Environment news

• Reducing ammonia pollution from cattle

  19-10-2016 23:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  Agriculture is responsible for 90% of all ammonia pollution in Europe, a considerable part of which comes from cattle manure management: a new study shows what steps to take to reduce this pollution.Improved barn design, cleaning processes, and manure treatment could reduce ammonia emissions from commercial dairy cattle barns by 17 to 50%, according to a new study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. The study provides a list of techniques and technologies th
  
  Read more

• Reforesting Kilimanjaro could ease East Africa's severe water shortages

  19-10-2016 23:09 via feedproxy.google.com
  There is a need to reforest Africa’s highest mountain to help protect vital water supplies that are under threat across large parts of East Africa, a UN Environment report urged today.The loss of Mount Kilimanjaro’s forests could trigger water crisis as rivers begin to dry up, notes the report, entitled Sustainable Mountain Development in East Africa in a Changing Climate, which was launched at the World Mountain Forum in Uganda today.
  
  Read more

• Discovery of Carbon Storage Signaling Mechanism in Algae Offers New Potential for Sustainable Biofuel Production

  19-10-2016 22:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  James Umen, Ph.D., associate member at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and colleagues have discovered a way to make algae better oil producers without sacrificing growth. The findings were published September 6, in a paper titled, “Synergism between inositol polyphosphates and TOR kinase signaling in nutrient sensing, growth control and lipid metabolism in Chlamydomonas,” in The Plant Cell. Umen and his team including lead author Inmaculada Couso, Ph.D., and collaborators
  
  Read more

• Ex-leader of Brazil's lower house arrested on graft charges - police

  19-10-2016 22:42
  By Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu BRASILIA (Reuters) - Eduardo Cunha, the former head of Brazil's lower house of Congress who led the impeachment drive against former President Dilma Rousseff, was arrested on Wednesday on corruption charges. Cunha, one-time leader of the Evangelical Christian caucus in the House of Deputies is accused of receiving millions in bribes from a purchase of an oil field in Benin by state-run oil company Petrobras, which led to his arrest on Wednesday. In a sep
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 'Zika mosquito' eggs found near Folkestone in Kent

  19-10-2016 22:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The eggs of a mosquito capable of transmitting tropical diseases, including the Zika virus, are found for the first time in the UK.
  
  Read more

• MIT to neutralize 17 percent of carbon emissions through purchase of solar energy

  19-10-2016 22:14 via feedproxy.google.com
  MIT, Boston Medical Center, and Post Office Square Redevelopment Corporation have formed an alliance to buy electricity from a large new solar power installation, adding carbon-free energy to the grid and demonstrating a partnership model for other organizations in climate-change mitigation efforts.The agreement will enable the construction of a roughly 650-acre, 60-megawatt solar farm on farmland in North Carolina. Called Summit Farms, the facility, the largest renewable-energy project ever bui
  
  Read more

• Cameron aide said government was ‘exposed on Heathrow’ over air quality

  19-10-2016 22:05 via theguardian.com
  
  As Theresa May prepares for airport expansion decision, memo emerges in which former PM was told he did not ‘have an answer’ on pollution concernsDavid Cameron’s No 10 policy chief warned him a year ago that he was “exposed on Heathrow” because the government did not have an answer to its impact on air quality, an internal Downing Street note has revealed.The memo was written by Camilla Cavendish, a former Downing Street adviser, who was scathing about the first dra
  
  Read more

• Oil up over 2 percent; U.S. crude at 15-month high on big drawdown

  19-10-2016 21:56
  By Ethan Lou NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 2 percent on Wednesday, with U.S. crude settling at its highest in 15 months after the government reported a surprisingly large drop in inventories for the sixth week out of seven. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude stocks fell 5.2 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 14. The agency said U.S. crude imports slid by 912,000 barrels per day last week to 6.47 million bpd, the lowest since November 2015, helping pu
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Fears grow for European Schiaparelli Mars lander

  19-10-2016 21:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  There is increasing pessimism that a European probe which attempted to land on Mars on Wednesday has been lost.
  
