Environment news

• George Christensen: 'We needed some Trump' in our political leadership – politics live

  09-11-2016 23:55 via theguardian.com
  
  As the world digests the US election, Australian conservatives are warning political realignment will happen here. Follow the day live … 10.55pm GMTReality Check.So the final numbers for #ElectionDay are:231,556,622 eligible voters46.9% didn't vote
  25.6% voted Clinton
  25.5% voted TrumpWow. 10.49pm GMTGuardian front page, Thursday 10 November 2016: Trump wins. Now the world waits pic.twitter.com/3BqJZ9lOnF Continue reading...
  
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• Shell says protests shut flow station on Nigerian Escravos oil line

  09-11-2016 22:51
  By Tife Owolabi and Libby George LAGOS/LONDON, Nigeria (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell has shut down an Escravos crude oil flow station in Nigeria's Niger Delta after villagers demanding aid staged a protest, the firm and residents said on Wednesday. In another blow to the oil major, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) militant group said it had attacked the Forcados crude export line. Shell said the flow station on the pipeline operated by its joint-venture partner SPDC was no longer processing crude
  
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• Millions of butterflies herald insect influx in hot and humid Queensland spring

  09-11-2016 22:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Caper whites descend on state’s south-east – only to be replaced by plague of flies as temperatures climb to 38 degreesFrom butterflies to plain old flies, south-east Queensland is experiencing a two-phase swarm of insects amid weather conditions that allow both species to thrive.Last Friday residents began reporting a sudden surge of butterflies, an influx of tens of millions of caper whites in what experts said was a phenomenon that occurred about once a decade. Continue reading...
  
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• Rising CO2 Threatens Coral And People Who Use Reefs

  09-11-2016 22:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  As atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels rise, very few coral reef ecosystems will be spared the impacts of ocean acidification or sea surface temperature rise, according to a new analysis. The damage will cause the most immediate and serious threats where human dependence on reefs is highest.A new analysis in the journal Plos One, led by Duke University and the Université de Bretagne Occidentale, suggests that by 2050, Western Mexico, Micronesia, Indonesia, parts of Australia and South
  
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• California, Nevada and Massachusetts vote to legalize recreational marijuana

  09-11-2016 21:52 via theguardian.com
  
  How Americans voted on a range of ballot initiatives around the countryUS elections live results county by countySupport our fearless, independent journalism by making a contribution or becoming a memberVoters around the US cast ballots for a diverse range of initiatives that seek to reform laws on marijuana, the death penalty, climate change and more. Below are results in the most important contests.Continue reading...
  
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• Oil edges higher after shock Trump victory for U.S. presidency

  09-11-2016 21:25
  By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday as stocks and the dollar bounced back from a huge early slide following Donald Trump's surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election. Crude oil prices tumbled as much as 4.0 percent to near $43 a barrel, a near two-month low, late Tuesday night as it became clear U.S. voters picked Trump as their next president.
  
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• A new study concludes warm climate is more sensitive to changes in CO2

  09-11-2016 20:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  It is well-established in the scientific community that increases in atmospheric CO2 levels result in global warming, but the magnitude of the effect may vary depending on average global temperature. A new study, published this week in Science Advances and led by Tobias Friedrich from the International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, concludes that warm climates are more sensitive to changes in CO2&
  
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• Seabirds eat floating plastic debris because it smells like food, study finds

  09-11-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Algae on drifting plastic waste gives off a sulfur compound which smells similar to the krill many marine birds feed on, researchers have discoveredSeabirds are enticed into eating plastic debris because it smells like their food, according to scientists.The study found that drifting plastic waste accumulates algae and gives off a smell very similar to the krill that many marine birds feed on. The findings could explain why certain birds - including albatrosses and shearwaters - which rely on th
  
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• Big Oil revels in Trump victory, expects less red tape

  09-11-2016 19:23
  The U.S. energy industry on Wednesday revelled in Republican Donald Trump's presidential victory, expecting him to be a strong advocate for more oil and gas output and to cut red tape that has held back billions of dollars of investment in new projects. The world's largest energy market saw a boom in oil and gas output under Democratic President Barack Obama's administration, as improved technology led to the development of shale energy reserves that had previously been too expensive to produce.
  
