Environment news

• Oil prices end near flat on uncertain outcome from OPEC meeting

  22-11-2016 21:35
  By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil ended little changed on Tuesday in volatile trade that saw prices rise and fall by $1 a barrel depending on the latest comment from OPEC officials at a technical conference in Vienna on whether the cartel members would agree to an output cut. Officials at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting tried to hammer out the details of an agreement to cut output before a formal meeting on Nov. 30. During the session, Brent gained $
  
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• OPEC to debate oil output cut next week but Iraq, Iran hesitate

  22-11-2016 21:33
  By Alex Lawler and Rania El Gamal VIENNA/DUBAI (Reuters) - OPEC will debate an oil output cut of 4.0-4.5 percent for all of its members except Libya and Nigeria next week but the deal's success hinges on an agreement from Iraq and Iran, which are far from certain to give full backing. Three OPEC sources told Reuters a gathering of experts from the oil producer group in Vienna had decided on Tuesday to recommend that a ministerial meeting on Nov. 30 debate a proposal from member Algeria to reduce
  
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• Nigeria's lawmakers summon oil minister over deals with China and India

  22-11-2016 20:54
  By Camillus Eboh ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's parliament summoned the country's oil minister on Tuesday to clarify details of oil and gas infrastructure agreements worth $80 billion (64.47billion pounds) with Chinese companies and a $15 billion deal with India. Nigeria, which relies on crude sales for around 70 percent of its national income, is in recession for the first time in 25 years largely due to low global oil prices. Oil Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu was in China in June for a roadshow
  
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• Paris climate deal: Trump says he now has an 'open mind' about accord

  22-11-2016 20:48 via theguardian.com
  
  Asked by the New York Times whether he would pull the US out of the Paris climate accord, the president-elect wavered on his previously stated positionDonald Trump has said he has an “open mind” over US involvement in the Paris agreement to combat climate change, after previously pledging to withdraw from the effort. Related: Donald Trump drops threat of criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton – liveContinue reading...
  
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• Justin Trudeau’s giant corporate giveaway | Martin Lukacs

  22-11-2016 20:46 via theguardian.com
  
  A privatization spree in Canada could cost regular people billions, erode democracy and undermine the fight against climate changeWhile prime minister Justin Trudeau flogged our public assets last week, he had a soothing message: rest assured, we’ll be well-served by the private sector. Bankers and billionaires lined up to sound a note of confidence. “I think it’s unprecedented,” exclaimed Canada’s top business lobbyist John Manley. “A once-in-a-generation opp
  
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• Trump urges British allies to lobby against windfarms near golf courses

  22-11-2016 20:29 via theguardian.com
  
  The president-elect is pushing for the interim leader of a British political party and his key associates to fight development of offshore windfarms in ScotlandDonald Trump urged the interim leader of a British political party and his key associates to lobby against the development of offshore windfarms, which he has fought against having built near his Scottish golf courses. Related: Donald Trump drops threat of criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton – liveContinue reading...
  
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• Fight the 'blight' of windfarms near my golf courses, Trump urges Ukip leader

  22-11-2016 20:29 via theguardian.com
  
  US president-elect does not deny pushing interim leader Nigel Farage and key associates to fight development of windfarms in ScotlandDonald Trump urged the interim leader of a British political party and his key associates to lobby against the development of windfarms, which he has fought against having built near his Scottish golf courses. Related: Donald Trump drops threat of criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton – liveContinue reading...
  
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• Oil prices turn negative on worries over OPEC output cut

  22-11-2016 19:00
  By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil turned negative in volatile trade on Tuesday on worries Iran and Iraq were not ready to agree on an OPEC output freeze after prices earlier rose to the highest level this month on reports cartel members had overcome their internal disputes. Analysts said the market will remain sensitive to comments from officials attending a technical meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which was trying to hammer out the details of a
  
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• How Sadiq Khan aims to become London's most cycle-friendly mayor

  22-11-2016 18:53 via theguardian.com
  
  In response to concerns from the former cycling commissioner, the deputy mayor for transport insists plans are on trackSadiq Khan is committed to being the most cycling-friendly mayor that the capital has ever had – and is already delivering real results. However, there have recently been a number of inaccurate reports about his plans and I’d like to take this opportunity to set the record straight.Making cycling safer and easier will be a significantly higher priority for Sadiq than
  
