Environment news

• Wave energy: Carnegie launches world-leading hub in Cornwall

  14-11-2016 23:40 via theguardian.com
  
  The Australian wave energy company’s new hub is the world’s largest and most advanced for developing offshore renewable energy technologyCarnegie Wave Energy’s offshore energy-generating infrastructure is purposefully inconspicuous. Its patented CETO buoys, which resemble large circular tanks, are tethered to an anchor in the seafloor and remain fully submerged, out of sight.It’s a design feature that prioritises long-term survival in the ocean overefficiency in convertin
  
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• Why the Arctic waters are reluctant to freeze

  14-11-2016 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  An exceptionally rapid melt this summer has led to unusually high water temperatures in the Arctic Sea, slowing the progress of fresh ice formationResidents of the Alaskan city of Barrow (due to change its name to Utqiaġvik on 1 December) would normally be looking out across a frozen harbour by now, but this year the sea is reluctant to freeze.Barrow’s average temperature for October 2016 was a balmy -1C, significantly warmer than the long-term average of around -8C. And over the Nort
  
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• Destruction of kelp forests by tropical fish shows impact of ocean temperature rises

  14-11-2016 21:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Deforestation near Coffs Harbour coincided with 0.6C temperature rise, which had ‘catastrophic’ effect of attracting fishHerbivorous tropical fish have destroyed kelp forests in northern New South Wales, showing that even small increases in ocean temperature can lead to kelp deforestation, an Australian study has found.The University of NSW study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday, found that the disappearance of kelp from waters near Coffs H
  
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• Marrakech climate talks an emotional ride as reports show need to end coal power

  14-11-2016 21:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Election of climate science denier Donald Trump could speed up talks to preserve elements of the Paris agreement“People were walking around looking pretty shellshocked,” says Dr Bill Hare, perched on a chair in the cavernous media tent at the United Nations climate talks in Morocco. “If you hugged an American there was a good chance they’d burst into tears.”Donald Trump’s triumph in the US elections cast a shadow over the first week of the 22nd round of talks
  
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• Oil rebounds from three-month lows on renewed hopes for OPEC cut

  14-11-2016 21:10
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were largely steady on Monday, rebounding from three-month lows, on a report saying that OPEC members were seeking to resolve their differences on a deal to cut production ahead of a meeting later this month. OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and fellow exporters Iran and Iraq have been at odds over how to rein in supply to reduce a glut in global markets. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said it was imperative for OPEC to reach a consensus on
  
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• The Guardian view on public health: walking to happiness | Editorial

  14-11-2016 20:50 via theguardian.com
  
  It’s been known for generations that improving public footpaths is good not just for the nation but the nation’s healthAcross England and Wales 140,000 miles of tidy and scrappy, rough and smooth and muddy, open, wooded, exposed, sheltered, peaceful and exhilarating rights of way roll and ramble across some of the two nations’ finest landscapes. They meander from pub to hamlet and farm to school, or sometimes just from suburb to suburb by the scenic route. Now, over a little mo
  
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• Methane-emitting cows and junk motorway food | Letters

  14-11-2016 20:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Calls for a tax on meat and dairy products (Report, 8 November) are misguided and would increase, not decrease, overall emissions from agriculture. Instead we should improve production systems by taxing nitrogen fertiliser and pesticides, the underlying causes of environmental damage associated with food systems.Something close to mass hysteria has developed in relation to cattle and other ruminants since the publication in 2006 of Livestock’s Long Shadow, by the Food and Agriculture
  
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• Now more than ever we need wide-open spaces to let wildlife recover | Patrick Barkham

  14-11-2016 20:12 via theguardian.com
  
  The return of the bittern and common crane to the Norfolk Broads gives reason for optimismIn the autumn stillness, I didn’t immediately notice the large brown bird flying low over a golden-brown expanse of reeds at Hickling Broad, Norfolk. It was a bittern, a famously elusive creature that became extinct in Britain as a breeding bird 150 years ago.The bittern is thriving again, after beginning its comeback in 1911 at Hickling, the largest of the lakes created by medieval peat-diggers, whic
  
