Environment news

• Health Canada proposes ban on pesticide linked to bee deaths

  24-11-2016 23:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A controversial pesticide, linked to a decline in insect species, may soon be banned in Canada.
  
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• Total CEO says OPEC deal possible only if Russia participates

  24-11-2016 20:51
  By Bate Felix PARIS (Reuters) - An agreement to cut global oil production is possible, but would only happen if countries that do not belong to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) also agree to cut output, Total's chief executive said on Thursday. "It will only be possible if non-OPEC countries including Russia also agree to cut (output), because Saudi Arabia will not shoulder the burden alone," Patrick Pouyanne told an energy forum in Paris. OPEC is due to meet on Nov.
  
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• For platinum catalysts, a tiny squeeze gives a big boost in performance, Stanford study finds

  24-11-2016 20:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  A nanosize squeeze can significantly boost the performance of platinum catalysts that help generate energy in fuel cells, according to a new study by Stanford scientists.The team bonded a platinum catalyst to a thin material that expands and contracts as electrons move in and out, and found that squeezing the platinum a fraction of a nanometer nearly doubled its catalytic activity. The findings are published in the Nov. 25 issue of the journal Science.
  
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• Eni to restart work in Iran when debt repaid, contracts known

  24-11-2016 20:18
  Italian oil major Eni will start working again in Iran when it has been repaid investments previously made and when it understands the type of contracts Teheran will be offering, CEO Claudio Descalzi said on Thursday "We are still in Iran... we never left... because they owe us a load of money and we are trying to recoup it ... We'll come back when we will have recouped all our money and we know the contracts," Descalzi said in a meeting with students. Iran for years has been using oil to pay ba
  
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• Azerbaijan signals OPEC wants big cuts from non-OPEC producers

  24-11-2016 19:58
  By Nailia Bagirova, Rania El Gamal and Olesya Astakhova BAKU/DUBAI/MOSCOW (Reuters) - OPEC may ask oil producers outside the cartel to make big cuts in output, Azerbaijan said on Thursday, highlighting the challenges in striking a deal as the two sides enter the final stages of talks aimed at cutting production to stabilise prices. The oil minister of Azerbaijan, which is not a member of OPEC, was quoted in a newspaper as saying the cartel may want non-OPEC producers to cut output by as much as
  
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• Algeria's energy minister to meet Iranian counterpart in Tehran

  24-11-2016 19:57
  Algerian Energy Minister Nouredine Bouterfa will meet Iranian counterpart Hamid Chitchian in Tehran on Saturday ahead of OPEC talks in Vienna to discuss implementation of oil output cuts agreed in Algiers in September, an Algerian energy source said on Thursday. "We will do the maximum to secure the implementation of the Algiers' deal," the source said. State news agency APS later quoted an energy ministry source confirming the Tehran visit and saying that it would involve discussions on how to
  
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• Hottest year ever – but no mention of climate change by Hammond | Letters

  24-11-2016 19:56
  
  It is staggering that in 2016, the hottest year on record, the chancellor can present a budget that has no mention of climate change (Report, 24 November). Indeed, most policies and spending plans are heading in the wrong direction. We have more money for new roads and fracking keeps its subsidy, but cuts to the local authorities who subsidise bus services. The freeze on fuel duty is another backward step and shows that the government cares nothing about climate change, air pollut
  
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• Greece among best performers in emission reductions | Letters

  24-11-2016 18:46
  
  The claim that Greece may receive an unfair exemption to increase lignite use (Report, 3 November, theguardian.com) is not justified – it is based on misinterpretations:1) Greece is not trying to “revive its lignite-based model”. In fact, retirements of fossil fuel plants in 2014-23 amount to 4,095MW, including 2,671MW of lignite capacity. Continue reading...
  
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• Beavers given native species status after reintroduction to Scotland

  24-11-2016 18:21
  
  Move hailed as first formal reintroduction of a once native mammal in the UKLarge populations of wild beavers living in the southern and western Highlands of Scotland are to be allowed to expand naturally after ministers granted them protected status.For the first time since they were hunted to extinction about 300 years ago, the beaver will be officially designated as a native British species,the Scottish environment secretary announced. Continue reading...
  