  Read more

• Researchers: Limits on drilling not enough to protect bird

  19-10-2016 21:25
  
  Oil and gas development in the Western U.S. could continue to cause sage grouse numbers to decline despite limits on drilling meant to protect the struggling bird species, according to scientists. Researchers ...
  
  Read more

• Cameron aide said government was 'exposed on Heathrow' over air quality

  19-10-2016 20:42 via theguardian.com
  
  As Theresa May prepares for airport expansion decision, memo emerges in which former PM was told he did not ‘have an answer’ on pollution concernsDavid Cameron’s No 10 policy chief warned him a year ago that he was “exposed on Heathrow” because the government did not have an answer to its impact on air quality, an internal Downing Street note has revealed.The memo was written by Camilla Cavendish, a former Downing Street adviser, who was scathing about the first dra
  
  Read more

• Going Dutch on recycling pays off | Letter

  19-10-2016 20:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Michael Marks (Letters, 17 October) said that the plastic bag charge needs to be followed by one for plastic bottles in order to cut the huge number not recycled. We lived for six years in the Netherlands, where people are much more oriented towards recycling. Plastic drinks bottles had a tax on them which was refunded when they were returned to the store. This was on soft drinks as well as alcohol bottles. Related: Crazy paving: Rotterdam to consider trialling plastic roadsContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• Demand-response 'makes complete sense' for heavy industry

  19-10-2016 18:48
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The business case for demand-response now makes "complete sense" and should be exploited alongside other emerging green technologies such as battery storage systems, one of Britain's largest construction materials suppliers has said.
  
  Read more

• U.S. crude hits 15-month highs after big drawdown

  19-10-2016 18:10
  By Ethan Lou NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped as much as 3 percent on Wednesday, with U.S. crude hitting 15-month highs after the government reported a surprisingly large drop in domestic inventories for the sixth week out of seven. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude stocks fell 5.2 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 14. It is common for crude stocks to build at this time of year as refineries go into maintenance, turning out less gasoline and other fuel produc
  
  Read more

• Stone Age people 'roasted rodents for food' - archaeologists

  19-10-2016 18:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Voles appear to have been roasted for food by Neolithic people living on Orkney 5,000 years ago, archaeological evidence shows.
  
  Read more

• Chimpanzee seen smoking at North Korea's reopened zoo

  19-10-2016 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Spectacle seemed to delight visitors but zoo has been criticised in the past for keeping animals in ‘woefully inadequate’ conditionsVisitors to a newly reopened zoo in North Korea have been flocking to a new attraction: a smoking chimpanzee.According to officials at the Central zoo in Pyongyang, which has been criticised for animal cruelty in the past, the 19-year-old female chimpanzee Azalea, Dallae in Korean, smokes a pack a day.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Oil up 2 percent after big draw in U.S. crude inventories

  19-10-2016 16:44
  By Ethan Lou NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 2 percent on Wednesday after the U.S. government reported a surprising drop in domestic crude stockpiles, versus analysts expectations for a build. Brent crude was up $1.12, or 2 percent, at $52.80 per barrel by 10:33 a.m. EDT (1533 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.16, or 2.3 percent, to $51.45. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) said U.S. crude stocks fell by 5.2 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 14. [EI
  
  Read more

• Brazil gets access to Swiss accounts of politicians, Petrobras executives

  19-10-2016 14:36
  Switzerland has given Brazil access to the bank accounts of Brazilian politicians and executives at Petrobras that could shed light on allegations of corruption at the state oil group, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said. Switzerland's highest court, the Swiss Federal Court, rejected a last appeal by some of those involved after a lower court had allowed the transfer of documents. A Brazilian investigation into Petrobras has uncovered systemic corruption at multiple companies and
  
  Read more

• Saudi's Falih says oil market at end of downturn

  19-10-2016 14:26
  By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's energy minister gave an upbeat message to an audience of industry executives on Wednesday, saying the oil market was at the end of a downturn and producer action to limit supply would help it improve further. Khalid al-Falih also told the annual Oil and Money conference in London that non-OPEC countries were showing a willingness to freeze and even cut supplies alongside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. The
  
  Read more

• Why has climate change been ignored in the US election debates?