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• Australia's biggest CBD solar power project open to public investment

  14-11-2016 20:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Sydney Renewable Power Company to sell 519 shares after International Convention Centre deal to buy all electricity producedThe company responsible for Australia’s biggest CBD solar installation has invited public investment, making it the first community renewables project in Australia with a public share offering.Sydney Renewable Power Company’s 520kW solar installation on top of the new International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour is the size of 12 tennis courts and will gen
  
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• Trump could reverse 'dramatic' progress on clean energy, experts fear

  14-11-2016 19:56 via theguardian.com
  
  With solar capacity up 577% since 2011 and wind energy surging, Trump’s pledges to abolish clean energy measures could have ‘major consequences’A huge shift to clean energy is under way in the US but the election of Donald Trump as president means progress could be reversed unless cities and states do more, energy experts have warned.Related: Trump administration could roll back US environmental protection, critics fearContinue reading...
  
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• Israel to launch expedition to find more Dead Sea Scrolls

  14-11-2016 19:47
  
  JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is embarking on a major archaeological expedition to find yet undiscovered Dead Sea Scrolls, an Israeli antiquities official said Monday.
  
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• 2016 Temperatures Measure 1.2 Degrees C Above Pre-Industrial Levels

  14-11-2016 19:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  This year is on track to become the hottest year on record, with global temperatures measuring 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 F) above pre-industrial levels, according to the World Meteorological Organization(WMO). 
  
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• 'Supermoon' wows viewers with closest glimpse since 1948

  14-11-2016 19:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Skywatchers are enjoying the latest "supermoon", after the moon made its closest approach since 1948.
  
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• Israel to launch major expedition to find Dead Sea Scrolls

  14-11-2016 18:22
  JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli antiquities official says Israel is embarking on a major expedition to find more Dead Sea Scrolls.
  
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• Oil falls to three-month lows as gloom grows over OPEC

  14-11-2016 17:56
  By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell more than 2 percent to its lowest in three months on Monday, as the prospect of another year of oversupply and weak prices overshadowed chances OPEC will reach a deal to cut output. Donald Trump's surprise win in last week's U.S. presidential election boosted the dollar and stocks but undermined oil.
  
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• UK's first green energy ISA attracts £1m funding pool

  14-11-2016 16:23
  
  The UK's first green energy Individual Savings Account (ISA) has already received £1m of investment since its launch last week, with the expenditure set to fund a new community solar farm in Swindon.
  
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• UK's first green energy ISA attracts £1m funding

  14-11-2016 16:23
  
  The UK's first green energy Individual Savings Account (ISA) has already received £1m of investment since its launch last week, with the expenditure set to fund a new community solar farm in Swindon.
  
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• Study reveals 82% of the core ecological processes that underpin ecosystems and provide services to people are now affected by climate change

  14-11-2016 16:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  Most studies of global climate change attempt to predict what might happen to the Earth as temperatures rise in future.  A new study representing an international collaboration by ecologists and conservation biologists shows that global changes in climate have already impacted every aspect of life on Earth, from genes to entire ecosystems. It was published in the prestigious journal Science on November 10, 2016. The research team, led by the University of Florida and with participation
  
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• 'We had a fox stuck on a trampoline' – wildlife charities react to the John Lewis Christmas ad

  14-11-2016 16:07 via theguardian.com
  
  For one animal charity, the retailer’s bouncing boxer represents a clear and present danger. For others, it’s finally good news for badgers … Put two foxes, a badger, a hedgehog and a squirrel on a trampoline and you have got an exceptionally cute Christmas advert.You’ve also got a bloodbath, filthy urban foxes, badgers with bovine TB and a hedgehog that isn’t actually British. Continue reading...
  
