Environment news

• Paris climate deal a 'turning point' in global warming fight, Obama says

  05-10-2016 23:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Commitments from other countries push accord forward and is set to be activated on 4 November after the EU, Canada and India ratify the agreement
  Barack Obama has said the Paris climate deal could prove a “turning point” in the effort to avoid dangerous global warming, after a flurry of commitments by nations pushed the agreement into force.
  The climate accord is set to be activated on 4 November after the European Union, Canada, Nepal and India all formally ratified the deal. The la
  
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• Paris climate accord to take effect; Obama hails 'historic day'

  05-10-2016 23:13
  By Alister Doyle and Roberta Rampton OSLO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A global agreement to combat climate change will take force after support from European nations sent the accord across an important threshold on Wednesday, prompting U.S. President Barack Obama to hail it as a "historic day" for protecting the planet. European nations raised backing for the 2015 Paris Agreement to countries representing 56.75 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions, above the 55 percent needed for implementation,
  
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• Oil up 2 percent to June highs after another U.S. crude draw

  05-10-2016 22:56
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices settled up about 2 percent on Wednesday, hitting their highest since June, after the fifth unexpected weekly drawdown in U.S. crude inventories added to support on hopes that major producers will agree to cut output next month. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude stockpiles fell 3 million barrels last week, opposite of forecasts of analysts polled by Reuters for a build of 2.6 million barrels. Since the beginning of Septe
  
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• Eel migration study tells 'romantic' tale

  05-10-2016 22:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists are a step closer to solving the mystery of one of the great animal migrations - the journey of eels to the Sargasso Sea.
  
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• Oil up 2 pct to June highs after another U.S. crude draw

  05-10-2016 21:55
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices settled up about 2 percent on Wednesday, hitting their highest since June, after the fifth unexpected weekly drawdown in U.S. crude inventories added to support on hopes that major producers will agree to cut output next month. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude stockpiles fell 3 million barrels last week, opposite of forecasts of analysts polled by Reuters for a build of 2.6 million barrels. Since the beginning of Septe
  
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• Energy ministers urged to map out strategic response to renewables

  05-10-2016 21:17 via theguardian.com
  
  Policy uncertainty could cause essential investments to be deferred or distorted at a huge cost to consumers, business groups warn Major business organisations and energy users have urged federal and state governments to work cooperatively to map out a “strategic response to Australia’s energy transition and challenges” ahead of a meeting of energy ministers scheduled for Friday – warning that investment is at risk.The Australian Energy Council has joined with the Austral
  
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• Energy groups and businesses plead for 'strategic response' before ministers meet

  05-10-2016 21:17 via theguardian.com
  
  Groups warn policy uncertainty could cause essential energy investments to be deferred or distorted at a huge cost to consumers and the economy Major business organisations and energy users have urged federal and state governments to work cooperatively to map out a “strategic response to Australia’s energy transition and challenges” ahead of a meeting of energy ministers scheduled for Friday – warning that investment is at risk.The Australian Energy Council has joined wit
  
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• The heady promise of tiny machines

  05-10-2016 21:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What are the potential uses for molecular machines, which have won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
  
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• 'Swallow the surgeon'

  05-10-2016 21:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What are the potential uses for molecular machines, which have won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
  
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• Paris climate accord ratified, to start next month-UN

  05-10-2016 20:21
  By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - A global agreement to combat climate change by shifting the world economy away from fossil fuels will take force next month after passing a threshold for ratification on Wednesday with support from European nations. Support for the Paris Agreement has widened to nations representing 56.75 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions, above the 55 percent needed for implementation, a U.N. website showed. European Union countries including Germany, France and Slovaki
  
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• Q&A: Polluted water pours into sinkhole at fertilizer plant

  05-10-2016 20:00
  
  GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Matthew's heavy rains are predicted to soak much of Florida, and that could complicate efforts to manage the pollution flowing into a sinkhole that opened up beneath a fertilizer plant's massive pile of toxic waste.
  
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• Looming megadroughts in western US would make current drought look minor

  05-10-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Warming temperatures and uncertain rainfall mean if more isn’t done to slow climate change, droughts lasting 35 years could blight western states, study saysThe harsh drought currently gripping California may appear trivial in the future as new research shows that the south-west US faces the looming threat of “megadroughts” that last for decades.California is in its sixth year of drought, which was barely dented by rains brought by the El Niño climate event and sparked a
  
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• Climate change could lead to decades-long ‘megadroughts’ in US

  05-10-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Warming temperatures and uncertain rainfall mean if more isn’t done to slow climate change, droughts lasting 35 years could blight western states, study saysThe harsh drought currently gripping California may appear trivial in the future as new research shows that the south-west US faces the looming threat of “megadroughts” that last for decades.California is in its sixth year of drought, which was barely dented by rains brought by the El Niño climate event and sparked a
  
