Environment news

• A touch of green on the lower plough-field: County diary 100 years ago

  27-11-2016 23:30
  
  Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 2 December 1916Surrey, November 30
  A night frost made everything appear in the early morning as though it had been covered with a light fall of very fine snow. But when this melted with a slight shift of wind a touch of green came across one of the lower plough-fields. It is not a large stretch of land ­– the farmer calls it “a patch of corn,” – harrowed and sown, broadcast by hand while the surface was rather soft fo
  
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• 100 years ago: A touch of green on the lower plough-field

  27-11-2016 23:30
  
  Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 2 December 1916Surrey, November 30
  A night frost made everything appear in the early morning as though it had been covered with a light fall of very fine snow. But when this melted with a slight shift of wind a touch of green came across one of the lower plough-fields. It is not a large stretch of land ­– the farmer calls it “a patch of corn,” – harrowed and sown, broadcast by hand while the surface was rather soft fo
  
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• Hurricanes become more costly

  27-11-2016 22:30
  
  As the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season draws to a close, the eye-watering cost is becoming ever more apparentIn a couple of days the Atlantic hurricane season officially comes to a close. 2016 has been very active, with 15 named storms, seven of which became hurricanes. It started nearly five months early with Alex in mid-January, and ended unusually late with Otto, just a few days ago. Three storms – Gaston, Matthew and Nicole – developed into major hurricanes, and Matthew’s lo
  
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• Swiss reject quick exit from atomic power

  27-11-2016 17:24
  By John Miller ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss voted in a referendum on Sunday to reject a speedy exit from the nation's five nuclear power plants, as concerns over losing energy independence outweighed safety worries raised by the measure's proponents. The Swiss government and industry fought the plan, saying it could have led to blackouts, higher costs and the loss of energy independence because the country would have become more dependent on coal-fired power from neighbouring Germany. "We're very ha
  
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• Algerian, Venezuelan oil ministers to meet Monday in Algiers, then go to Moscow

  27-11-2016 16:00
  ALGIERS (Reuters) - Venezuela's oil minister will visit Algiers on Monday and then head to Moscow with his Algerian counterpart ahead of OPEC talks in Vienna, Algeria's energy ministry said in a statement. Algerian Energy Minister Nouredine Bouterfa has been holding discussions with OPEC and non-OPEC counterparts to try to forge consensus over a production cut proposed in Algiers in September. OPEC member states are due to meet in Vienna on Wednesday. (Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Writing by Aida
  
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• VIDEO: 60-second sustainability skill - The Disruptor

  27-11-2016 15:16
  
  In part four of our series of sustainability skills videos, Swarovski's new vice president of sustainability Dax Lovegrove explains the importance of using disruptive innovation to drive positive change within your organisation and beyond.
  
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• Wefood: the Danish supermarket opening its second expired-food branch

  27-11-2016 13:42
  
  Copenhagen embraces surplus produce shop, joining global trend against food wasteIt may be past its sell-by date, but for many Danes it’s a tasty proposition: a supermarket in Copenhagen selling surplus food has proved so popular it has now opened a second store.After launching in the district of Amager earlier this year, the Wefood project drew a long line as it opened a second branch in the trendy neighbourhood of Nørrebro, this month. Continue reading...
  
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• Danish supermarket selling expired food opens second branch

  27-11-2016 13:42
  
  Wefood in Copenhagen has proved a huge success as food waste becomes hot topic worldwideIt may be past its sell-by date, but for many Danes it’s a tasty proposition: surplus food being sold in a Copenhagen supermarket has proved so popular that a second store has been opened.After launching in the district of Amager earlier this year, the Wefood project attracted a long queue as it opened a second branch in the trendy neighbourhood of Nørrebro, this month. Continue reading...
  
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• Algerian, Venezuelan oil ministers likely to meet Monday in Algiers, then go to Moscow - source

  27-11-2016 12:59
  ALGIERS (Reuters) - Venezuela's oil minister is likely to visit Algiers on Monday and then head to Moscow with his Algerian counterpart ahead of OPEC talks in Vienna, an Algerian energy source said. Algerian Energy Minister Nouredine Bouterfa has been holding discussions with OPEC and non-OPEC counterparts to try to forge consensus over a production cut proposed in Algiers in September. OPEC member states are due to meet in Vienna on Wednesday. (Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Writing by Aidan Lewis
  
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• Militants kidnap six Pakistanis working for Polish oil firm

  27-11-2016 11:32
  By Saud Mehsud DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - Six Pakistanis working for a Polish oil and gas surveying company have been kidnapped in northwestern Pakistan, military sources told Reuters, years after a Polish engineer from the same company was beheaded by Pakistani militants. The six Geofizyka Krakow workers were snatched from their vehicles on Saturday afternoon on a road near the village of Drazinda, about 80km (50 miles) from the city of Dera Ismail Khan, two officials with security
  