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• Experts call on international climate change panel to better reflect ocean variability in their projections

  14-11-2016 15:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  A commentary on what should be included in the next IPCC special interdisciplinary report on oceans and the cryosphere has been released today in Nature by Daniela Schmidt, Professor of Palaeobiology from the University of Bristol and Philip Boyd, a professor of marine biogeochemistry from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania.The IPCC is an international body which was set up in 1988 to assess the science related to climate change.Currently on its sixt
  
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• Walking paths in England and Wales are a pattern of feast and famine | Dominic Bates

  14-11-2016 15:42 via theguardian.com
  
  While prestigious routes are well-maintained, smaller footpaths under the care of local councils are suffering from budget cuts - and it’s these we need the most The largest ever survey of footpaths in England and Wales has found that almost half are in need of improvement, with a tenth of the 140,000-mile network in serious disrepair. For anyone, like me, who considers a decent yomp a staple of any good weekend, those results won’t seem in the least bit surprising.Of the 59,000 prob
  
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• 30% of Global Electricity Already Prepping For Rapid Decarbonization

  14-11-2016 15:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  A full 30 percent of the world’s electricity generation comes under the umbrella of just nine energy companies, and they have just joined forces to ramp up technology investments aimed at decarbonization. The global, collaborative effort was announced earlier this week by the companies’ nonprofit organization, the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership.To be clear, the decarbonization announcement leaves plenty of wiggle room for “clean” coal and natural gas, at least
  
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• 2016 set to break heat record despite slowdown in emissions

  14-11-2016 14:43
  
  MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — Global temperatures are soaring toward a record high this year, the U.N. weather agency said Monday, while another report showed emissions of a key global warming gas have flattened out in the past three years.
  
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• Natural disasters push 26m into poverty each year, says World Bank

  14-11-2016 14:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Study finds floods, storms and droughts cost global economy $520bn a year and highlights need to tackle climate changeFloods, earthquakes, tsunamis and other extreme natural disasters push 26 million people into poverty each year and cost the global economy more than half a trillion dollars in lost consumption, the World Bank has said.A Bank study of 117 countries concluded that the full cost of natural disasters was $520bn a year – 60% higher than any previous estimate – once the im
  
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• London super-sewer is waste of £4bn, says assessor

  14-11-2016 13:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Seven-year project to stop wastewater flowing into Thames is unnecessary and ministers should have considered alternatives, says Chris Binney
  The original assessor who backed plans for a multibillion-pound super-sewer beneath the river Thames has said his decision was based on incorrect information, as crews begin work on the project.Chris Binney, the chairman of the 2005 steering group that recommended the Thames Tideway tunnel as the solution to London’s wastewater problems, has question
  
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• World Bank broke own rules as coalmine left Kosovo village 'in limbo'

  14-11-2016 13:14 via theguardian.com
  
  ClimateHome: Failings on the part of the bank contributed to ‘real and often severe harm’ to villagers around the Sibovc mine, says leaked reportThe World Bank broke its own rules and contributed to the suffering of hundreds of Kosovans who were forced from their homes to make way for a coalmine, a leaked report reveals.The giant state-owned Sibovc mine has swallowed communities as it expanded. It would supply the only coal power plant on earth the World Bank is considering backing.
  
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• 'It was too hot, even to leave home': stories from the world's hottest year

  14-11-2016 13:03 via theguardian.com
  
  From drought-hit Nigeria to wine-growing Finland, we hear from people whose lives have already been changed by a warming world2016 will be the hottest year on record, UN saysIn the displacement camps of north-east Nigeria, most residents have the same answer for why 2.6 million people have been forced from their homes in this region. They are running from Boko Haram, the jihadist militants who still control significant parts of the Lake Chad basin. Continue reading...
  
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• Native American North Dakota oil pipeline protesters: 'We refuse to be Trumped' – video

  14-11-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Native Americans fear that the Dakota Access oil pipeline – a $3.7bn project that would carry crude oil from the Bakken oil field in North Dakota to a refinery in Patoka, Illinois – would contaminate sacred lands and their water supply from the Missouri river. Here, protesters at a camp near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation give their views on what the election of Donald Trump might mean for their campaign Continue reading...
  
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• Low-carbon sources claim majority share in UK energy mix

  14-11-2016 12:59
  
  For the first time, more than half of the UK's electricity was generated from low-carbon sources in the third quarter of 2016, a stark contrast from five years ago when the figure stood at little over 25%.
  