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• Fracking bid dealt last-minute blow after conservationists warn it is unlawful

  05-10-2016 19:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Friends of the Earth’s lawyers tell Nottinghamshire county council that iGas Energy’s plans for exploratory drilling in Misson would harm nature reserveA bid to open a new fracking frontier in the east Midlands has been dealt a blow after a last-minute intervention by conservationists who warned that it was unlawful and would harm an “incredibly important” nature reserve.Energy firm iGas had sought planning permission to drill two wells to explore for shale gas at a forme
  
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• Conservationists deal last-minute blow to 'unlawful' fracking bid

  05-10-2016 19:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Friends of the Earth tells Nottinghamshire council that planned exploratory drilling would harm nature reserveA bid to open a new fracking frontier in the east Midlands has been dealt a blow after a last-minute intervention by conservationists who warned that it was unlawful and would harm an “incredibly important” nature reserve.Energy firm iGas had sought planning permission to drill two wells to explore for shale gas at a former Ministry of Defence missile launchpad known as the R
  
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• Non-toxic solvent removes barrier to commercialisation of perovskite solar cells

  05-10-2016 19:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  Scientists at Oxford University have developed a solvent system with reduced toxicity that can be used in the manufacture of perovskite solar cells, clearing one of the barriers to the commercialisation of a technology that promises to revolutionise the solar industry.Perovskites – a family of materials with the crystal structure of calcium titanate – have been described as a 'wonder material' and shown to be almost as efficient as silicon in harnessing solar energy, as well as being
  
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• Limit to human life may be 115 (ish)

  05-10-2016 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Our life spans appear to be limited to about 115 years, according to US scientists.
  
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• Fossil fuel industry's methane emissions far higher than thought

  05-10-2016 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas from coal, oil and gas are up to 60% greater than previously estimated, meaning current climate prediction models should be revised, research showsThe fossil fuel industry’s emissions of a powerful greenhouse gas are dramatically higher than previously thought.Researchers who pulled together the biggest database yet of worldwide methane emissions found that, after natural sources were discounted, emissions from gas, oil and coal production were 20-6
  
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• Brazil police charge Lula in case linked to Odebrecht in Angola - source

  05-10-2016 18:59
  SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's federal police have presented formal charges against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a case involving contracts obtained by building and engineering conglomerate Odebrecht [ODBES.UL] in Angola, a source said on Thursday. The source, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information, said that Lula was among 10 people to be charged in a document sent by police to prosecutors. Lula has already been charged twice in connec
  
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• Oil up 2 percent to June highs on another U.S. crude draw

  05-10-2016 18:42
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 2 percent on Wednesday, hitting their highest since June, after the fifth unexpected weekly drawdown in U.S. crude inventories. Brent crude was up $1.06, or 2.1 percent, at $51.92 a barrel by 12:14 p.m. EDT (1614 GMT), peaking at $52.09, its highest since June 10. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up $1.11, or 2.3 percent, at $49.80.
  
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• Disruptive technology: The 'great hope' for widespread business model shake-ups

  05-10-2016 18:28
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The unstoppable rise of "disruptive" technology such as cloud storage and the Internet of Things (IoT) will inevitably pave way for new and more sustainable business models, but entire industries will have to embrace this transitional period in different ways to accelerate the shift towards a circular and sharing-based economy.
  
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• The seven big decisions made at the Cites global wildlife summit

  05-10-2016 18:19 via theguardian.com
  
  A major meeting on the regulation of trade in endangered species is drawing to a close in Johannesburg - here are seven of its key hits and missesPangolinSadly for the pangolin, the tough brown scales that so neatly tile its body are in huge demand for medicinal purposes, while the flesh that they protect is also appreciated as a delicacy in Vietnam and some parts of China. Earlier this month, conservationists warned of the devastating decline in pangolin populations. Cites followed up by puttin
  
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• Bezos space capsule practises abort

  05-10-2016 18:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has furthered his ambition to launch people into space by practising a critical safety manoeuvre on his New Shepard vehicle.
  
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• How can businesses change behaviours to drive energy efficiency?

  05-10-2016 17:50
  
  UK energy managers can drive employee engagement with company-wide energy efficiency programmes through simple messages focused on the positive impacts of change and the effective internal dissemination of energy management systems such as ISO 14001.
  