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• COP22: Water and climate justice share the spotlight with Trump

  09-11-2016 18:33
  
  Wednesday was water day at COP22 in Marrakesh, and while the mood in Morocco was one of "sink or swim" in regards to an unprecedented US election, business took to the stage to call on governments to introduce a "speedy implementation" of the Paris Agreement.
  
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• Climate change: Nations will push ahead with plans despite Trump

  09-11-2016 18:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Countries say they are prepared to move ahead on climate change without the US if Donald Trump pulls out of the Paris agreement.
  
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• Oil rises, recovering from shock Trump victory

  09-11-2016 18:18
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Wednesday, as U.S. financial markets bounced back from a early Brexit-like slide that followed Donald Trump's surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election. "It remains to be seen whether U.S. President Trump will revoke the nuclear agreement with Iran that he has criticised so strongly," Commerzbank said in a note.
  
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• Oil lower after U.S. crude build, Trump victory

  09-11-2016 17:31
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell on Wednesday in choppy trading after weekly data showed another build in U.S. crude inventories, just as the market began to recover from an initial Brexit-like reaction to Donald Trump's surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election. The Energy Information Administration said U.S. crude stockpiles rose 2.5 million barrels last week, a million more than analysts had forecast. Brent crude was down 13 cents at $45.91 a barrel by 11:23 a.m.
  
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• Business winners and losers from a Trump presidency

  09-11-2016 17:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Coal, pharmaceutical companies and mining groups can all expect to benefit, while renewables are out in the coldBecome a Guardian supporter or make a contribution Continue reading...
  
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• Business winners and losers from a Donald Trump presidency

  09-11-2016 17:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Coal, pharmaceutical companies and mining groups can all expect to benefit, while renewables are out in the coldBecome a Guardian supporter or make a contribution Continue reading...
  
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• What Triggered Tsunamis that Demolished Bronze-Age Civilization?

  09-11-2016 17:11
  
  The historic eruption of the Greek volcano Thera in about 1650 B.C. triggered massive tsunamis and led to the end of the dominant civilization in the Mediterranean. Now, researchers say these destructive tsunamis may have been generated by the flow of volcanic material into the sea, challenging previous explanations, according to a new study. Studies of the Bronze Age disaster led scientists to think the collapse of the volcanic crater (called the caldera) into the sea caused tsunamis after the
  
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• Shell says flow station on Nigerian Escravos oil line shut by protesters

  09-11-2016 17:01
  By Anamesere Igboeroteonwu and Libby George ONITSHA/LONDON, Nigeria (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell has shut down an Escravos crude oil flow station in Nigeria's Niger Delta after villagers demanding aid staged a protest, the firm and residents said on Wednesday. The oil major said the flow station on the pipeline operated by its joint-venture partner SPDC was no longer processing crude oil, but the impact on Escravos exports, which can run via other avenues, was not immediately clear. Shyne Edema
  
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• What will President Donald Trump do? Predicting his policy agenda

  09-11-2016 16:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Policy details were lacking during his campaign, but there were hints of a disturbing agenda on immigration, healthcare, gun control and women’s rightsBecome a Guardian supporter or make a contributionDonald Trump has been short on policy details during his campaign. But already, the president elect has hinted at an agenda that is as ambitious as it is disturbing on key policy issues. Here’s what he will inherit and how he might respond, from the Guardian’s specialists. Continu
  
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• Devon man fined almost £5,000 over wild bird eggs collection

  09-11-2016 16:50 via theguardian.com
  
  William Beaton took his first egg at the age of five in 1948 and had illegally collected hundreds more since, court toldA retired solicitor from Devon who amassed a collection of hundreds of eggs over nearly 70 years has been fined almost £5,000 and had his haul confiscated. William Beaton, 73, told Plymouth magistrates he took his first egg – from a blackbird’s nest – on a “fine April evening” when he was five.Continue reading...
  
