Environment news

• Dry winters are bad news for frogs

  02-01-2017 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Ancient ponds on the Greensand Ridge can produce thousands of tiny frogs – so long as the water supply holds upThere are two types of ponds along the Greensand Ridge that runs across from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire into South Cambridgeshire. They are either lined with clay, and fill with rainwater, or they are hollows in the ground that rely on rising groundwater in the winter.Both provide breeding opportunities for the common frog. The tadpoles have time to mature before some of the
  
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• Deputy leader of Libya's U.N.-backed government resigns

  02-01-2017 20:45
  A deputy leader of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) announced his resignation on Monday, saying the U.N.-backed administration had failed to tackle urgent problems arising from years of conflict and political disarray. The resignation of Musa al-Koni casts doubt on the future of the government in its current form, just over a year after it was launched under a U.N.-mediated deal that had only partial support from Libya's rival factions. Western powers backed the GNA to tackle Islamic
  
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• Polish PM urged to block bison hunting plan

  02-01-2017 19:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Greenpeace gathers almost 9,000 signatures on letter as opponents say Europe’s largest mammals are endangered and protected by lawEnvironmentalists are fighting Polish plans to allow hunters to shoot bison.
  Officials say limited hunting allows for a controlled elimination of weak animals and earns money for care for the herds. But opponents say Europe’s largest mammals are endangered and protected by law. Continue reading...
  
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• David Hempleman-Adams urges climate change action after Arctic voyage

  02-01-2017 16:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams calls on politicians to "grasp the nettle" on climate change.
  
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• Sheffield tree activists vow to protect 'jewel in the crown'

  02-01-2017 15:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Residents determined to block removal of 31 lime trees from row of 700 along Rivelin Valley RoadA bitter dispute over the future of hundreds of roadside trees in Sheffield looks set to continue into 2017, as campaigners rally to protect the second longest avenue of limes in the UK.The row came to national attention in November when council contractors summoned people out of bed to move their cars and police detained protesters as eight trees were chopped down in Hallam. Continue reading...
  
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• Beavers could be reintroduced to Wales after centuries' absence

  02-01-2017 13:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Wildlife experts have applied for licence to release 10 animals following successful reintroductions in Scotland and EnglandBeavers could return to Wales for the first time in hundreds of years, after being successfully reintroduced in other parts of the UK. Wildlife experts are submitting a licence application to release 10 beavers in the south of the country and hope the reintroduction could begin this year.Continue reading...
  
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• Gap year stories: getting a taste of communal living

  02-01-2017 12:42 via theguardian.com
  
  From shovelling manure in Israel to supporting refugees in north London, two gap-year students recount their experiences of sharing everythingIt’s the time of year for students to promise themselves a new start – traditionally they’re taking a hard look at their personal habits right now, promising themselves no more food binges, fewer late nights and more punctual essays. But how about the state the rest of the world is is in? You could consider putting something good into a c
  
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• Climate change in 2016: the good, the bad, and the ugly | John Abraham

  02-01-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  2016 wasn’t all bad news for the climate, but it was ugly toward the end
  This past year had so many stories involving human-caused climate change – it will be forever in our memories. Here is a summary of some of the high points, from my perspective. When I say “high points” I don’t necessarily mean good. Some of these high points are bad and some are downright ugly. Let’s do the good first. Continue reading...
  
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• Russian oil output in December stays at record highs

  02-01-2017 09:54
  Russian oil production in December stood unchanged at 11.21 million barrels per day (bpd), flat month on month and at its highest in almost 30 years, energy ministry data showed on Monday. Russia is preparing to cut output by 300,000 bpd during the first half of 2017 as a part of a global pact with OPEC aimed at rebalancing the market.
  
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• Melbourne swimmers face gastro risk after storms wash poo into Port Phillip Bay

  02-01-2017 08:38 via theguardian.com
  
  More than half the beaches around the bay listed as having poor water quality and being unsuitable for swimmingSwimmers are being warned of gastro risk at Melbourne beaches because recent heavy storms have washed poo into Port Phillip Bay.Environmental Protection Victoria’s website listed 21 of the 36 beaches it monitors around the bay as having poor water quality on Monday, meaning the water was not suitable for swimming. Continue reading...
  
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• Life in Polar Bear Town with Gordon Buchanan review bleak enlightening

  02-01-2017 08:20 via theguardian.com
  
  In Churchill, Manitoba, there are times when the polar bears outnumber the people. It’s an uneasy mix full of contradictions that Buchanan gamely tries to unpickFor those missing their weekly Planet Earth fix, cameraman Gordon Buchanan – last seen waiting in a hide in Mumbai for 27 nights in order to have a close encounter with a leopard – is back with his own magnanimous brand of wildlife TV. But if Planet Earth was the showy, gregarious big daddy of the genre, then Life in Po
  
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• Donald Trump makes top Republican fear environmental future

  02-01-2017 07:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A leading US Republican fears for the future of her grandchildren with Donald Trump as president.
  
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• Surprise sunset paints the Sheffield sky

  02-01-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Parkhead, Sheffield Shortly before the day died, luridly bright streaks of pink and purple began appearing like a bruiseThe window of my room here looks south-west, over the rooftops of a Sheffield suburb draped over the foothills of the Pennines, and through it I watch the endless traffic of the sky all day; the fleets of clouds steaming past on their journey from coast to coast, the planes etching contrails that wobble tipsily in the winds.Recently, the sky has seemed muted, in the way it ofte
  
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• Beijing enjoys brief respite, but choking smog to return on Tuesday

  02-01-2017 04:46
  Heavy smog that blanketed northern China at the weekend cleared somewhat on Monday, with flights in Beijing back to normal, but it was likely only to be a brief respite with more choking smog expected to return to the wintry north within 24 hours. Weather forecasts on Monday showed the smog would return to Beijing and nearby Tianjin city from Tuesday. Authorities have been issuing smog alerts across China's north since mid-December, leading to orders for hundreds of factories to cut production o
  
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• China smog: millions start new year shrouded by health alerts and travel chaos

  02-01-2017 04:22 via theguardian.com
  
  On the first day of 2017 in Beijing pollution climbed as high as 24 times the level recommended by the World Health OrganizationMillions in China rang in the New Year shrouded in a thick blanket of toxic smog, causing road closures and flight cancellations as 24 cities issued alerts that will last through much of the week.
  On the first day of 2017 in Beijing, concentrations of tiny particles that penetrate deep into the lungs climbed as high as 24 times levels recommended by the World Health Org
  
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• Huge crocodile trapped by wheelie bin barricade after appearing in Queensland backyard

  02-01-2017 03:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Karumba locals use improvised barricades to corral the 3.5m saltwater crocodile, which made an unwelcome appearance on New Year’s EveLocals in a small north Queensland fishing town improvised with rubbish bins and hay bales to corral a 3.5m crocodile who wandered into their midst on New Year’s Eve.The crocodile kept police and residents in Karumba, on the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria, on high alert for most of Saturday until environment department officials arrived from Cairns,
  
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• The five innovations that shaped sustainability in 2016

  02-01-2017 00:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From edible cutlery to drone vaccines, we celebrate the technologies and innovations that promise to advance sustainability efforts in the years aheadIt’s been a rollercoaster of a year. In the world of sustainability alone, we saw the landmark Paris climate change agreement come into force; learned how rising temperatures in the Arctic are negatively impacting local residents; and watched as the world’s top conservationists mourned the declining state of Australia’s Great Barr
  
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