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• In the age of noise, silence becomes a political issue | Giles Fraser | Loose canon

  24-11-2016 17:57
  
  Silence is not a luxury. It is crucial to our physical and mental heath. We need it to think, to sleep, to recover from life’s frenzy
  The 20th century, declared Aldous Huxley in 1946, had been “the Age of Noise. Physical noise, mental noise, and noise of desire – we hold history’s record for them all.” As a pacifist, Huxley blamed the war. But he also blamed technology for the “assault on silence”.The first use of a PA (public address) system was for a C
  
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• Swiss nuclear exit vote raises prospect of more fossil fuels

  24-11-2016 17:11
  By Vera Eckert and John Miller ZURICH/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Switzerland votes in a referendum on Sunday on whether to make a speedy withdrawal from atomic energy production, a move that would reduce nuclear risks but raise reliance on fossil fuels from Germany or imported nuclear power from France. The opposition Swiss Greens and Social Democrats have pushed for a vote since the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, but the government and industry oppose a quick exit, saying Switzerland would be una
  
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• Obama administration rushes to protect public lands before Trump takes office

  24-11-2016 17:00
  
  Environmental groups hope Utah, Nevada and Grand Canyon will be included in rapid conservation efforts as Trump plans to expand fossil fuel extractionBarack Obama’s administration is rushing through conservation safeguards for large areas of public land ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House, presenting a conundrum for the new president’s goal of opening up more places for oil and gas drilling. Continue reading...
  
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• Saharan dust in the wind

  24-11-2016 16:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  Every year, trade winds over the Sahara Desert sweep up huge plumes of mineral dust, transporting hundreds of teragrams — enough to fill 10 million dump trucks — across North Africa and over the Atlantic Ocean. This dust can be blown for thousands of kilometers and settle in places as far away as Florida and the Bahamas.The Sahara is the largest source of windblown dust to the Earth’s atmosphere. But researchers from MIT, Yale University, and elsewhere now report that the Afric
  
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• Bumper load of new viruses identified

  24-11-2016 15:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists looking into invertebrate animals discover nearly 1,500 new viruses - the largest number documented in any one study.
  
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• Hurricane Otto: Costa Rica and Nicaragua evacuate as storm grows

  24-11-2016 15:28
  
  Costa Rica braces for the first hurricane to make landfall since records began as Otto strengthens to category twoHurricane Otto has strengthened to a category two storm as it approaches the sparsely populated Caribbean border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica as an unusually strong late-season event.Heavy rains from the storm were blamed for three deaths in Panama, and Otto was forecast to make landfall in Nicaragua on Thursday, just north of the Costa Rican border. Continue reading...
  
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• VW's Audi picks top Volvo manager as new R&D chief

  24-11-2016 15:27
  Audi has appointed the research and development (R&D) chief of Swedish carmaker Volvo as its new head of technical development, filling a key post as the Volkswagen-owned brand grapples with the fallout from the group's emissions scandal. Peter Mertens, senior vice president for R&D at Volvo Car Corporation who has previously held senior positions at General Motors and Audi's German rival Mercedes-Benz, will take up his new post as soon as possible, a spokesman for Audi said on Thursday,
  
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• Oil prices steady ahead of OPEC meeting to discuss output cuts

  24-11-2016 14:57
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices were steady on Thursday ahead of next week's meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to discuss implementation of its proposed cap on production. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 7 cents to $48.03. OPEC is due to meet on Nov. 30 to coordinate the cut agreed in Algiers in September, potentially with the cooperation of Russia, which is not a member of the group.
  
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• Black Friday: Five ways businesses are promoting sustainable shopping during the frenzy

  24-11-2016 14:49
  
  Black Friday and its tech-savvy sibling Cyber Monday look set to send the retail sphere into a frenzy. But with consumers beginning to align to companies with sustainability credentials, will this year's shopping spree spare a thought for the environment?
  