  19-10-2016 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  While we rake over Clinton’s emails and Trump’s late-night tweets, climate has been the elephant in the room, leaving scientists and campaigners asking why there hasn’t been a single direct question about the crisis Climate change has been the elephant in the room during the past two US presidential debates. Ignoring this issue would be more understandable if this metaphorical pachyderm weren’t about to rampage through the lives of Americans, causing upheaval on a scale n
  
  Read more

• Why has climate change been ignored in the presidential debates?

  19-10-2016 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  While we rake over Clinton’s emails and Trump’s late-night tweets, climate has been the elephant in the room, leaving scientists and campaigners asking why there hasn’t been a single direct question about the crisisClimate change has been the elephant in the room during the past two US presidential debates. Ignoring this issue would be more understandable if this metaphorical pachyderm weren’t about to rampage through the lives of Americans, causing upheaval on a scale no
  
  Read more

• Where is climate change in the Trump v Clinton presidential debates?

  19-10-2016 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  While we rake over Clinton’s emails and Trump’s late-night tweets, climate has been the elephant in the room, leaving scientists and campaigners asking why there hasn’t been a single direct question about the crisisClimate change has been the elephant in the room during the past two US presidential debates. Ignoring this issue would be more understandable if this metaphorical pachyderm wasn’t about to rampage the lives of Americans, causing upheaval on a scale not seen si
  
  Read more

• Conventional thinking will not solve the climate crisis | Andrew Simms

  19-10-2016 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Choosing the best possible future means considering radical scenarios that align energy use and industry with climate actionThe good news - according to the World Energy Council (WEC) - is that, per person, our energy demand is set to peak before 2030. Of course, there will be more of us around by then too, so that total demand will only slow, rather than level out. A heady whiff of technological optimism accompanies the explanation that this will happen because of “unprecedented efficienc
  
  Read more

• Treasury blocked air quality plans in favour of 'absolute minimum' measures

  19-10-2016 13:55
  
  The Treasury blocked plans to bring UK air pollution within legal limits as part of an "entire approach driven by cost", the High Court heard yesterday (18 October) in a retrial over illegal air levels.
  
  Read more

• Scientists investigate death of 10,000 endangered 'scrotum' frogs in Peru

  19-10-2016 13:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Researchers and campaigners suspect pollution killed the rare Titicaca water frogs that are endemic to the famous lake and derive their nickname from their wrinkly skinScientists are investigating the mysterious deaths of at least 10,000 endangered frogs, in a river which leads into South America’s most famous lake on Peru’s border with Bolivia.
  The dead Titicaca water frogs were found along a 50km (30 mile) stretch of the Coata river, a tributary which flows into the 8,372 sq km Lak
  
  Read more

• British doctors and health professionals call for rapid coal phase-out

  19-10-2016 13:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Group of health bodies says tackling climate change and air pollution linked to coal would improve health and reduce NHS costsGroups representing Britain’s 600,000 doctors and health professionals say it is “imperative” to phase out coal rapidly to improve health and reduce NHS costs.
  The doctors and nurses say tackling outdoor air pollution from traffic and power stations would cut climate emissions, reduce air pollution, and deliver a powerful boost to the nation’s heal
  
  Read more

• Indonesia's parliament ratifies Paris climate change deal

  19-10-2016 12:43
  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's parliament ratified the Paris climate change agreement on Wednesday, obligating one of the world's biggest polluters to limit its carbon emissions.
  
  Read more

• Satellite Eye on Earth: September 2016 - in pictures

  19-10-2016 12:11 via theguardian.com
  
  A newly calved iceberg, an ice avalanche in Tibet and urban growth in Nairobi were among the images captured by European Space Agency and Nasa satellites last monthThis striking image shows the Caspian Sea, with shallow waters surrounding the Tyuleniy archipelago revealing dark green vegetation on the sea floor. Ocean scientist Norman Kuring of Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center found a puzzling feature in the image – lines crisscrossing the sea bottom. What caused those lines? Simil
  
  Read more

• Shipping groups echo calls for industry carbon cuts

  19-10-2016 12:07
  
  Many of the world's biggest shipowners and charterers have called on heads of state to take swift action to force carbon emission cuts on their industry which is the only sector in the world not now bound by climate change targets.
  