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• Global emissions flatline for third consecutive year

  14-11-2016 12:47
  
  A new report has today (14 November) revealed that global carbon emissions growth stalled for the third year in a row, but concerns remain that reduction efforts are inadequate to meet the global warming target of "well below 2C".
  
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• Wildlife smugglers using Facebook to sell ivory and rhino horn

  14-11-2016 12:27 via theguardian.com
  
  An investigation reveals the social media site is acting as a shopfront for a multimillion dollar trade in animal parts, centred in a small village outside HanoiWildlife traffickers from a small, sleepy village in Vietnam are using Facebook to offload large amounts of illegal ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts, an investigation has revealed.The results of an 18-month sting by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) – shared with the Guardian – will be presented at a public hearing on 14
  
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• 'Supermoon' viewers to get closest glimpse since 1948

  14-11-2016 12:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Skywatchers are preparing for a "supermoon" after the moon made its closest approach since 1948.
  
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• 2016 'very likely' to be world's warmest year

  14-11-2016 12:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  With data from just the first nine months, scientists are 90% certain that 2016 will break the record for warmest year on record.
  
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• 2016 will be the hottest year on record, UN says

  14-11-2016 12:02 via theguardian.com
  
  World Meteorological Organisation figures show global temperature is 1.2C above pre-industrial levels and will set a new high for the third year running2016 will very likely be the hottest year on record and a new high for the third year in a row, according to the UN. It means 16 of the 17 hottest years on record will have been this century.The scorching temperatures around the world, and the extreme weather they drive, mean the impacts of climate change on people are coming sooner and with more
  
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• On Trump and climate, America is split in two by these demographics | Dana Nuccitelli

  14-11-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Rural white men support Trump and oppose stopping climate change; the opposite is true of urban minoritiesThe world is shocked that America elected Donald Trump as its 45th president. Exit polls show that the country is sharply divided on Trump along the same lines as its sharp divisions on climate change.Political ideology was the single strongest determining factor in the election. 90% of Republicans voted for Trump, while 89% of Democrats voted for Clinton. Ideology is also the primary factor
  
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• Oil pinned near three-month lows as gloom grows over OPEC

  14-11-2016 11:23
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil held steady around three-month lows on Monday, as the prospect of another year of oversupply and weak prices overshadowed chances that OPEC will reach a deal to cut output. Donald Trump's surprise victory in last week's U.S. presidential election has boosted stocks and the dollar, but undermined much of the commodities complex, including oil, which has sagged as expectations that the world's largest exporters will agree to reduce output this month have wan
  
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• Support services firm DCC sees FY profit ahead of consensus

  14-11-2016 11:18
  Support services firm DCC Plc forecast full-year profit ahead of market consensus on Monday, citing benefits from acquisitions and strong trading across its business, especially its energy unit, that helped it post higher first-half profit. Dublin-based DCC, which gets about half of its profit from Britain and Ireland, also agreed to buy 97 percent of French natural gas retail and marketing business Gaz Europeen for an enterprise value of 110 million euros (96 million pounds). Shares in DCC, who
  
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• Antarctic quest to find 'oldest ice'

  14-11-2016 11:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  European scientists set out for Antarctica this week in a bid to find deeply buried ice that contains an ancient record of Earth's climate.
  
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• 'World's saddest polar bear' temporarily moved from Chinese mall

  14-11-2016 10:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Rights campaigners call for Pizza to be permanently returned to birthplace saying shopping centre conditions unsuitable Animal rights groups have called for the permanent return home of “the saddest polar bear in the world”, who will be temporarily moved from a shopping mall aquarium in southern China during an upgrade. The three-year-old female bear, named Pizza, has become a focus of global attention since Hong Kong-based Animal Asia posted in July an online video of the bear lying
  
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• UK to investigate human health impact of microplastics

  14-11-2016 10:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Dame Sally Davies to carry out study into health impacts of tiny particles of plastic consumed by fishThe government is to conduct an investigation into the impact on human health of microplastic particles found in shellfish and other marine animals.
  The study by the Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Dame Sally Davies is to be carried out as part of a wider, year-long review of the health effects of pollution. Continue reading...
  