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• Snakes versus dragons: how we filmed this sequence for Planet Earth II

  24-11-2016 14:26
  
  Cameraman Richard Wollocombe reveals what it took to capture the stand-out sequence of Galapagos racer snakes hunting baby marine iguanas en masseWe filmed this sequence over a period of two years, in two trips to Galapagos of about 18 filming days each, adding up to around 400 hours of field time. The edited material from Galapagos lasts less than nine minutes. It contains the first ever footage of snakes hunting dragon-like marine iguanas en masse, one of the most thrilling examples of animal
  
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• Research underpins need for Scottish business leadership on food waste

  24-11-2016 14:08
  
  Scottish businesses have been urged to provide "clear leadership" on food waste, as new research shows that an estimated 1.35 million tonnes of food and drink is wasted in the country each year.
  
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• Tesco to phase out microbeads from its products by end of 2016

  24-11-2016 13:51
  
  All of the supermarket’s own-brand cosmetics and cleaning products will be free from the tiny plastic pieces within a monthTesco will have phased out microbeads from all its own brand cosmetics and household cleaning products within a month, it was announced on Thursday.While UK ministers recently said personal care products containing these tiny pieces of plastic will be banned from sale by the end of 2017, it is not clear yet whether the ban will extend to other types of products that re
  
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• Vote for your favourite wildlife image of the year – in pictures

  24-11-2016 13:21
  
  The Natural History Museum has chosen 25 of the year’s best images from its Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016 shortlist. Voting is open until 10 January to find the people’s choice winning photo of the year• Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London Continue reading...
  
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• Protected forests in Europe felled to meet EU renewable targets – report

  24-11-2016 13:16
  
  Europe’s bioenergy plants are burning trees felled from protected conservation areas rather than using forest waste, new report showsProtected forests are being indiscriminately felled across Europe to meet the EU’s renewable energy targets, according to an investigation by the conservation group Birdlife.Up to 65% of Europe’s renewable output currently comes from bioenergy, involving fuels such as wood pellets and chips, rather than wind and solar power. Continue reading...
  
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• Bletchley Park: 'Codebreakers school' planned for site

  24-11-2016 13:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Historic codebreaking site Bletchley Park could be turned into a cyberdefence training college.
  
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• Will Trump join forces with US cities to combat climate change?

  24-11-2016 12:39
  
  As Donald Trump's climate-denying rhetoric appeared to soften this week, the Mayors of 35 US cities have vowed to accelerate efforts towards a low-carbon transition - with or without the President-elect.
  
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• Egypt ancient city unearthed by archaeologists

  24-11-2016 11:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Archaeologists in Egypt unearth what they describe as a city that dates back more than 5,000 years.
  
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• Meet the crab with the 'mighty claw'

  24-11-2016 11:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The claws of coconut crabs have the strongest pinching force of any crustacean, according to research.
  
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• 'Heroic' Antarctic explorers left sea-ice clues

  24-11-2016 11:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Log books from the early Antarctic expeditions indicate that the area of summer sea-ice around the continent has barely changed in size in a century.
  
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• Risking flames and mines, Iraq oil workers battle to cap burning wells

  24-11-2016 10:47
  By John Davison QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - His face blackened and helmet coated in soot, Hussein Saleh watched the oil fields of his home town in northern Iraq burn, belching up thick smoke that blotted out the sun. "I've worked in oil for 30 years and I've never seen anything like this," 57-year-old Saleh said, standing close enough to the flames to feel the heat. "Daesh (Islamic State) just put explosives on the wellheads and blew them up," he said.
  
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• Could gamification hold the key to driving demand response?

  24-11-2016 09:20
  
  Households across the North East of England have been invited to engage with demand response initiatives through a new gamification platform developed by TheGenGame, Open Energi and Northern Powergrid.
  
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• Peru declares state of emergency over deadly forest fires

  24-11-2016 09:00
  
  Blazes have burnt 12,000 hectares, including five protected natural areasEndangered species under threat from fires that ‘took us by surprise’Peru has declared a state of emergency in seven districts in the north of the country where forest fires have killed two, injured four and burnt nearly 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) of land, including five protected natural areas.Wildfires have spread to 11 regions across the country, according to Peru’s civil defence institute, in what
  
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• Labour rights the 'next big challenge' for corporates, says M&S

  24-11-2016 09:00
  
  Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) has moved beyond dealing with ethical trade as a singularity to encompass human rights movements and modern slavery issues, and it should now be a core strategy for businesses.
  
