Environment news

• Renewables levy cap on consumer energy bills 'exceeded by £1bn'

  25-11-2016 22:19
  
  Official review finds failures in Levy Control Framework and says overshoot will have to be paid for by householdsFormer energy ministers have contributed to an overspend of more than £1bn on renewable power subsidies that consumers will be forced to pay for, a government report has said.The review by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, published on Friday, says “political unwillingness” to curb support for solar and wind power projects has contributed
  
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• 102 Million Trees Have Died in California's Drought

  25-11-2016 20:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  California’s six years of drought has left 102 million dead trees across 7.7 million acres of forest in its wake, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced following an aerial survey. If that is not horrendous enough, 62 million trees died in the year 2016 alone—an increase of more than 100 percent compared to 2015.“The scale of die-off in California is unprecedented in our modern history,” Randy Moore, a forester for the U.S. Forest Service, told the&n
  
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• BP buys stake in Eni's giant Zohr gas field offshore Egypt

  25-11-2016 19:13
  By Agnieszka Flak and Karolin Schaps MILAN/LONDON (Reuters) - BP has agreed to buy 10 percent of Eni's Shorouk concession offshore Egypt, which includes the giant Zohr gas field, for $375 million, joining other oil majors in increasing bets on the growing gas market. The deal gives Eni much-needed cash as part of its 5 billion euro divestment plan to continue investing and paying dividends despite weak oil prices. The companies also agreed BP could purchase another 5 percent of the field before
  
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• What’s wrong with the word people? | Brief letters

  25-11-2016 19:05
  
  Families v people | Autumnul cheer | Ukip doner | Arctic alarm | Far-right dismay | Front-page gloomAccording to the very first words in your front-page story (Chancellor to crack down on letting fees, 23 November) “millions of families” are to be offered relief from spurious letting charges. Funny, I hadn’t realised that the measure was targeted only at families – I guess this must mean that people living alone, house-sharers and childless couples will have to go on payi
  
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• Study Shows Climate Affecting Avian Breeding Habits

  25-11-2016 18:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  Milder winters have led to earlier growing seasons and noticeable effects on the breeding habits of some predatory birds, according to research by Boise State biologists Shawn Smith and Julie Heath, in collaboration with Karen Steenhof, and The Peregrine Fund’s Christopher McClure. Their work was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology under the title “Earlier nesting by generalist predatory bird is associated with human responses to climate change.”
  
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• How Solar power is bringing food security to Africa

  25-11-2016 17:54 via feedproxy.google.com
  Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Ninety per cent of Malawians live in rural areas; agriculture makes up 80 per cent of the labour force and 80 per cent of its exports. With so many people reliant on growing things from the ground, disruptions to the climate threatens the wellbeing of an entire nation.For centuries Malawian farmers have learned the patterns of the seasons - when to plant their seeds in order to capture the rains that watered the ground and brought forth f
  
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• Arctic warming, Trump and orange-bellied parrots – green news roundup

  25-11-2016 17:36
  
  The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox Continue reading...
  
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• Oil falls 2 percent on OPEC cut uncertainty ahead of meeting

  25-11-2016 17:16
  By Jessica Resnick-Ault BOSTON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 2 percent on Friday, dragged down by uncertainty over whether the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will reach an output deal, after Saudi Arabia said it will not attend talks on Monday with non-OPEC producers to discuss supply cuts. Brent crude futures were trading at $47.79 a barrel at 10:51 a.m. Eastern (1551 GMT), down $1.21. Top OPEC oil exporter Saudi Arabia has told the producer group it will not attend t
  
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• Russia will still attend OPEC preparatory talks on November 28 - source

  25-11-2016 17:02
  Russia still plans to attend lower-tier talks on Nov. 28 in Vienna ahead of an OPEC ministerial meeting on Nov. 30, a Russian source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The OPEC meeting on Nov. 30 is expected to cement a deal to curb oil production inside the group. The deal is aimed at stabilising global oil prices.
  
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• After the quake

  25-11-2016 17:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Cut off from the outside world, quake-hit Kaikoura's businesses face uncertainty but vow to hold on.
  
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• Europe's science ministers to decide on ExoMars rover

  25-11-2016 16:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  European research ministers will be asked for just over €400m (£345m) to put a rover on Mars in 2021 when they meet next week in Switzerland.
  