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• Rhetoric or reality? Arabs struggle to decode Trump's Mideast rhetoric

  09-11-2016 16:29
  By William Maclean DUBAI (Reuters) - The future leader of the Middle East's top foreign ally is, in the words of a Saudi prince, an anti-Muslim "disgrace", openly disdainful of Arab security partnerships, who believes Saudi Arabia would cease to exist for long without the United States. Donald Trump's presidential election victory means he is the man Washington's Arab allies must deal with after his January inauguration, as they seek U.S. help to end wars from Syria to Mosul, manage humanitarian
  
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• Chemical firm fined £3m for toxic vapour cloud that killed worker

  09-11-2016 16:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Cristal Pigment Ltd has been sentenced for two serious incidents at its titanium dioxide plant that arose from poor operational practices, reports ENDS UKA global chemical company has been fined for poor operational practices that killed one of its employees and seriously hurt another when they were overcome by a toxic vapour cloud.
  Cristal Pigment UK Ltd was sentenced at Hull Crown Court on 8 November for two incidents that occurred within less than two years at Europe’s largest titanium
  
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• Why Donald Trump's election might be a disaster for the environment

  09-11-2016 16:21
  
  He has previously pledged to pull out of the Paris Agreement.
  
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• Shell says protest shuts down Escravos flow station in Nigeria's Niger Delta

  09-11-2016 15:57
  LAGOS (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell has shut down its Escravos flow station in Nigeria's Niger Delta due to a protest by locals in the southern region, the oil firm said on Wednesday. "We are hopeful that the protesters will call off their action to ensure resumption of project activities and our operations," Shell said in an emailed statement. (Reporting by Libby George and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Susan Fenton)
  
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• Oil price recovers from initial fall after U.S. election result

  09-11-2016 15:38
  By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - Oil reversed most of its early losses of almost 4 percent to trade around $46 a barrel on Wednesday, as the market recovered from an initial Brexit-like reaction to Donald Trump's surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election. The result caused an initial flight from risky assets in a move analysts compared with the reaction of markets in June to the news that Britons had voted to leave the European Union. U.S. crude was down 20 cents to $44.78.
  
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• Nissan launches 'social network' car-share ownership scheme

  09-11-2016 15:25
  
  Japanese carmaker Nissan has unveiled the world's first social network-powered shared car ownership scheme, which invoices individuals based on the monthly usage of a nearby fleet of Nissan Micra Acentas.
  
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• Human health risks from hydroelectric projects

  09-11-2016 15:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  In a new study, Harvard University researchers find over 90 percent of potential new Canadian hydroelectric projects are likely to increase concentrations of the neurotoxin methylmercury in food webs near indigenous communities. The research forecasts potential human health impacts of hydroelectric projects and identifies areas where mitigation efforts, such as removing the top layer of soil before flooding, would be most helpful. The works uses factors such as soil carbon and reservoir des
  
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• Snow sweeps parts of Britain – in pictures

  09-11-2016 14:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Parts of the UK awoke to a blanket of snow as the first wintry weather of the season arrivesContinue reading...
  
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• Shell says checking claim that Nigerian Escravos oil facility shut by protestors

  09-11-2016 13:55
  By Anamesere Igboeroteonwu ONITSHA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell is checking a claim by a group of Nigerian protesters that they had shut down an Escravos crude oil facility in the Niger Delta operated by its joint-venture partner SPDC. Shyne Edema, a youth leader in the restive region, said earlier his group was protesting at the facility, shutting down power and water supplies as well as crude production to press Shell into providing community development funds. Shell has several flow
  
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• Oil reverses most losses after Trump win to trade near $46

  09-11-2016 13:41
  By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - Oil reversed most of its early losses of almost 4 percent to trade near $46 a barrel on Wednesday, as the market recovered from an initial Brexit-like reaction to Donald Trump's surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election. The result sparked a flight from risky assets in a move analysts compared to June's referendum in which Britons voted to leave the European Union. Oil analysts said while Trump's victory raised concerns about future economic growth and
  
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• Gold jumps; oil recovers poise after shock Trump win

  09-11-2016 13:38
  By Manolo Serapio Jr and Veronica Brown MANILA/LONDON (Reuters) - Gold held near six-week highs on Wednesday, while other markets calmed down after swinging wildly following Donald Trump's shock victory over Hillary Clinton in the White House race. Oil prices began to steady in Europe alongside the U.S. dollar, Mexican peso and stocks, having been hammered as Trump swept to victory. Copper rose sharply, as Trump also spoke of a period of significant fiscal stimulus in the United States, includin
  
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• New business models required to move away from resource inefficiency, says Carbon Trust chief

  09-11-2016 13:33
  
  Businesses must capitalise on the positive momentum of the ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change by introducing new business models that place low-carbon energy and resource efficiency at the heart of operations.
  