  Read more

• No longer taken seriously, we're seeing the last gasp of climate denial groups | Dana Nuccitelli

  19-10-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Anti-climate groups like GWPF try to leech credibility from serious scientific organizations like the Royal Society
  The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) is an anti-climate policy advocacy group in the UK that often releases misleading scientific “reports.” The group also hosts annual lectures, and this year, they booked a room at the Royal Society. Many members of the Royal Society expressed concern that the GWPF would exploit the organization’s credibility, and asked th
  
  Read more

• Oil rises as Chinese output drops, U.S. inventories shrink

  19-10-2016 11:42
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil rose by around 1 percent on Wednesday, boosted by evidence of declining production in China and falling U.S. inventories, while an upbeat OPEC statement on its planned output cut also supported the market. Benchmark Brent crude futures were at $52.42 a barrel, up 74 cents on the day by 0922 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were up 73 cents at $51.02 a barrel. As the world's largest exporters prepare to discuss the first cut i
  
  Read more

• Theresa May accused of 'dither and delay' over Heathrow expansion

  19-10-2016 11:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Mayor of London says decision to delay vote on airport expansion will cause unnecessary uncertainty for businessesTheresa May has been accused of “dither and delay” by Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, after putting off a parliamentary vote on airport expansion for another year.
  There are strong signs that a cabinet committee will decide next week to back expansion at Heathrow after the prime minister set out plans to let ministers such as Boris Johnson and Justine Greening carry on oppo
  
  Read more

• Cave paintings reveal clues to mystery Ice Age beast

  19-10-2016 10:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Cave art from the Ice Age has helped solve the origins of Europe's largest land mammal - the modern European bison.
  
  Read more

• UN tells Bangladesh to halt mangrove-threatening coal plant

  19-10-2016 10:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Climate Home: Rampal coal plant poses a ‘serious threat’ to a key ecosystem for Bengal tigers and must be cancelled, says the UN world heritage bodyThe UN’s world heritage body has made an urgent intervention to stop the construction of a coal power station in Bangladesh.Unesco said the plant could damage the world heritage-listed Sundarbans mangrove forest, which houses up to 450 Bengal tigers. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Businesses will play 'crucial role' in the UK's transition to low-carbon cities

  19-10-2016 10:00
  
  The creation of low-carbon, sustainable British cities can only be addressed through collaboration between the public sector and innovative green businesses.
  
  Read more

• European businesses call for EU to cut "ruinous" tariffs on chinese solar

  19-10-2016 09:20
  
  Businesses across Europe, including more than 60 based in the UK, are calling on the European Union (EU) to remove trade measures on Chinese solar modules and cells that have had "unforeseen consequences" on the European solar value chain.
  
  Read more

• Why don’t vegans eat honey? You asked Google – here’s the answer | Aine Carlin

  19-10-2016 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Every day millions of internet users ask Google life’s most difficult questions, big and small. Our writers answer some of the commonest queriesOf all the things we vegans avoid, honey categorically invites the most eye rolls. For some reason people can wrap their heads around the “no meat, no dairy and no egg” thing, but when it comes to this divisive little sweetener the mind apparently boggles.But let’s look at the definition of veganism, which put simply is “a p
  
  Read more

• Oxford firm receives £8.7m investment on technology to 'radically improve' solar efficiency

  19-10-2016 09:00
  
  A company founded as a "spin-out" from the University of Oxford has received a new equity investment of £8.7m, as it aims to accelerate the commercialisation of a solar cell that could boost the performance of photovoltaics by 30%.
  
  Read more

• Oxford firm receives £8.7m investment on technology to improve solar efficiency

  19-10-2016 09:00
  
  A company founded as a "spin-out" from the University of Oxford has received a new equity investment of £8.7m, as it aims to accelerate the commercialisation of a solar cell that could boost the performance of photovoltaics by 30%.
  