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• Russian energy minister says no one can predict how oil market will be balanced

  24-11-2016 08:55
  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday that no one could predict how the oil market would be balanced. He added that a global surplus of oil would be at 1 million barrels per day (bpd) until the end of the year, from 1.8 million bpd at the beginning of 2016. (Reporting by Olesya Astakhova; Writing by Denis Pinchuk; Editing by Alexander Winning)
  
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• Perth zoo to release numbats into predator-free wild

  24-11-2016 08:30
  
  Release of captive-bred marsupials into 7,800ha Mt Gibson wildlife sanctuary part of ongoing attempt to save critically endangered species in Western AustraliaFourteen numbats will be released into a predator-free wildlife sanctuary 350km north of Perth in an ongoing attempt to save the critically endangered species.It is the first release of captive-bred numbats into the 7,800ha Mt Gibson sanctuary, which has been declared free of feral cats and foxes following an extensive baiting program. Con
  
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• Brexit must unite Britain's farming and environment policies, says FDF

  24-11-2016 08:30
  
  The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has called on the UK Government to provide "leadership" on environmental policies post-Brexit, claiming that the two 25-year plans to strengthen environment and food and farming policies should be combined alongside energy legislation.
  
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• Rio Tinto CEO didn't see coal price going up, but expects it to fall

  24-11-2016 07:58
  By James Regan SYDNEY (Reuters) - Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques on Wednesday admitted he didn't see the recent meteoric rise in coal prices coming. Jacques, named five months ago to run the world's second-biggest mining company, said it's now clear China's mandate to rid its skies of pollution by restructuring its state-owned coal industry was behind a tripling of coal prices since January. "I can tell you, we have been surprised by what the Chinese government did on th
  
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• Direct Action carbon reduction policy running out of steam

  24-11-2016 07:56
  
  With 83% of the fund spent, the government’s central climate policy is almost exhausted, with no further funding committedThe federal government’s Direct Action carbon reduction policy appears to be running out of steam, with participation from industry dropping, the cost of the program rising and the budget for emissions reduction nearly exhausted.The Clean Energy Regulator announced on Thursday it would pay a further $367m to polluting industries, in return for a commitment for the
  
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• Leaves nearing their end still fly the flag

  24-11-2016 06:30
  
  Sandy Bedfordshire The sycamore’s leaves, free to swing in the gappy canopy, seem to dance in a soundless jigIn the past fortnight, winter has descended into the branches of a big sycamore tree. As if they were the hangers-on at a party, a scattering of leaves are still flying the flag, wearing ready-to-drop yellow. Liberated from the constrictions and crowding of their erstwhile neighbours, they are free to swing in the gappy canopy. As the breeze lifts, they are raised up as one into a r
  
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• Predatory bacteria can wipe out superbugs, says study

  24-11-2016 04:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Bacteria which eat others of their kind could be a new weapon in the fight against superbugs.
  
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• Oil prices static on uncertainty over planned production cut

  24-11-2016 03:24
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices were little changed on Thursday as uncertainty ahead of a planned OPEC-led crude production cut and thin liquidity due to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday kept traders from making big new bets on markets. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $47.94 per barrel, down 2 cents from their last settlement. Traders said market activity was low due to the U.S. holiday, and there was a reluctance to take on big price directional bets
  
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• Want to solve global crises? $5 million prize seeks fresh ideas

  24-11-2016 01:32
  By Laurie Goering LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As the world grapples with potentially catastrophic global problems, including climate change, it needs to find solutions by overcoming short-term thinking, risk analysts say. Rob Bailey, who directs energy, environment and resources research at London-based think tank Chatham House, said it is likely too late to craft an innovative new framework to limit climate change.
  
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• Scottish homelessness charity plans village of low-cost eco homes

  24-11-2016 01:01
  
  Social Bite, whose supporters include Leonardo DiCaprio, wants to build 10 houses as model for ending homelessnessThe Scottish charity Social Bite, which has attracted celebrity support from the Oscar winners George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio, has announced plans to build a row of low-cost, eco-friendly homes to help end the vicious cycle of homelessness.The social enterprise, which runs a chain of sandwich shops across Scotland that train and employ homeless staff, is planning to construct 1
  
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