi gas and condensate project which will officially be inaugurated on Friday, began production at three wells in August. Total aims to ramp output to more than 7 million cubic meters of gas per day by t
  
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• Oil hits multi-week lows as growing supplies stoke glut concern

  16-09-2016 15:18
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to multi-week lows on Friday as rising Iranian exports and returning supplies from Libya and Nigeria fuelled concerns that a global glut would persist. Benchmark Brent crude futures fell to a two-week low of $45.52 a barrel, down $1.07. "We've seen a lot of bearish news this week ... so weak fundamentals are weighing on the market," said Frank Klumpp, oil analyst at Stuttgart-based Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg.
  
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• Arctic Shipwreck May Be Doomed 19th-Century HMS Terror

  16-09-2016 14:49
  
  More than 170 years ago, British explorer Capt. Sir John Franklin and crew embarked on a journey to navigate the fabled Northwest Passage, but the expedition never made it back. Now, the second ship of that doomed voyage may have been found in the appropriately named Terror Bay, The Guardian reports. Cued by Inuit word of mouth, archaeologists with the Arctic Research Foundation on Sept. 3 found what they think is the HMS Terror.
  
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• Treasury hits back on green sustainability record

  16-09-2016 14:44
  
  The Treasury has responded to claims that previous energy policy decisions have produced long-term uncertainty among investors, with ministerial officials insisting the department remains committed to sustainable economic growth and meeting the UK's legally-binding carbon targets.
  
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• Treasury hits back on green policy record

  16-09-2016 14:44
  
  The Treasury has responded to claims that previous energy policy decisions have produced long-term uncertainty among investors, with ministerial officials insisting the department remains committed to sustainable economic growth and meeting the UK's legally-binding carbon targets.
  
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• How Indonesia's rare birds are facing extinction

  16-09-2016 14:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A BBC team finds rare Java hawks for sale, as environmentalists say more must be done to tackle Indonesia's illegal bird trade.
  
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• Latest UK flood plans fail to address growing risk of flash floods

  16-09-2016 14:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Flash flooding is a far greater threat to homes, railways and roads than river or coastal floods but is completely excluded from government plans to deal with increased rainfall Flash flooding, which struck a swathe of southern and eastern England on Friday, is a greater threat to homes, roads and railways than river or coastal flooding. Yet it was completely excluded from the government’s National Flood Resilience Review, published last week.Worse, the risk of flash flooding is rising, as
  
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• General Motors joins RE100 pledge to source 100% renewables

  16-09-2016 13:35
  
  Automotive giant General Motors (GM) has established new sustainability commitments to source all electricity across its global operations from 100% renewable sources by 2050, and will join the RE100 to mobilise the transition.
  
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• Oil hits two-week lows as growing supplies stoke glut concerns

  16-09-2016 12:59
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to roughly two-week lows on Friday as news of rising Iranian exports and returning supplies from Libya and Nigeria fuelled concerns that the global glut will persist. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 73 cents, or 1.7 percent, at $43.18 a barrel, a two-week low. "We've seen a lot of bearish news this week: Libya, Nigeria, sceptical monthly reports from the IEA and OPEC and large stockbuilding in the U.S., so weak fundamentals are
  
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• New inhaler protects lungs against effects of air pollution

  16-09-2016 12:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Inexpensive over-the-counter product could help millions of people avoid worst health effects of breathing toxic air, say scientistsAn inhaler that protects the lungs against air pollution has been developed by scientists and could help the many millions of people affected by toxic air to avoid its worst effects. The inhaler delivers a molecule, first found in bacteria in the Egyptian desert, which stabilises water on the surface of the lung cells to form a protective layer. It is expected to be
  
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• George Monbiot Q&A: as it happened

  16-09-2016 12:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Guardian columnist George Monbiot discussed the environment, consumerism and ethics in a live Guardian webchat11.23am BSTThank you everyone for taking part in a fascinating debate - we’ll be closing the comments shortly.Thank you everyone for your great questions and comments. Sorry to have been able to answer only a few. I enjoyed the process, I hope you did too. 11.21am BSTToddFlach asks:
  George, if you could “convert” one climate skeptic to become an active spokesperson for
  
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• George Monbiot Q&A: live!

  16-09-2016 12:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Join Guardian columnist George Monbiot for a live Q&A on the environment, consumerism and ethics from 10-11am BST11.02am BSTFrederick Smith asks: Obviously a vegan diet significantly reduces our environmental impact. But some specialist vegan foods which would encourage a lot of people to convert are too expensive for the average customer. Do you think there is a growing cultural elitism when it comes to ethical lifestyles?As well as this, what is the environmental impact of for instance, so
  
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• Oil prices drop as growing supplies stoke glut concerns

  16-09-2016 11:35
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 1 percent on Friday as news of rising Iranian exports and returning supplies from Libya and Nigeria following interruptions fuelled concerns that the global glut will persist. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 55 cents, of 1.25 percent, at $43.36 a barrel. "We've seen a lot of bearish news this week: Libya, Nigeria, sceptical monthly reports from the IEA and OPEC and large stockbuilding in the U.S., so weak fundamentals
  
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• Arctic sea ice shrinks to second lowest level ever recorded

  16-09-2016 11:34 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Tremendous loss’ of ice reinforces clear downward trend towards ice-free summers due to effects of climate changeArctic sea ice this summer shrank to its second lowest level since scientists started to monitor it by satellite, with scientists saying it is another ominous signal of global warming.The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado said the sea ice reached its summer low point on Saturday, extending 4.14m sq km (1.6m sq miles). That’s behind only the mark set in 2
  