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• Why melting Arctic ice can cause uncontrollable climate change – video report

  25-11-2016 15:00
  
  Arctic scientists have reported that the speed at which the northern ice cap is melting risks triggering 19 climate tipping points, with disastrous consequences. It could also affect ecosystems elsewhere on Earth, perhaps irreversibly. The Arctic Resilience Report says it is crucial to reduce greenhouse gas emissionsArctic ice melt could trigger uncontrollable climate change at global level
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• Shell in talks over Gabon sale as seeks to hit divestment target

  25-11-2016 14:53
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell is in advanced talks with a party interested in buying its onshore operations in Gabon as part of a $30 billion divestment plan following its purchase of BG Group, which was completed in February.. Shell had informed its staff of the discussions on Thursday, a spokesman for the firm told Reuters on Friday. The oil and gas group, which plans to exit operations in 5 to 10 countries, has made relatively slow progress in its divestments as uncertain
  
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• Russneft owner says will use IPO funds to pay back debt

  25-11-2016 14:32
  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Mikhail Gutseriyev, a co-owner of the Russian mid-sized oil company Russneft, said on Friday he will use funds raised in an initial public offering to pay back debts and on new acquisitions. Gutseriyev, whose family raised 32.4 billion roubles ($501.8 million) in the IPO deal, said Russneft will spend 90 billion roubles on capital expenditures in 2017-2019. ($1 = 64.5735 roubles) (Reporting by Olga Popova and Olesya Astakhova; Writing by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Vladimir So
  
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• Work set to begin on pioneering green-gas-from-waste plant in Swindon

  25-11-2016 14:16
  
  Work is set to begin on a pioneering gas from waste plant in Swindon following the completion of financing.
  
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• Work set to begin on pioneering green gas from waste plant in Swindon

  25-11-2016 14:16
  
  Work is set to begin on a pioneering gas from waste plant in Swindon following the completion of financing.
  
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• Michael Liebreich: Policy alignment needed to make Britain a low-carbon leader

  25-11-2016 14:00
  
  The UK can "truly be a leader" in the global low-carbon economy, but only if a policy alignment is introduced that allows considerations of the energy mix to also shape trade, tax and research and development (R&D) legislation, the chairman of Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) has said.
  
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• Government commits £15m to natural flood management

  25-11-2016 13:45
  
  Natural management is ‘vital’ as well as other flood defences says environment secretary, reports The Ends ReportThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will spend £15m on natural flood management projects, the environment secretary has announced.On Thursday, Andrea Leadsom confirmed to parliament that, although flood defences such as concrete barriers are “very important”, natural flood management is “vital” as well. Continue read
  
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• Notes from Mars 160: The Science Work We're Doing

  25-11-2016 13:30
  
  The Mars Society is conducting the ambitious two-phase Mars 160 Twin Desert-Arctic Analogue mission to study how seven crewmembers could live, work and perform science on a true mission to Mars. Mars 160 crewmember Annalea Beattie is chronicling the mission, which will spend 80 days at the Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah desert before venturing far north to Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island, Canada in summer 2017.
  
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• A Member's view: ‘I can’t see edible insects catching on …’

  25-11-2016 13:29
  
  Guardian Member Helen Forsyth reflects on an evening spent discussing cowless beef, cricket crisps, and adjusting our palates for a sustainable futureRead more event reviews from our MembersHelen attended a panel discussion led by food journalist Andrew Webb and organised by Utopia 2016 entitled ‘Tomorrow’s menu - the future of food’ Continue reading...
  
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• Business secretary says electric vehicles at heart of industrial strategy

  25-11-2016 13:23
  
  Greg Clark signals post-Brexit policy as Jaguar Land Rover confirms it plans to create 10,000 jobs in the UKGreg Clark, the business, energy and industrial strategy secretary, has said making Britain a world-leading hub for next-generation electric vehicles will be at the heart of the government’s new industrial strategy, providing one of the clearest indications yet of the sectors it wants to focus on in a post-Brexit economy.Clark said the automotive sector, particularly electric vehicle
  
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• Arts and culture sector realises 'intrinsic' value of sustainability

  25-11-2016 13:22
  
  England's arts and culture sector has reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy use by 17% over the past year despite a growth in cultural activity, according to the industry's latest sustainability report.
  
