Environment news

• Barack Obama bans oil and gas drilling in most of Arctic and Atlantic oceans

  20-12-2016 23:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Obama used a law that allows presidents to block sale of new offshore drilling and mining rights and makes it difficult for their successors to reverse decisionBarack Obama has permanently banned new oil and gas drilling in most US-owned waters in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, a last-ditch effort to lock in environmental protections before he hands over to Donald Trump.Obama used a 1953 law that allows presidents to block the sale of new offshore drilling and mining rights and makes it difficu
  
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• Studying the distant past in the Galapagos Islands

  20-12-2016 20:41 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Galápagos Islands are home to a tremendous diversity of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. But why this is, and when it all began, remains something of an open question. Now scientists may have at least one more piece of the puzzle. According to a new study out today in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the geologic formation of one particular part of the archipelago--the part responsible for the huge biodiversity--formed, approximately 1.6 mi
  
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• Chemicals of 'emerging concern' mapped in 3 Great Lakes

  20-12-2016 20:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  For the first time, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have mapped the location of thousands of tons of polyhalogenated carbazoles in the sediment of the Great Lakes and estimated their amount.
  
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• Dancing for a cause: Kiribati’s climate activist Olympic weightlifter

  20-12-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  David Katoatau generated headlines in 2016 for his joyous performances in Rio – and for his deadly serious messageFew casual observers would recall the winner of the men’s 105kg weightlifting category at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Many, though, will remember the athlete with the broad smile who danced his way into a 14th-placed finish.David Katoatau is an unlikely climate change activist. An affable weightlifter from Kiribati, a collection of atolls spread across an area of
  
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• Oil rises as forecasters see big draw in U.S. stocks

  20-12-2016 19:57
  By David Gaffen NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Tuesday, touching a one-week high on expectations of a steep draw in U.S. crude stocks, but edged off gains after Libya announced the reopening of pipelines after a two-year blockade ended recently. Benchmark Brent crude futures were up 40 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $55.32 a barrel at 1:29 p.m. EST (1829 GMT) after hitting an intraday high of $55.92. U.S. crude futures rose 30 cents to $52.42 a barrel.
  
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• El Nino-linked cyclones to increase in Pacific with global warming - research

  20-12-2016 19:31
  By Umberto Bacchi LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Small Pacific island states could be hit by more tropical cyclones during future El Nino weather patterns due to climate change, scientists said on Tuesday. El Nino is a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific occurring every two to seven years which can trigger both floods and drought in different parts of the world. Its opposite phase, a cooling of the same waters known as La Nina, is associated with the increased probability o
  
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• Scientists bear witness to birth of an ice cloud

  20-12-2016 18:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  RICHLAND, Wash. – Scientists have witnessed the birth of atmospheric ice clouds, creating ice cloud crystals in the laboratory and then taking images of the process through a microscope, essentially documenting the very first steps of cloud formation.
  
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• This $500 shirt changes color when exposed to air pollution – but who does it help?

  20-12-2016 18:19 via theguardian.com
  
  A NYC-based designer says he wants to make people pay more attention to the environment. But at these prices, is this more art than activism?Outdoor air pollution has grown by 8% around the world in the last five years, according to new data by the World Health Organization. Some of the world’s biggest cities have significantly high pollution levels.Take New York, for example. A recent NYU study looked at the health of 300,000 residents and concluded that individuals living in zipcodes wit
  
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• Norway reprieves 32 of 47 wolves earmarked for cull

  20-12-2016 17:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Under Norway’s endangered predator laws, only 15 lone wolves proved to pose a threat to livestockThe Norwegian government has issued a last-minute reprieve for 32 of the 47 wolves that had been earmarked for a cull to protect sheep flocks.The plans to kill two-thirds of the country’s wolves caused outrage among conservationists at home and abroad when they were announced by local predator management boards in September, with warnings the cull would be disastrous for the species. Cont
  
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• Brain's party noise filter revealed by recordings

  20-12-2016 17:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Direct recordings have revealed what happens in our brains as we make sense of speech in a noisy environment, scientists say.
  
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• Government plans to ban microbeads from cosmetics by October 2017

  20-12-2016 16:32
  
  The UK Government has today (20 December) set out plans to remove microbeads from cosmetics and personal care products by October 2017.
  
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• Ministers explore applying microbead ban to household products

  20-12-2016 16:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Officials have asked for more proof of microbead damage to marine life in move to extend cosmetics ban to all products washed down drainThe government is exploring whether its ban on tiny pieces of plastic in cosmetics should be extended to other household products, to protect fish and other marine life.Ministers promised earlier this year to ban microbeads in personal care products such as toothpaste and face scrubs by the end of 2017, but stopped short of pledging to ban them in other products
  
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• Oil rises by $1 on expected decline in U.S. crude stocks

  20-12-2016 16:09
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Brent oil prices rose by $1 on Tuesday to a one-week high on forecasts of a steep draw in U.S. crude stocks that could indicate global oversupply is starting to shrink. Benchmark Brent crude futures were trading up 95 cents, or 1.7 percent, at $55.87 a barrel at 1453 GMT. U.S. crude futures were up 52 cents at $52.64 a barrel.
  