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• Libya won't take part in any OPEC cuts for 'foreseeable future'

  27-11-2016 10:45
  Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Sunday it would not take part in any OPEC production cuts for the "foreseeable future" as the North African country tries to bring crude output back towards pre-conflict levels. "Libya is in such a dangerous economic situation, there is no way it can participate in OPEC production cuts for the foreseeable future," NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla told delegates at the Arab-Austrian Economic Forum in Vienna on Friday, according to an NOC statement. Libya
  
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• Budget energy supplier folds blaming rising prices

  27-11-2016 09:48
  
  Customers face possibility of higher charges as GB Energy Supply ceases tradingAbout 160,000 UK customers face potentially higher energy bills after a budget supplier closed down, blaming rising energy prices.
  GB Energy Supply ceased trading this weekend, leaving many faced with the possibility of higher charges unless they ask for the cheapest deal from their new supplier. Continue reading...
  
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• Militants kidnap six Pakistani workers of Polish oil company

  27-11-2016 09:13
  By Saud Mehsud DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - Six Pakistani workers from a Polish oil and gas surveying company have been kidnapped in northwestern Pakistan, military sources told Reuters, years after a Polish engineer from the same company was beheaded by Pakistani militants. The six Geofizyka Krakow workers were snatched on Saturday afternoon from their vehicles on a road near the village of Drazinda, some 80km (50 miles) from the northwestern city of Dera Ismail Khan, two military off
  
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• Bling! goes London: the Illuminated River project and other stories

  27-11-2016 09:00
  
  Plans are afoot to make the Thames ‘world-class’ by lighting up its bridges. But will that, along with the huge building projects along its banks, really enhance London – or just reinforce the perception of the capital as a glittering bubble?Early next month the mayor of London will announce the winner of the competition to find the designers of the Illuminated River, a £20m project to create a permanent “world-class lighting scheme” over 17 bridges in central
  
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• The ethical guide to the not-so green Swedes

  27-11-2016 07:00
  
  Does the Nordic nation deserve its reputation for sustainability?It’s impossible not to feel a bit envious of Nordic nations. Norway, Denmark and Sweden were so accomplished at recycling that by 2014 they had no need for landfill. Just like Nordic prisons, the landfills are empty. Now Denmark even has hygge, a system for living that combines cosiness and chunky knits with sustainability, and an enviable design aesthetic. What’s not to like?But Sweden normally gets the gold star. One
  
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• Baby monkey stolen from NSW zoo found by police

  27-11-2016 04:57
  
  Police stop car, arrest two men and find four-week-old marmoset monkey dependent on mother’s milk Police have found a four-week-old monkey stolen from a New South Wales zoo that wildlife carers said could have died if it was not reunited with its distressed mother.The baby was one of three rare pygmy marmoset monkeys taken from Symbio Wildlife Park, an hour’s drive south of Sydney, on Friday night. Continue reading...
  
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• Baby monkey stolen from NSW zoo could die if not returned soon

  27-11-2016 04:57
  
  Symbio Wildlife Park makes public appeal for four-week-old marmoset which is dependent on mother’s milk A four-week-old monkey stolen from a New South Wales zoo could die if it is not reunited with its distressed mother soon.The baby was one of three rare pygmy marmoset monkeys taken from Symbio Wildlife Park, an hour’s drive south of Sydney, on Friday night. Continue reading...
  
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• Music students are allowed to follow their muse | Letters

  27-11-2016 01:05
  
  Nigel Kennedy should pay a visit to the Royal AcademyNigel Kennedy asserts that lazy teachers at music colleges stifle individuality in violinists and focus solely on perfecting technique (“Classical ‘factory line’ takes the joy out of Beethoven and Brahms, says Nigel Kennedy”, (News).At the Royal Academy of Music, there are 24 violin professors, whose ages range from 30 to 92 and whose approach is enormously varied. What they have in common is a tireless dedication to nu
  
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• Thunderstorm asthma: 'You're talking an event equivalent to a terrorist attack'

  27-11-2016 00:25
  
  A perfect storm of factors that triggered a mass asthma event and claimed at least five lives in Melbourne has perplexed health experts, who believe climate change may be the missing piece of the puzzleA sudden drop in temperature in Melbourne on Monday evening from peaks of 35C brought with it severe thunderstorms and triggered a mass asthma event that left hospitals struggling to treat 8,500 patients.There is a small group of researchers around the world working to understand the phenomena kno
  
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