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• Asian transport projects may thwart efforts to save world's tigers

  22-11-2016 18:39 via theguardian.com
  
  WWF report states that infrastructure boom could lead to animals’ habitat being carved up, undoing years of progressThousands of kilometres of railways and roads planned across Asia risk dismantling progress made to save the world’s last tigers, conservationists have warned.The WWF said an infrastructure boom in coming years will lead to the construction of 11,000km of new transport projects, carving up the big cat’s habitats and stopping them from travelling across the huge ra
  
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• WWII Shipwrecks 'Vanish' After Plundering by Illegal Scavengers

  22-11-2016 18:36
  
  Illegal salvagers have plundered at least six World War II shipwrecks near Indonesia for scrap metal, including the wreck of an American submarine that has now "completely vanished," according to investigators. The damaged wrecks include three Dutch and two British warships sunk by Japanese forces after the Battle of the Java Sea in February 1942, and the American submarine USS Perch, which sank in the Java Sea in March 1942 after being damaged in an attack on Japanese destroyers. The scale of d
  
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• Flooding around the UK – in pictures

  22-11-2016 18:34 via theguardian.com
  
  The cleanup begins after a combination of Storm Angus and continued heavy rain have contributed to widespread flooding around the UK since Sunday Continue reading...
  
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• China emerges as global climate leader in wake of Trump's triumph

  22-11-2016 18:01 via theguardian.com
  
  With the US president-elect threatening to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, Beijing is to ready to lead world’s climate efforts, reports Environment 360In one of the more entertaining moments of COP22, the global climate conference held in Marrakech last week, the Chinese vice-foreign minister Liu Zhenmin, gave the absent US president-elect a short lesson in the history of climate diplomacy. Climate change, he explained, was not a Chinese hoax. In fact, long before the issue had been dis
  
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• Environmental hotspot

  22-11-2016 17:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The "Freiburg Cup", which comes with a deposit of €1, is going down well with German students.
  
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• VW shifts focus to electric cars with US expansion plan

  22-11-2016 17:36 via theguardian.com
  
  German carmaker seeks to revive fortunes after diesel scandal by becoming world leader in clean-energy vehiclesVolkswagen said it wants to be the world leader in electric cars by 2025 as it unveiled a major shift to clean-energy vehicles in the wake of the dieselgate emissions cheating scandal.The US market, where the pollution crisis first erupted, will play a key role in the revamp, according to VW brand chief Herbert Diess. He announced a “comeback story” for the region, with plan
  
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• Vietnam abandons plan for first nuclear power plants

  22-11-2016 17:14
  By Mai Nguyen and Ho Binh Minh HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's National Assembly voted on Tuesday to abandon plans to build two multi-billion-dollar nuclear power plants with Russia and Japan, after officials cited lower demand forecasts, rising costs and safety concerns. The vote to scrap the country's first atomic energy project deals a blow to the global nuclear business and to Japan's drive to begin exporting reactors after the Fukushima disaster left its nuclear industry in a deep freeze. The V
  
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• Oil prices little changed after early gains on OPEC deal hopes

  22-11-2016 17:13
  By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were little changed on Tuesday after earlier rising to their highest levels this month as a growing consensus emerged in the market that OPEC would overcome internal disputes and strike a deal to reduce crude output. The premium of U.S. futures for the second month over the front-month climbed to 91 cents, its highest since April, as OPEC rhetoric boosts later dated crude futures. After weeks of doubts over the resolve of the 14-member cartel, mo
  
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• VIDEO: 60-second sustainability skill - The Motivator

  22-11-2016 16:59
  Part three of our mini-series of sustainability skills videos sees London Sustainable Development Commissioner and sustainability expert Paul Toyne explain how sustainability professionals can utilise motivational skills to drive positive change within their organisation and beyond.
  
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• Two-thirds of Britain's recyclable plastic packaging is not being recycled, finds Co-op

  22-11-2016 16:37
  
  The majority of all recyclable consumer packaging in the UK ends up in landfill or being sent to incineration, with only a third being recycled or re-used as intended, according to new research from food retailer The Co-operative Group (Co-op).
  