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• Dozens Dead in Siberia from Drinking Bath Oil: How Methanol Kills

  20-12-2016 16:08
  
  Authorities in Irkutsk, the sixth-largest city in Russia, declared a state of emergency today (Dec. 19) after at least 49 people died from drinking the apparently mislabeled bath oil, according to the Washington Post. The label on the bath oil said it contained ethanol, and people drank the product as a cheap alternative to alcohol, which is a common practice in Russia, the Post reported. When people consume methanol, the body metabolizes it first into formaldehyde, and then into a compound call
  
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• Scotland urged to prevent £90m worth of food waste this Christmas

  20-12-2016 15:58
  
  The Scottish population could reportedly cut more than £90m worth of food waste over the Christmas period, equating to savings of £38 for every Scottish household.
  
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• The Deepwater Horizon Aftermath

  20-12-2016 14:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  Researchers analyze 125 compounds from oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico to determine their longevity at different contamination levels.The oil discharged into the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) rig in 2010 contaminated more than 1,000 square miles of seafloor. The complexity of the event has made it difficult for scientists to determine the long-term fate of oil in this ocean environment.
  
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• Scientists: Strong evidence that human-caused climate change intensified 2015 heat waves

  20-12-2016 14:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  Human-caused climate change very likely increased the severity of heat waves that plagued India, Pakistan, Europe, East Africa, East Asia, and Australia in 2015 and helped make it the warmest year on record, according to new research published today in a special edition of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.  The fifth edition of Explaining Extreme Events from a Climate Perspective presents 25 peer-reviewed research papers that examine episodes of extreme weather of 2015 ov
  
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• Japanese Satellite Launches to Study Earth's Radiation Belts

  20-12-2016 13:30
  
  A Japanese spacecraft designed to help scientists better understand the radiation environment of near-Earth space has made it to orbit. If all goes according to plan, ERG will set up shop in a highly elliptical orbit, getting as close to Earth as 215 miles (350 kilometers) and as far away as 18,640 miles (30,000 km). This path will take the 780-lb. (355 kilograms) satellite through the Van Allen radiation belts, where the planet's magnetic field has trapped huge numbers of fast-moving electrons
  
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• Drax receives green light to complete biomass conversion project

  20-12-2016 13:30
  
  UK power station operator Drax has been approved subsidies to run the third of its six coal-fired units on wood pellet fuel, but green campaigners question whether the state aid will help to drive the UK towards a low-carbon economy.
  
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• Americans believe climate change connected to location and local weather

  20-12-2016 13:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new study finds local weather may play an important role in Americans’ belief in climate change. The study, published on Monday, found that Americans’ belief that the earth is warming is related to the frequency of weather-related events they experience, suggesting that local changes in their climate influence their acceptance of this worldwide phenomenon. “One of the greatest challenges to communicating scientific findings about climate change is the cognitive disconnec
  
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• UK packaging producers warned of mounting costs from EU fees disparity

  20-12-2016 13:13
  
  The growing trend of European countries implementing differentiated fees based on eco-design and recyclability criteria could result in higher payments for British packaging producers with compliance obligations outside the UK, according to resource efficiency specialist Ecosurety.
  
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• Oil rises on expected U.S. crude stocks draw

  20-12-2016 12:41
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday on forecasts of a steep draw in U.S. crude oil stocks that could indicate a global oversupply is starting to shrink. Benchmark Brent crude oil futures were trading up 54 cents at $55.46 a barrel at 1124 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were up 23 cents at $52.35 per barrel.
  
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• British shale gas gets boost from court ruling on permit

  20-12-2016 12:19
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's High Court ruled on Tuesday that a fracking permit awarded by a local council to developer Third Energy was legal, after it was challenged by environmental campaigners, opening the way to shale gas extraction in the UK. Substantial amounts of shale gas are estimated to be trapped in underground rocks and the British government wants to exploit it to help offset declining North Sea oil and gas output, create some 64,000 jobs and help economic growth.
  
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• Republicans and Democrats alike want more clean energy | John Abraham

  20-12-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A new report finds strong support for clean energy, international climate agreements, and cutting carbon pollution - across the political spectrum
  It’s almost an accepted dogma that in the United States (and in several other countries), liberals are much more in favor of taking actions to curb climate change whereas conservatives block such actions. That’s certainly true within the halls of power. For instance, in the United States, it has become a litmus test for Republication candi
  
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• Brexit uncertainty 'corrosive' for science

  20-12-2016 11:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Uncertainty over the nature of the UK's future relationship with the EU is having a "corrosive" effect on science.
  