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• Harland and Wolff wins East Anglia One offshore windfarm contract

  25-11-2016 12:41
  
  Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic safeguards 200 jobs with order for 65-metre high steel foundation jacketsThe Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic has won a contract believed to be worth £20m to expand a huge windfarm off the East Anglian coast.Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries Ltd has secured the manufacturing of 60 steel foundation jackets for the East Anglia One offshore windfarm, which will safeguard 200 jobs.Continue reading...
  
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• Russneft IPO demand exceeds offer by over 30 percent - co-owner

  25-11-2016 12:17
  Mikhail Gutseriyev, a co-owner of the Russian mid-sized oil company Russneft, said in a statement that the demand during the company's initial public offering (IPO) has exceeded offer by more than 30 percent. Russneft has priced a share at 550 roubles ($8.52) during the placement, offering 20 percent of its ordinary shares or 15 percent of the share capital owned by the Gutseriyev's family. The family has raised 32.4 billion roubles in the deal, which put Russneft market capitalisation at 161.8
  
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• Oil down on strong dollar, OPEC uncertainty

  25-11-2016 12:11
  By Libby George LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slid on Friday, dragged by a strong dollar and uncertainty over whether OPEC will agree to cut production at the group's meeting next week, but benchmark contracts were on track to close the week with gains close to 4 percent. A strong dollar could crimp fuel demand due to higher costs for holders of other currencies. Reports that state oil giant Saudi Aramco would in January increase oil supplies to some Asian customers also cast a shadow on markets
  
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• Is this the beginning of the end for coal?

  25-11-2016 11:52
  
  Canada has joined a growing list of countries phasing out the most polluting fossil fuel and global demand has fallen. Is this the start of a low-carbon energy era or just a blip in coal’s dominance?This week Canada joined the growing list of major developed countries saying they will phase out coal power.The announcement comes against the backdrop of global demand for coal falling last year for the first time in nearly two decades, a development that could presage a new era of lower-carbo
  
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• Heathrow third runway 'may break government's climate change laws'

  25-11-2016 10:56
  
  Airport expansion plans may breach climate change legislation if other sectors do not make big cuts to emissions, warns Committee on Climate ChangePlans to build a third runway at Heathrow may breach the Government’s own climate change legislation if other sectors do not make big cuts to emissions, an independent advisory body has warned.
  The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said it had “concerns” over how the Department for Transport (DfT) had presented its case for expanding
  
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• Oil down on strong dollar, high crude supplies, lower Chinese imports

  25-11-2016 09:08
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell over 1 percent on Friday, dragged by a strong dollar, rising Saudi supplies to Asian clients, and a fall in Chinese imports. Brent crude futures were trading at $48.42 at 0753 GMT, down 58 cents, or 1.2 percent, from their last close, although overall activity was thin after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday and ahead of the weekend. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $47.41 per barrel, down 55 cents, or 1.2 percent, fr
  
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• Ford champions student ingenuity to develop sustainable communities

  25-11-2016 09:00
  
  Motor giant Ford has offered students across the UK a £15,000 grant to develop sustainable community projects as part of its education program in partnership with charity Enactus UK.
  
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• Trump will pursue 'regional hegemony' in South China Sea - Chinese academics

  25-11-2016 08:21
  A Donald Trump presidency does not mean the United States will withdraw from the South China Sea, but rather will continue pursuing "regional hegemony", Chinese academics who drafted a report for an influential government think tank said on Friday. Ensuring "absolute control" over the South China Sea was the crux of U.S. military strategy in the Asia-Pacific, according to what the authors said was China’s first ever public report on the U.S. military presence in the region, released on Fri
  
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• London support scheme launched to help SMEs scale up circular business models

  25-11-2016 08:20
  
  As research reveals that almost 90% of London boroughs have fallen below the national average for household recycling, a new business support programme has been launched to enable SMEs in the capital to adopt and scale up circular business models.
  