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• Factbox - Market watchers believe OPEC will cut oil output but 'fudge factor' runs high

  22-11-2016 16:22
  (Reuters) - Oil prices have risen to their highest in nearly a month, as expectations grow among traders and investors that OPEC will agree to cut production, but market watchers reckon a deal may pack less punch than Saudi Arabia and its partners want. Brent crude has risen 6.5 percent in the last two weeks, hitting nearly $50 a barrel for the first time since late October, with Saudi Arabia embarking on a last-minute push for unanimous agreement to cut output when OPEC meets next week. OPEC me
  
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• Dodo skeleton sells for £280,000 at auction

  22-11-2016 16:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A nearly complete dodo skeleton is sold at auction for £280,000.
  
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• Peter Blake turns smart meters into art in quirky exhibition

  22-11-2016 15:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Pop artist behind sleeve of Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band says rollout of new meters inspired Leeds showSir Peter Blake has revealed his latest and perhaps most surprising art collection, inspired by the imminent arrival of smart meters to every home in the UK.
  The Arrival of Smart Meters has been unveiled at the White Cloth Gallery in Leeds to coincide with the rollout of 53m of them across the country. The government has pledged to install a smart meter in every hou
  
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• Supermoon's High Tides Strand Octopus in Flooded Parking Garage

  22-11-2016 15:19
  
  Climate change's impact on sea levels has made tidal flooding in Miami more severe, according to scientists. After the "supermoon" earlier this month triggered high tides, parts of Miami flooded and at least one sea creature was left far from home: an octopus that became stranded in a flooded parking garage, reported the Miami Herald. Miami resident Richard Conlin discovered the octopus, and shared images of the displaced sea creature on Facebook.
  
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• Fossil fuel divestment soars in UK universities

  22-11-2016 15:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Britain leads world in campus action to pull funds from oil, gas and coal companies, due to climate change concernsThe number of British universities divesting from fossil fuels has leaped to 43, a quarter of the total. The surge means the UK leads the world in campus action to pull university funds from oil, gas and coal.Financial institutions and charities are also divesting and at least $2.6tn (£2.1tn) of assets are covered by such pledges around the world. Scientists have shown that mo
  
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• Morocco's Saharan windfarms fan accusations of 'green plunder'

  22-11-2016 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Tarfaya’s clean energy project generates huge amounts of electricity but some Saharwis say it will deepen the occupation of their land Last week’s Marrakech climate summit shone a light on Morocco’s clean energy plans, which have drawn praise from around the world. At the heart of King Mohammed VI’s ambitions is a windfarm in the country’s south-west region, which, due to an expansion over the summer, has seen off an array of challengers for the title of Africa&rsqu
  
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• Africa's biggest windfarm sparks controversy in the desert

  22-11-2016 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Morocco’s ambitious plans for wind power in Western Sahara have drawn international praise - but are raising heckles in the disputed territoryLast week’s Marrakech climate summit shone a light on Morocco’s clean energy plans, which have drawn praise from around the world. At the heart of King Mohammed VI’s ambitions is a windfarm in the country’s south-west region, which, due to an expansion over the summer, has seen off an array of challengers for the title of Afri
  
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• Natural flood protection defends homes against Storm Angus

  22-11-2016 14:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Success of natural measures in Bossington coincided with revelation that such schemes receive no government fundingNatural flood defences, such as allowing trees to fall into rivers, have protected homes in Somerset from the torrential rain brought by Storm Angus. The success came as it was revealed that natural ways of cutting flood risk have no current government funding, despite ministers repeatedly backing the idea.Heavy rains saw the rivers above the village of Bossington rise rapidly on Mo
  
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• Pope urges action against trafficking and labour abuses in fishing industry

  22-11-2016 13:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Marking World Fisheries Day, pope calls on international community to break ‘chain of exploitation’ of vulnerable workersPope Francis has condemned trafficking and forced labour in the fisheries industry, calling for an intensive international push to halt human rights abuses in the sector.
  At an event co-organised by the Vatican and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), on Monday, the Vatican secretary of state urged action from the international community and gove
  
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• Bird Poop Cools the Arctic. No, It Won't Offset Climate Warming

  22-11-2016 13:26
  
  In short, chemical reactions that are set in motion by the bird droppings, or guano, change the properties of the clouds above, and make them more reflective, the researchers said. "Clouds can actually reflect energy that's coming from the sun back to space, which is a cooling effect," said study co-lead researcher Betty Croft, a research associate in the Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. Baffin Island is part of the vast Arctic landsca
  