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• The day we collared Tim, the great tusker

  16-09-2016 11:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Paula Kahumbu: The latest satellite tracking technology is helping to keep elephants safe from poachers— and away from farmers crops On a beautiful sunny day in Amboseli National Park, against the backdrop of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, a small group of cars was gathered at a safe distance around the prostrate bull elephant. The elephant lay still in the dust, head on the ground, his enormous tusks and trunk stretched out in front of him. Tension rose among the onlookers as the minutes
  
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• Calls to halt NT light festival over fears for vulnerable rock wallaby

  16-09-2016 10:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Parrtjima festival will see art beamed onto a 2.5km area of the MacDonnell Ranges, raising concerns for a struggling speciesConcerns that a light festival in central Australia could affect a vulnerable population of rock wallaby has led to more than a thousand people signing a petition calling for it to be stopped, and to the federal Department of the Environment and Energy examining the festival’s plans.Parrtjima – A Festival in Light is planned to go for 10 days at the end of Septe
  
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• George Monbiot Q&A: post your questions

  16-09-2016 10:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Join Guardian columnist George Monbiot for a live Q&A on the environment, consumerism and its ethics from 10-11am BST8.56am BSTMorning everyone. George will be online from 10am BST to take part in a live Guardian Q&A. He’ll be discussing the issues he raised in his column on Wednesday, which tackled pollution, environmental destruction, mass extinction, and our complicity as consumers in this crisis. Related: We’d never kill an albatross or gorilla: but we let others do it on
  
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• 'Paradigm shift' to electric vehicles required to meet global climate targets

  16-09-2016 10:00
  
  Zero-emission vehicles will need to hold a dominant automotive market share by 2035 for the Paris Agreement's global warming target of 1.5C to be truly achievable, research group Climate Action Tracker (CAT) has claimed.
  
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• Why businesses should look beyond graduates to develop the next generation of CSR leaders

  16-09-2016 09:45
  
  Organisations from across the public and private sectors should do more to expand the capacity of corporate responsibility and sustainability job markets, by looking beyond graduates and in-house employees to broaden engagement and leadership skills.
  
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• Malcolm Roberts to discuss climate science with CSIRO

  16-09-2016 07:46 via theguardian.com
  
  One Nation senator asks for briefing to see science agency’s proof that carbon dioxide affects climate ‘because they’ve never provided it before’The CSIRO will meet Malcolm Roberts to discuss global warming after the innovation and science minister, Greg Hunt, intervened to help the One Nation senator obtain a briefing.Roberts told Guardian Australia he would listen to the evidence, despite having described climate data that contradicted his view as “corrupted&rdquo
  
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• Sacred ground casts a modern spell

  16-09-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Stanton Moor, Derbyshire A landscape seamed with neolithic stone circles and burial sites made this one of Britain’s first official ancient monumentsThere’s a dog-eared feel to Stanton Moor, but in a good way. It’s a much loved scrap of high country between Bakewell and Matlock, sacred ground in the neolithic and bronze ages, its geomantic potency derived from long views and its proximity to the confluence of the rivers Derwent and Wye. And it’s fairly sacred even now, af
  
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• Exclusive - GE wins $1.9 billion order from Hinkley Point nuclear plant

  16-09-2016 06:10
  By Alwyn Scott NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Electric Co said it will receive $1.9 billion (1.44 billion pounds) for a contract to supply steam turbines, generators and other equipment to the Hinkley Point C project, the United Kingdom's first new nuclear power plant in decades. By approving Hinkley Point on Thursday, the UK government cleared the way for GE to begin building two 1,770-megawatt Arabelle steam turbines and generators capable of powering six million homes and supplying about 7 perc
  
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• Uber and Little Cab's battle to control the streets of Nairobi

  16-09-2016 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The struggle for dominance between Uber and Little Cab in Kenya is helping create a more reliable taxi service but is unlikely to cut congestion and air pollutionUber is in the middle of a bruising battle for dominance in east Africa’s largest economy: Kenya. The ride-hailing company started operating in the cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Thika last year.
  It has already outlasted the online cab operator Easy Taxi, which opted out of the Kenyan market in May this year following a de
  
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• BP's own modelling shows Great Australian Bight oil spill could reach NSW

  16-09-2016 04:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Company’s model shows a spill from its proposed well could have a much more devastating effect on coasts and marine life than previously thought An uncontrolled oil spill from BP’s planned wells in the Great Australian Bight could affect the coastline as far away as New South Wales, according to previously secret oil-spill modelling uploaded to the company’s website this week.Within days of the modelling being quietly uploaded to BP’s website, the regulator, the National
  
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• Oil prices drop on returning Libya, Nigeria supplies

  16-09-2016 03:31
  By Mark Tay SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday on worries that U.S. rig counts would continue to rise and that returning Libyan and Nigerian exports would stoke a global supply glut. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 24 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $43.67 a barrel. Returning supply from Libya and Nigeria will hamper a rebalancing of the global crude market, weighing on sentiment, traders said.
  
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• In pictures: Astro Photographer of the Year

  16-09-2016 02:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Some of the winning images from this year's competition.
  
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• Brazil's Lula says charges aimed at wrecking his political career

  16-09-2016 00:49
  By Natalia Scalzaretto SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday dismissed corruption charges against him as a fabrication and said he was being framed to stop him from running for the presidency in two years time. "Prove I committed one act of corruption and I will walk to the police station and hand myself in," the gravelly-voiced Lula said at his first public appearance since he was formally charged on Wednesday. Prosecutors charged him with corrup
  
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