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• Florida polls split on GM mosquitoes

  09-11-2016 13:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Voters across one Florida county have signalled their approval for releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in a bid to fight Zika.
  
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• Paris climate deal thrown into uncertainty by US election result

  09-11-2016 13:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Many fear Donald Trump will reverse the ambitious course set by Barack Obama, withdraw the US from the accord and increase fossil-fuel spending • Become a Guardian supporter or make a contributionJust days after the historic Paris agreement officially came into force, climate denier Donald Trump’s victory has thrown the global deal into uncertainty and raised fears that the US will reverse the ambitious environmental course charted under Barack Obama. International environmental group
  
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• Full Ariane 6 rocket funding is unlocked by Esa

  09-11-2016 13:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A final sum of €1.7bn (£1.5bn) is committed to Airbus Safran Launchers to enable it to develop Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket.
  
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• EU plans €320m funding boost for budding ocean energy industry

  09-11-2016 12:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Investment fund would help wave and tidal power to provide a tenth of the bloc’s power by 2050The EU is proposing to spend hundreds of millions of euros to help the budding ocean energy industry to provide a tenth of the bloc’s power by 2050.
  The boost would take the form of a €250m investment fund, with an additional €70m set aside for insurance, loans and guarantees, according to the roadmap for channelling the potential of wave and tidal energy. Continue reading...
  
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• How forensics are aiding the fight against illegal wildlife trade

  09-11-2016 12:48 via theguardian.com
  
  From rapid genetic analysis to spectrography, high-tech advances in forensics are being used to track down and prosecute perpetrators of the illegal wildlife trade, reports Environment 360Feisal Mohammed Ali, a prominent member of the Kenyan business community, was convicted last July of trafficking two tons of elephant ivory found in a Fuji Motors parking lot in Mombasa. The landmark ruling came after two years of drama: Feisal’s flight to Tanzania, his capture and repatriation, the disap
  
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• Does Donald Trump's Presidential triumph spell the end of America's climate progress?

  09-11-2016 12:17
  
  Donald Trump has pulled off one of the biggest electoral shocks in US history, beating Democrat Hillary Clinton to become the 45th US President. edie explores what this could mean for the country's future international leadership on climate action.
  
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• OPEC's job has just become tougher with Trump win

  09-11-2016 12:13
  By Maha El Dahan , Rania El Gamal and Dmitry Zhdannikov DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC's job of trying to prop up oil prices has just got much harder. With Donald Trump winning the U.S. presidential election, the 14-country oil-producing cartel may have to battle a sourer outlook for the global economy and weaker demand for crude. It also faces the prospect of increased U.S. oil output - a major bugbear for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries - given Trump's pledge to open all f
  
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• Total says Trump's election will not have an impact on Iran gas deal

  09-11-2016 11:49
  The election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States will not have an impact on the investments of French oil and gas company Total in Iran, the firm's head of gas, renewables and power said on Wednesday. Philippe Sauquet told journalist on the sidelines of an energy summit in Paris that a heads of agreement signed by Total earlier this week would not be impacted by the Trump's election. Trump has called last year's deal ending a diplomatic standoff between Iran and six world power
  
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• Government unveils increased support for renewables, commits to coal phase out

  09-11-2016 11:38
  
  The UK Government has reinforced its commitment to upgrade the UK's energy infrastructure, outlining plans to provide £290m support for renewable energy projects and phase out unabated coal power generation by 2025.
  