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• Oil prices rise to highest this month on hopes of OPEC deal

  22-11-2016 13:23
  By Sabina Zawadzki LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Tuesday to their highest this month as a growing consensus emerged in the market that OPEC would overcome internal disputes and scepticism to strike a deal that materially reduces crude output. Many in the market think OPEC would harm its reputation if a deal were not struck and so focus has shifted to which countries would bear the brunt of the cuts, when exactly the global market could become balanced and how the cartel could raise price
  
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• Concrete jungle functions as carbon sink

  22-11-2016 13:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  Cement manufacturing is among the most carbon-intensive industrial processes, but an international team of researchers has found that over time, the widely used building material reabsorbs much of the CO2 emitted when it was made.
  
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• Storm Angus floodwater inundates homes in Manchester – video report

  22-11-2016 12:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Houses in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, are submerged after severe floods caused by Storm Angus on Monday. Torrential rainfall meant residents had to be evacuated from their homes. 75 flood warnings remain in place across the country on TuesdayFurther floods threaten travel chaos across BritainContinue reading...
  
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• Telefonica to save €90m through new energy efficiency objectives

  22-11-2016 12:29
  
  Multinational broadband and telecommunications provider Telefonica has announced its global Energy and Climate Change objectives for 2020, which will aim to introduce several energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that will save the company around €90m.
  
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• Telefonica expects to save €90m through new energy efficiency measures

  22-11-2016 12:29
  
  Multinational broadband and telecommunications provider Telefonica has announced its global Energy and Climate Change objectives for 2020, which will aim to introduce several energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that will save the company around €90m.
  
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• Clouds of filth envelope Asian cities: 'you can't escape'

  22-11-2016 12:13 via theguardian.com
  
  This year has seen some of Asia’s worst urban smog episodes in nearly 20 years, as India’s air pollution soars above levels recorded in ChinaThe winter air in Tehran is often foul but for six days last week it was hardly breathable. A dense and poisonous chemical smog made up of traffic and factory fumes, mixed with construction dust, burning vegetation and waste has shrouded buildings, choked pedestrians, forced schools and universities to close, and filled the hospitals.
  Anyone who
  
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• Clouds of filth envelop Asian cities: 'you can't escape'

  22-11-2016 12:13 via theguardian.com
  
  This year has seen some of Asia’s worst urban smog episodes in nearly 20 years, as India’s air pollution soars above levels recorded in ChinaThe winter air in Tehran is often foul but for six days last week it was hardly breathable. A dense and poisonous chemical smog made up of traffic and factory fumes, mixed with construction dust, burning vegetation and waste has shrouded buildings, choked pedestrians, forced schools and universities to close, and filled the hospitals.
  Anyone who
  
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• Leaked biofuel plan set to increase European transport emissions

  22-11-2016 12:05
  
  A leaked draft of the European Commission's (EC) Renewable Energy Directive (RED) has revealed that a promised phase-out of food-based biodiesels will not be met, with new proposals set to increase European transport emissions by 219 million tonnes by 2030.
  
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• 'Extraordinarily hot' Arctic temperatures alarm scientists

  22-11-2016 11:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Danish and US researchers say warmer air and sea surface could lead to record lows of sea ice at north pole next yearThe Arctic is experiencing extraordinarily hot sea surface and air temperatures, which are stopping ice forming and could lead to record lows of sea ice at the north pole next year, according to scientists. Danish and US researchers monitoring satellites and Arctic weather stations are surprised and alarmed by air temperatures peaking at what they say is an unheard-of 20C higher t
  
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• UK engineers back forecasts thanks to weak sterling

  22-11-2016 11:19
  (Reuters) - Engineers Spirax-Sarco Engineering Plc , Spectris Plc and Rotork Plc said on Tuesday their full-year results would meet market expectations as the three companies got most of their revenue from outside the United Kingdom. A weak sterling and cost-reduction programs helped these British engineering firms keep their forecasts intact amid declining global industrial demand. Engineering companies have been struggling as customers in the oil, gas and mining industries cut orders and wait
  
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• Iraq says would not be fair to be asked by OPEC to cut oil output

  22-11-2016 11:16
  OPEC should allow Iraq to continue raising output with no restrictions, Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari told reporters in Budapest on Tuesday, commenting on a plan by the organisation to limit supply in order to support prices. Iraq is in a special situation ...we are at war," he said, referring to the ongoing military campaign to defeat Islamic State. "It would not be fair for us to cut oil output." OPEC meets at the end of the month at its headquarters in Vienna.
  