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• Bonfield energy efficiency review calls for new framework

  20-12-2016 11:35
  
  An independent review into energy efficiency and home renewable energy measures has called for greater consumer protection through a new framework and quality mark.
  
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• Fracking to go ahead in North Yorkshire after high court ruling

  20-12-2016 11:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Friends of the Earth and Frack Free Ryedale lose bid to stop fracking in village of Kirby MispertonFracking will go ahead at a North Yorkshire site after environmentalists lost a legal challenge they had brought on climate change grounds.On Tuesday, the high court ruled against Friends of the Earth and Frack Free Ryedale, who had argued that North Yorkshire county council had failed to properly consider the environmental impact of burning gas when it approved the fracking this year. Continue rea
  
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• European commission guilty of 'negligence' over diesel defeat devices, says draft report

  20-12-2016 10:31 via theguardian.com
  
  European parliament draft inquiry into dieselgate has found EC ignored evidence of emissions test cheatingA draft European parliament inquiry into the dieselgate scandal has found the European commission guilty of maladministration for failing to act quickly enough on evidence that defeat devices were being used to game emissions tests.The commission ignored evidence of emissions test cheating from its own science body, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), partly out of a desire to “avoid plac
  
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• Prostate cancer laser treatment 'truly transformative'

  20-12-2016 09:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Surgeons describe a new treatment for early stage prostate cancer as "truly transformative".
  
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• Government says new efficiency standards says could cut fuel spending by $28bn

  20-12-2016 09:48 via theguardian.com
  
  New standards could reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 65m tonnes by 2030, government claimsThe Turnbull government has opened discussions on new fuel efficiency standards for vehicles which it says could cut consumer fuel spending by up to $28bn by 2040.
  Fresh after being forced into a hasty retreat by conservatives over a potential emissions intensity trading scheme which experts argue would allow Australia’s electricity sector to reduce emissions at least cost to
  
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• Oil steady in timid trade ahead of holiday season

  20-12-2016 09:27
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices were steady on Tuesday in timid trading ahead of the year-end holidays, with investors beginning to unwind positions without expecting to take up new ones until the start of 2017. International Brent crude oil futures were trading at $54.88 per barrel at 0821 GMT, down 4 cents from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were down 17 cents at $51.95 per barrel.
  
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• A third of Brits throw away Christmas turkey and sprouts

  20-12-2016 08:01 via theguardian.com
  
  New research finds householders more likely to bin food over festive season due to lack of culinary knowhowOne in three UK consumers admit to binning turkey and sprouts for their Christmas dinner before it even reaches the table because of their lack of culinary knowhow, a new report has revealed.Official figures show that UK households throw away 7m tonnes of food every year, but the new research from supermarket chain Sainsbury’s shows householders are more likely to bin food over the fe
  
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• This is the polar bear capital of the world, but the snow has gone

  20-12-2016 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Canada’s Hudson Bay is as ice-free in November as on a summer’s day and polar bears could be extinct here by mid-century. If the bears are in trouble, so are weChurchill, on the banks of the Hudson Bay in Canada, is known as the polar bear capital of the world. Hundreds of bears gather there each year before the sea freezes over in October and November so they can hunt seals again from the ice for the first time since the summer. I first went there 12 years ago at this time of year.
  
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• The endless joy of logs

  20-12-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Claxton, Norfolk I recall the circumstances of the cut, how it was stored and then the moment it was sectioned to fit the fireThe garden task that gives me greatest satisfaction is the cutting of our winter wood stack. I like to joke that our logburner consumes only hand-prepared organic “food”, and there is even a sense in which each piece is an individual.
  Over the years I’ve learned that the secret to preparing logs is not some fancy axe or equipment. It is time. I have thus
  
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• Oil eases as traders start winding down positions in run-up to holiday season

  20-12-2016 03:02
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices eased on Tuesday as traders began to unwind positions in the run-up to the year-end holiday season. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $51.97 per barrel at 0134 GMT, down 15 cents from their last settlement. International Brent crude oil futures were down 1 cent from their last close at $54.91 a barrel.
  
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• Guardian editors discuss the future of global climate change policy – Project podcast

  20-12-2016 03:00 via theguardian.com
  
  In the first of a new series of in-depth discussions featuring Guardian editors and expert correspondents from Australia, China and across south-east Asia, we ask: Will the Paris agreement survive the Trump presidency? Why is Japan building 60 new coal-fired power stations? And will China really become a leader in tackling global emissions? Continue reading...
  
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• China limits cars and closes factories in smog red alert

  20-12-2016 00:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Hundreds of Beijing companies forced to stop production and hospitals prepare for surge in pollution-related illnessesThe number of cars on roads was limited and factories were temporarily shut in some northern Chinese cities on Monday to reduce pollution during a national smog red alert. More than 700 companies stopped production in Beijing and traffic police were restricting drivers by monitoring numberplates, state media reported. In choking conditions, dozens of cities closed schools and too
  
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