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• Oil slips below $46 as Trump win sends markets into risk-off mode

  09-11-2016 10:38
  By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell below $46 a barrel on Wednesday as Donald Trump's surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election sent markets into turmoil reminiscent of June's Brexit vote. The global benchmark, Brent crude, fell almost 4 percent to the lowest since August in Asian trading as results showed Trump gaining ground, although it later recovered some of its losses. Brent was down 47 cents at $45.57 a barrel by 0904 GMT, having traded intraday as low as $44.40, the weake
  
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• European renewable stocks take hit after Trump wins U.S. election

  09-11-2016 10:16
  FRANKFURT/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - European renewable stocks fell sharply on Wednesday after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, hit by fears over his aim to promote oil and gas drilling and revive the U.S. coal mining industry. Shares in Vestas , the world's biggest wind turbine maker, plunged 10 percent in early trade in Europe, while German peer Nordex traded 6 percent lower. Spain's Gamesa , which is being merged with Siemens , and Portugal's EDP Renovaveis traded 3.4 and 5.3 perc
  
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• Britain's last coal power plants to close by 2025

  09-11-2016 10:02 via theguardian.com
  
  Government to phase out the most polluting fossil and replace it with cleaner sources, such as gas, to meet climate commitmentsThe last coal power station in Britain will be forced to close in 2025, the government has said as it laid out the detail of its plan to phase-out the polluting fossil fuel.Ministers promised last year that the UK would close coal power within a decade and replace it with gas and other sources to meet its climate change commitments. Continue reading...
  
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• China company signs MOU with BP on Caribbean oil project

  09-11-2016 09:46
  Commodity trader Guangdong Zhenrong Energy Co. Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding with BP Plc for commercial cooperation on an oil refinery in the Caribbean, according to a senior executive and a statement from the Chinese company. Guangdong Zhenrong, with support from China's oil majors, plans to upgrade the Isla refinery on the Caribbean island of Curacao and also to build a gas terminal there, at a total estimated cost of $5.5 billion (4 billion pounds). Under the MOU signed on Tues
  
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• Sainsbury's announces second stage of food waste campaign

  09-11-2016 09:43
  
  Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has announced the next step in its "Waste less, Save More" campaign, investing £1m into towns and cities across the UK to cut back on food waste.
  
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• Tullow cuts FY capital budget, West African production forecast

  09-11-2016 09:35
  (Reuters) - Africa-focused Tullow Oil Plc slashed full-year spending budget and lowered the forecast for its oil production in West Africa, as it seeks to weather an oil price slump, while a delay in ramping up output at its multi-billion dollar TEN oil fields offshore Ghana also weighed on outlook. Two years of weak oil prices has pressured the balance sheet of the company, which also faced a technical issue at its prized Jubilee field in Ghana that forced a recent month-long shutdown, besides
  
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• Government launches proposals on coal plant closure plan

  09-11-2016 09:16
  By Susanna Twidale and Nina Chestney LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government launched proposals on Wednesday on how it plans to end coal-fired power generation by 2025 without technology to capture carbon emissions. "The government wants to see an orderly transition away from unabated coal generation and is clear that action will only be taken if there will be no risks to the security of our electricity supplies," the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said. Coal-fire
  
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• Australia's coal-fired power stations 'will need to shut at rate of one a year', hearing told

  09-11-2016 08:31 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Equivalent of a Hazelwood a year’ will need to close by early 2030s to meet Paris targets, witnesses tell Senate inquiryCoal-fired power stations in Australia will need to shut at the rate of about one a year between now and the mid-2030s for the country to meet the commitments made in Paris, a Senate hearing has been told.Witnesses also told the hearing that since Australia’s coal-fired power stations are now very old – mostly built in the 1970s and 80s – they wou
  
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• Tax break proposals aim to boost cycling to work

  09-11-2016 08:01 via theguardian.com
  
  New report by British Cycling suggests tax incentives for employees and businesses, to encourage bike commuting People should receive £250 a year in tax breaks if they cycle to work, according to a proposal to improve public health and business productivity backed by some of the UK’s biggest companies and the Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey.According to a report published by British Cycling, businesses should be able to claim back in tax up to £100,000 in construction works such
  
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• California, Nevada and Massachusetts legalize recreational marijuana

  09-11-2016 07:36 via theguardian.com
  
  How Americans voted on a range of ballot initiatives around the countryUS elections live results county by countySupport our fearless, independent journalism by making a contribution or becoming a memberVoters around the US have cast ballots for a diverse range of initiatives that seek to reform laws on marijuana, the death penalty, climate change and more. Below are the results as they come in for the most important contests.Continue reading...
  
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