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• UC Researcher Develops Clean Water-Treatment Option to Target Sporadic Outbreaks

  05-10-2016 17:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  A University of Cincinnati scientist has engineered an environmentally friendly technology to zap outbreak-causing viruses and bacteria from public drinking water.Environmental and biomedical engineer David Wendell, an associate professor in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science, developed a protein-based photocatalyst that uses light to generate hydrogen peroxide to eliminate E. coli, Listeria, and potentially protozoa like giardia and cryptosporidium.
  
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• Oil surges over 2 percent to June highs on another U.S. crude draw

  05-10-2016 17:10
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices hit session highs on Wednesday, rising to their highest since June, after the U.S. government reported another surprise weekly drawdown in crude inventories. Brent crude was up $1.13, or 2.2 percent, at $52 a barrel by 10:58 a.m. EDT (1558 BST), peaking at $52.09, its highest since June 10. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up $1.20, or 2.4 percent, at $49.89. It earlier hit $49.95, a high since June 29. The U.S. Energy Information Ad
  
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• Romania bans trophy hunting of brown bears, wolves, lynx and wild cats

  05-10-2016 17:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Unexpected move reverses a trend that has seen increasing numbers of large carnivores shot by hunters each year since Romania’s accession to the European UnionRomania has banned all trophy hunting of brown bears, wolves, lynx and wild cats in a surprise decision that gives Europe’s largest population of large carnivores a reprieve from its most severe and immediate threat.The move on Tuesday reverses a trend which has seen the number of large carnivores being shot by hunters grow yea
  
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• Business-led collaboration key to delivering climate action in cities, says Aecom

  05-10-2016 17:00
  
  The private sector must step up collaboration efforts with city and regional governments to create more robust solutions to combat the economic and environmental impacts of climate change in major cities, the co-author of a new report on the subject has told edie.
  
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• Business-led collaboration key to delivering city climate action, says Aecom

  05-10-2016 17:00
  
  The private sector must step up collaboration efforts with city and regional governments to create more robust solutions to combat the economic and environmental impacts of climate change in major cities, the co-author of a new report on the subject has told edie.
  
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• Anti-fracking groups protest as council mulls over shale gas drilling

  05-10-2016 16:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Nottinghamshire county council to vote on iGas Energy’s plans for exploratory drilling on former RAF bombing range in MissonAnti-fracking campaigners are protesting outside a town hall where councillors are deciding whether to approve plans to open a UK shale gas exploration frontier in the east Midlands.Nottinghamshire county council will vote on Wednesday on iGas Energy’s plans to drill two wells on a former RAF bombing range in the village of Misson. Continue reading...
  
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• Tesco's single-use carrier bag numbers drop by 1.5 billion

  05-10-2016 16:30
  
  On the first anniversary of the carrier bag charge roll-out, UK supermarket giant Tesco has revealed that more than 1.5 billion single-use carrier bags have been saved by its customers in England since the levy's introduction.
  
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• Tiny machines win chemistry Nobel prize

  05-10-2016 16:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The 2016 Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been awarded for developing the world's smallest machines.
  
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• Oil up 2 percent, hits June highs on possible U.S. stockpile drop

  05-10-2016 16:06
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 2 percent on Wednesday, hitting their highest since June, on the possibility that the U.S. government will report another weekly drawdown in crude stockpiles. Speculation about production cuts that could occur at OPEC's meeting next month also kept the market supported. The American Petroleum Institute (API), a trade group, reported on Tuesday that its data showed U.S. crude inventories dropped 7.6 million barrels during the week ende
  
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• 'Way behind the curve': EU climate policy 'obstructed' by trade body BusinessEurope

  05-10-2016 15:50
  
  Trade association BusinessEurope's "strong opposition" to more ambitious European Union (EU) climate legislation represents a "clear detachment" from the position of the European business community, according to a new report from UK research group InfluenceMap.
  
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• Drain brain: Paris pool uses sewer heat to cut costs and emissions

  05-10-2016 15:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Aspirant Dunand swimming pool in French capital inaugurates system that recycles residual warmth from sewers and drainsA Paris swimming pool has inaugurated a heating system using warmth recovered from sewers in a bid to cut costs and reduce carbon emissions. The Aspirant Dunand pool in the 14th arrondissement is the latest in a series of French public buildings to use heat pumps to recycle residual warmth from showers, dishwashers and washing machines in its sewers. Continue reading...
  
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• Biogen's 'magnificent 7' AD plants hit 100GW milestone

  05-10-2016 14:23
  
  Anaerobic digestion (AD) plant operator Biogen has now established a network of seven AD plants across the UK, generating a combined total of more than 100GW of electricity annually, after officially opening its latest site in Warwickshire on Monday (3 October).
  
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• Biogen passes 100GW milestone for energy-from-waste production

  05-10-2016 14:23
  
  Leading anaerobic digestion (AD) renewable electricity provider Biogen has established a network of seven AD plants across the UK generating 100GW of electricity annually, after officially opening a new Warwickshire site on Monday (3 October).
  