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• Imperial College London unveils climate finance research centre

  14-11-2016 09:00
  
  Imperial College London has today (14 November) launched a new academic research centre to help businesses manage the risks and financial opportunities posed by climate change.
  
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• Imperial College Business School unveils climate finance research centre

  14-11-2016 09:00
  
  Imperial College Business School has today (14 November) launched a new academic research centre to help businesses manage the risks and financial opportunities posed by climate change.
  
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• Carlsberg: Business-led circular economy can thrive without regulators

  14-11-2016 08:49
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The private sector has the "agility" to push the circular economy agenda without the need for government intervention, by incentivising innovators and disruptive start-ups to produce closed-loop products that appeal to wider audiences and push out unsustainable alternatives.
  
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• UK's green bus transition could deliver £248m by 2020

  14-11-2016 08:00
  
  Low-Carbon Emissions Buses (LCEBs) could deliver more than £248m in social benefits to the UK by 2020 and reduce transport emissions by 432,000 tonnes, after a new report outlined the benefits that current green fleets are demonstrating.
  
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• Hydroelectric dams emit a billion tonnes of greenhouse gases a year, study finds

  14-11-2016 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Impact of dams on climate change has been underestimated, researchers warn, as rotting vegetation creates 25% more methane than previously thoughtHydroelectric dams contribute more to global warming than previously estimated, according to a study published in BioScience.It appears that the current and planned boom of hydroelectric projects would double the current cover of dams in the world and will aggravate the problem. Continue reading...
  
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• Japan's Idemitsu to delay Showa Shell stake purchase from Shell

  14-11-2016 07:46
  Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan will again delay its planned purchase of Showa Shell Sekiyu shares from Royal Dutch Shell because a review by the Japan Fair Trade Commission is still under way. Idemitsu said in a statement on Monday it will postpone the purchase to either December or January, from its originally planned closure by this month. The delay is another setback for Idemitsu in its attempt to take over Showa Shell, delayed after stiff opposition from Idemitsu's founding family.
  
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• SA nuclear waste dump proposal will go to referendum if it gets bipartisan support

  14-11-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Premier Jay Weatherill says Indigenous people will have final say even if public backs dump in referendumSouth Australia’s proposal for a high-level nuclear waste dump in the state’s north will go to a referendum, the premier, Jay Weatherill, has announced, but only if it has bipartisan support.The government has been considering the proposal following a recommendation by a royal commission into the nuclear fuel cycle that found the state could reap billions of dollars by storing was
  
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• Fossil-fuel CO2 emissions nearly stable for third year in row

  14-11-2016 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  But while increase in emissions has been halted, CO2 concentrations in atmosphere still at record high and risingGlobal carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels have seen “almost no growth” for a third consecutive year, according to figures released as world leaders begin to arrive in Marrakech for a UN climate summit. Related: Donald Trump presidency a 'disaster for the planet', warn climate scientistsContinue reading...
  
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• Renewable energy made up record 21.7% of national electricity market in October

  14-11-2016 06:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Latest Cedex report says October had the biggest proportion of renewables of any month since data made availableAustralia’s renewable energy sector hit a record in October, with 21.7% of electricity in the national electricity market coming from renewables, according to the latest Cedex report.That represents the biggest proportion of any month since the data was made available by the Australian Energy Market Operator in 2005, according to the report from the engineering consultants Pitt&a
  
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• Renewable energy made up a record 21.7% of Australia's electricity market last month

  14-11-2016 06:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Latest Cedex report says October had the biggest proportion of renewables of any month since data made availableAustralia’s renewable energy sector hit a record in October, with 21.7% of electricity in the national electricity market coming from renewables, according to the latest Cedex report.That represents the biggest proportion of any month since the data was made available by the Australian Energy Market Operator in 2005, according to the report from the engineering consultants Pitt&a
  
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