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• The 13 crises we face as a species – and what it would take to avert them | George Monbiot

  25-11-2016 08:00
  
  From Trump to climate change, this multiheaded crisis presages collapse. And there’s no hope of exiting the ‘other side’ if political alternatives are shut downPlease don’t read this unless you are feeling strong. This is a list of 13 major crises that, I believe, confront us. There may be more. Please feel free to add to it or to knock it down. I’m sorry to say that it’s not happy reading. Continue reading...
  
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• Government accused of 'dirty tricks' over controversial fracking report

  25-11-2016 07:01
  
  Ministers deliberately delayed a report showing fracking could affect house prices, health and the environment until after a crucial planning decision, documents revealMinisters deliberately delayed a controversial fracking report it was being forced to publish until after crucial council decisions on planning permission, according to newly revealed documents.The documents also show ministers acknowledged they were open to a charge of double standards, having granted local communities the final
  
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• Berries festoon the quarry reserve

  25-11-2016 06:30
  
  Ketton Quarry, Rutland Withered stems of white bryony lash together clumps of little red globes hanging in garlands, and hedges blush with hawthorn berriesThe incoming polar air mass and clear night sky produces this year’s heaviest frost. Water crystallises into bristly masses on every surface. The blazing morning sun rapidly scorches most of it away, but in the deepest still hollows of Ketton quarry the thick, white, dusting endures into the afternoon. Related: Birds and berries: A ferti
  
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• Arctic ice melt could trigger uncontrollable climate change at global level

  25-11-2016 06:01
  
  Scientists warn increasingly rapid melting could trigger polar ‘tipping points’ with catastrophic consequences felt as far away as the Indian OceanArctic scientists have warned that the increasingly rapid melting of the ice cap risks triggering 19 “tipping points” in the region that could have catastrophic consequences around the globe.The Arctic Resilience Report found that the effects of Arctic warming could be felt as far away as the Indian Ocean, in a stark warning th
  
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• Oil prices fall on strong dollar, trading thin ahead of OPEC meeting

  25-11-2016 05:45
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday, under pressure from a strong dollar, but activity was low after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday and with many traders reluctant to take big new positions ahead of a planned OPEC-led crude output cut to be decided next week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $47.59 per barrel, down 37 cents, or 0.8 percent, from their last settlement. Traders said the main drag on prices on Friday was the strong dollar, whi
  
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• Jakarta's eco future? River community goes green to fight eviction threat

  25-11-2016 04:38
  
  More than 250 families are facing eviction from Jakarta’s Tongkol kampung. Their response? To rebuild their homes, clean up their river, and become a model for a more eco-friendly future for the cityA proactive Jakarta community is fighting back against the threat of demolition by turning itself into an example of what the city it sits in is not – a beacon of environmental protection.Residents of Tongkol kampung in the north of the sprawling capital have already achieved a striking t
  
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• Minister defends coal industry after call to ban new mines to save reef

  25-11-2016 04:34
  
  Josh Frydenberg says coal ‘vitally important’ after former Great Barrier Reef official calls said its future depended on an end to mining Josh Frydenberg has defended Australia’s coal industry as “vitally important” days after a former Great Barrier Reef authority chief called for a ban on new mines.Speaking after a forum on the reef with state and territory ministers in Sydney on Friday, the federal environment minister said other countries would simply “fill
  
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• Women in science pledge to combat hate

  25-11-2016 02:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Women of science around the world sign a pledge to combat discrimination in the wake of the US election.
  
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• Seasonal wetlands face uncertain future

  25-11-2016 02:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ephemeral wetlands are poorly understood habitats and are being lost to future generations as a result of poor land-use practices, warn scientists.
  
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• Oil market static in thin trade ahead of OPEC meeting next week

  25-11-2016 02:22
  U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $47.97 per barrel, up 1 cent from their last settlement. Traders said market activity was low due to the U.S. holiday, while there was a reluctance to take on big price directional bets because of uncertainty about the planned oil output cut, led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
  
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• Machine food

  25-11-2016 01:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The world needs to produce more food to feed a growing population, but is automation and sensor technology the answer?
  
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• Heathrow third runway 'to breach climate change laws'

  25-11-2016 01:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Plans to expand Heathrow Airport are set to breach the government’s climate change laws, advisers warn.
  
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• Time to take out the space trash

  25-11-2016 00:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists are warning there’s now so much space debris in low-Earth orbit that action needs to be taken.
  
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