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• NHS using Google technology to treat patients

  22-11-2016 10:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A London NHS hospital trust has teamed up with tech giant Google to share patient data in the hope of saving lives.
  
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• 'I am sacrificing my life to trigger concern about plastic in India'

  22-11-2016 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Environmentalist Jawahar Kumaran committed suicide and left a video protesting about ‘toxic plastic’In late October, the streets of the temple town of Thanjavur were abuzz with Diwali festivities, the skies glittering with fireworks. One home, however, was cloaked in darkness.“We aren’t celebrating Diwali because we are in mourning this year,” said K Kumaran, just back from his 10-hour shift as a security guard at a private college. In the corner of the living room,
  
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• Consumer demand for green products 'reaching a tipping point'

  22-11-2016 09:25
  
  Companies that clearly demonstrate the climate credentials of their products could gain a significant competitive and commercial advantage, according to a new report which reveals that two thirds of consumers across the UK, France and Germany would now like to see a recognisable carbon footprint label on goods.
  
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• Sadiq Khan: VW must fully compensate Londoners for dieselgate

  22-11-2016 09:00
  
  London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the Volkswagen Group (VW) to improve its "utter lack of action" and fully compensate Londoners that remain affected by last year's 'dieselgate' emissions scandal.
  
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• Hello, is this planet Earth? by Tim Peake - in pictures

  22-11-2016 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Based on over 150 photographs taken by British astronaut Tim Peake, the book documents his six months on the International Space StationContinue reading...
  
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• Oil prices hit highest since October in anticipation of OPEC-led output cut

  22-11-2016 08:44
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rose to their highest level since October on Tuesday as the market priced in an expected output cut led by producer cartel OPEC, but analysts warned that a failure to agree on a cut could lead to a deepening supply glut by early 2017. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is trying by Nov. 30 to bring its 14 member states and non-OPEC producer Russia to agree on a coordinated production cut to prop up the market by brin
  
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• $40bn to save Jakarta: the story of the Great Garuda

  22-11-2016 08:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Forget Venice. The fastest-sinking city is the Indonesian capital, parts of which are dropping at 25cm a year. Can an outlandish plan for a giant seawall and luxury waterworld city in the shape of a mythical bird save Jakarta from drowning?With her hand stretched upward, the elderly storekeeper in batik dress and white headscarf indicates the height of the waters that poured into her home in Jakarta’s great flood of 2007. Sukaesih is a diminutive figure, but she points to a ridge on the do
  
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• Universities struggle to meet green goals

  22-11-2016 08:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Government blamed for stalling of energy saving, as People & Planet table reveals 75% of campuses are set to miss carbon targets
  UK universities are helping lead the world on environmental research – but when it comes to their own back yard they appear to be falling behind.Only a quarter are on track to meet their carbon reduction targets by 2020. Teams leading environmental initiatives are being cut and sustainability strategies have not been renewed, according to the results of the 2
  
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• Hellmann's aims to woo flexitarians by branding its mayo as veggie

  22-11-2016 08:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Unilever is adding a vegetarian logo to 500 products, including Flora and Hellmann’s, by the end of 2017 to boost interest among flexitariansUnilever, one of the world’s biggest food companies, has promised that by the end of next year it will have added a V logo to 500 of its products, ranging from mayonnaise and pasta sauce to margarine.
  But why would a company selling mainly vegetarian products want to start promoting that these products are, as we already know, vegetarian?Continu
  
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• Number of plastic bags found on UK beaches falls by nearly half

  22-11-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Conservationists say introduction of 5p levy on single-use carrier bags was instrumental in the reduction The number of plastic carrier bags found on UK beaches has dropped by almost half, according to conservationists.
  The Marine Conservation Society said the introduction of a 5p levy on single-use plastic bags in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over the past five years was instrumental in the reduction.Continue reading...
  
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