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• The Psychology Behind Climate Change Denial

  05-10-2016 13:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  Climate change is a serious threat to humans, animals, and the earth’s ecosystems. Nevertheless, effective climate action has been delayed, partly because some still deny that there is a problem. In a new thesis in psychology, Kirsti Jylhä at Uppsala University has studied the psychology behind climate change denial. The results show that individuals who accept hierarchical power structures tend to a larger extent deny the problem.In the scientific community there is a strong consensu
  
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• Iran tells Saudi navy vessels to avoid its waters

  05-10-2016 13:24
  Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) warned Saudi naval vessels taking part in military exercises in the Gulf on Wednesday not to get close to Iranian waters, in a sign of heightened tensions between the two regional rivals. Saudi Arabia began naval war games including live fire exercises on Tuesday in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil route.
  
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• Can you hear the difference between these cod's accents? – video report

  05-10-2016 12:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Scientists say the sounds cod make with their swim bladders to communicate differ from region to region – and may be vulnerable to noise pollution. Cod often use the sounds to attract mates and warn of nearby predators. But if the sounds are disrupted by human marine activity it may affect cod’s breeding by inhibiting integration and reproductionCod may have regional accents, scientists say
  Continue reading...
  
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• The future belongs to clean energy | Anders Runevad

  05-10-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Wind power is projected to more than double in developing countries and increase by one-third in developed nations by 2030
  As we close out a summer marked by uncertainty in news and events, one trend for which analysts voice increasing certainty is the accelerating pace of the clean-energy transformation reshaping how the world generates electricity. With increasing speed, global energy markets are turning away from fossil fuels and towards wind and other renewable sources, not just because they
  
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• Hurricanes will worsen as planet warms and sea levels rise, scientists warn

  05-10-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Some say Hurricane Matthew, which slammed Haiti and is headed towards the US, is the sort of fierce lashing that will be more common due to climate change
  Major storms such as Hurricane Matthew, which has slammed into Haiti and is now headed towards the US, will grow in menace as the world warms and sea levels rise, scientists have warned. Related: Hurricane Matthew: at least six feared dead in Haiti as violent storm hitsContinue reading...
  
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• September an "astonishing" month for Scottish renewable energy

  05-10-2016 11:49
  
  Scotland has had an "astonishing" month for wind energy, managing to generate 100% of its energy needs through wind turbines alone for two full days.
  
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• Peru's first satellite pictures huge copper mine

  05-10-2016 11:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Peru's first national satellite, PerúSAT-1, returns its maiden image of the South American country.
  
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• Mosul fight could fracture Iraq - former Sunni governor

  05-10-2016 11:20
  By Michael Georgy and Babak Dehghanpisheh ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - The battle for Mosul will be a make-or-break moment for Iraq that could split the country along ethnic and sectarian lines, said the former regional governor who has assembled a force which will take part in the campaign. Iraq has been preparing for more than a year for its offensive to drive Islamic State out of its last major stronghold. What happens after a victory could present an even bigger challenge than the battle, however
  
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• Oil hits highest since June on possible U.S. inventory drop

  05-10-2016 11:08
  By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose towards $52 a barrel on Wednesday, hitting their highest level since June, supported by an industry report that U.S. inventories probably fell for a fifth straight week and OPEC's supply cut deal. The American Petroleum Institute (API) said on Tuesday that U.S. crude inventories dropped 7.6 million barrels, which would be the fifth straight weekly decline if confirmed by U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data on Wednesday. Brent crude
  
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• Has hope become the most endangered species in conservation?

  05-10-2016 09:40 via theguardian.com
  
  As wildlife continues to decline around the world, conservation has become a bleak calling. Can a new Optimism Summit help reframe the mission to save life on Earth?Want to hear a sad story? You could read this article of mine about the first mammal lost to climate change. Or this one about how there are only 60 vaquita left on the planet. Or here’s my piece on how forest elephants are being decimated even as scientists debate if they are worthy of being called a distinct species. As an en
  
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• Tepco calls for government help to curb impact of rising Fukushima costs

  05-10-2016 09:32
  By Osamu Tsukimori and Yuka Obayashi TOKYO (Reuters) - The operator of the nuclear power plant destroyed in the Fukushima disaster asked the government for help on Wednesday to avoid the risk of the utility going bankrupt over rising costs of addressing the 2011 reactor explosions and meltdowns. It was not immediately clear what kind of support Tokyo Electric Power Co Holdings Inc is seeking, but officials insisted Japan's biggest utility is not asking for fresh financing. "We don't want to rece
  
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