  Read more

• Tasmanian tap water tastes the best in the country, says water industry group

  19-10-2016 08:02 via theguardian.com
  
  A sample from Barrington in the north of Tasmania beat four other state finalists to the prize of top dropTasmanians, drink it in: yours is the best-tasting tap water in Australia.The sample from Barrington, provided by TasWater, was named the best tap water in Australia over four other state finalists in a blind taste test. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• China's Shenzhou 11 docks at Tiangong 2 space station

  19-10-2016 08:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two Chinese astronauts have docked with the Tiangong 2 space lab, where they will live for the next 30 days conducting experiments.
  
  Read more

• Underwater drone to investigate sonar contacts in MH370 hunt

  19-10-2016 07:27
  SYDNEY (AP) — A ship involved with the deep-sea sonar search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is being fitted with equipment to examine several sonar contacts of interest on the remote seabed west of Australia.
  
  Read more

• Tasmanian devils developing immune response to contagious face cancer

  19-10-2016 07:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Breakthrough the first indication the tumour is survivable and confirms research showing marsupials are rapidly evolving in response to the disease Tasmanian devils have developed a natural immune response to the deadly facial tumour disease, confirming research that suggested the animals were rapidly evolving in response to the overwhelming threat.
  Researchers from the University of Tasmania have identified six disease-resistant devils in the same small population since 2009. Continue reading..
  
  Read more

• World's mammals being eaten into extinction, report warns

  19-10-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  First global assessment finds 301 species are primarily at risk from human hunting for the bushmeat trade Hundreds of mammal species - from chimpanzees to hippos to bats - are being eaten into extinction by people, according to the first global assessment of the impact of human hunting.Bushmeat has long been a traditional source of food for many rural people, but as roads have been driven into remote areas, large-scale commercial hunting is leaving forests and other habitats devoid of wildlife.C
  
  Read more

• Shipping 'progressives' call for industry carbon emission cuts

  19-10-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Some of the world’s biggest shipping groups say ‘ambitious’ action is needed at a key UN meeting to bring the industry in line with Paris climate goalsMany of the world’s biggest shipowners and charterers have called on heads of state to take swift action to force carbon emission cuts on their industry which is the only sector in the world not now bound by climate change targets. Maersk, Cargill, the Global Shippers’ Forum and 45 other shipping organisations includi
  
  Read more

• The battle for Migingo Island: can fish farming be a peacemaker? - in pictures

  19-10-2016 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Migingo Island is a tiny island in Lake Victoria, about half the size of a football pitch. It’s also one of the last places where numbers of Nile perch remain high; overfishing and pollution have led to dwindling stocks in the rest of the lake. This is one of the reasons why Uganda and Kenya continue to battle over its ownership. But a growing commercial interest in fish farming around the Lake could help ease tensions.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Dawn burnishes the landscape, while mice feed on windfall apples

  19-10-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  St Dominic, Tamar Valley Golden light burnishes withered leaves, reflects on the glossy green of ash and enhances the redness of prolific hawsThe brilliance of the constellation Orion fades with the onset of dawn. Tawny owl calls echo from the gloom of Radland Valley and the A388 (a mile away) carries the sound of commuting traffic speeding across Viverdon Down. In the field adjoining home, a rabbit scuttles across dewy grass to the burrowed hedgebank; sheep huddle in a corner, awaiting more lig
  
  Read more

• Oil rises on U.S. crude inventory draw, falling Chinese output

  19-10-2016 05:30
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Wednesday, lifted by a report of a drop in U.S. crude inventories and declining production in China, while an upbeat OPEC statement on its planned output cut also supported the market. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $50.73 per barrel at 0326 GMT, up 44 cents, or 0.87 percent, from their last settlement. "The American Petroleum Institute crude inventory numbers were released ... this has given earl
  
  Read more

• Astronauts enter China's space station

  19-10-2016 04:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A pair of astronauts have entered China's Tiangong 2 space station as they begin the country's longest manned space mission.
  
  Read more

• Oil rises on reported U.S. crude inventory draw, expected OPEC cut

  19-10-2016 02:43
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rose early on Wednesday, pushed up by a report of a fall in U.S. crude inventories and an OPEC statement saying a planned production cut was achievable, although analysts warned that Chinese economic data could erode the bullish momentum. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $50.81 per barrel at 0011 GMT, up 52 cents, or 1 percent, from their last settlement. International Brent crude futures were at $52.14 a b
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!