Environment news

• Short-lived greenhouse gases cause centuries of sea-level rise

  09-01-2017 23:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  Even if there comes a day when the world completely stops emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, coastal regions and island nations will continue to experience rising sea levels for centuries afterward, according to a new study by researchers at MIT and Simon Fraser University.In a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers report that warming from short-lived compounds — greenhouse gases such as methane, chlorofluorocarbo
  
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• How time and tide put paid to Dunwich

  09-01-2017 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Dunwich was the capital of the Kingdom of the East Angles and boasted a rich and growing population. What could go wrong?Today, there is almost nothing to be seen. But at the time of the Norman conquest, Dunwich, on the Suffolk coast, was a thriving port, second only to London in terms of trade and importance. It was the capital of the Kingdom of the East Angles, and boasted a rich and growing population. What could possibly go wrong?Then, on the night of 1 January 1286, a huge storm surge swept
  
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• Indian Point nuclear plant in New York will close after dozens of 'safety events'

  09-01-2017 22:02 via theguardian.com
  
  New York City secured agreement with facility’s operator for shutdown in about four years, following radioactive leak that contaminated groundwater last yearThe Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York, which last year leaked radioactive material into groundwater near New York City, will close by April 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday.Related: New York investigates radioactive leak in groundwater near cityContinue reading...
  
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• Oil down 4 percent on concerns over rising Iraqi exports, U.S. output

  09-01-2017 21:23
  By Catherine Ngai NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled by 4 percent on Monday on concern that record Iraqi crude exports and rising U.S. output would undermine OPEC's efforts to curb global oversupply. U.S. crude futures settled down $2.03 at $51.96 a barrel, while Brent futures settled down $2.16 at $54.94 a barrel. In Iraq, OPEC's second-biggest producer, oil exports from the southern Basra ports reached a record high of 3.51 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, the oil ministry said.
  
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• Fracking concerns must be listened to | Letters

  09-01-2017 20:57 via theguardian.com
  
  As public health researchers we noted your article on fracking (Friends of the Earth ticked off over claims in anti-fracking leaflet, 4 January) and wish to highlight the following: fracking operations involve pumping millions of litres of water containing fracking fluids underground and a small percentage of wastewater contains returned fracking fluids. Estimates vary depending on geological conditions but recent research suggests typically 4-8%. It is well established in peer-reviewed studies
  
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• Desperate exodus of the climate refugees | Letters

  09-01-2017 20:57 via theguardian.com
  
  In the last six years, some 140 million people have been forced to move because of climate-related disasters (Mongolian herders fly steppe blighted by climate extremes and social change, 5 January). Climate change is driving long-term environmental damage and sudden catastrophes, presenting a global long-term threat to human security. According to the UN, by mid-century, one in 30 people could be displaced, many as a result of climate change. Existing global inequalities are exacerbated by the i
  
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• Green Investment Bank sale should raise red flags for Theresa May

  09-01-2017 20:53 via theguardian.com
  
  The UK government is powerless to stop Australia’s Macquarie from selling off assets and using the proceeds elsewhereWhen it was launched by the coalition government in 2012, the Green Investment Bank seemed to be George Osborne’s sop to the Liberal Democrats and their heretical ideas about industrial strategies.A state-funded bank that isn’t a bank – GIB is an investor in hard-to-finance green projects – didn’t sound like an adventure that would carry the lon
  
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• US plan on threatened polar bears lacks teeth, critics say

  09-01-2017 20:30
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its plan Monday for the recovery of threatened polar bears, acknowledging it will take no direct action for addressing the primary threat — greenhouse gases that contribute to the decline of sea ice habitat.
  
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• Obama says shift to green energy is 'irreversible' despite Trump

  09-01-2017 19:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Renewable energy will continue to grow in the US despite the antipathy of the incoming Trump administration.
  
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• 'Game-changing' coffee cup project to provide retailers with cost-effective recycling service

  09-01-2017 19:42
  The UK could be set for a coffee cup recycling revolution as British paper cup recycler Simply Cups has thrown its weight behind a project that provides businesses and consumers with a cup that can be recycled at traditional paper mills.
  
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• 'Caterpillar' Robot Wriggles to Get Around

  09-01-2017 18:51
  
  "I believe that this kind of robot is very suitable for our living environment, since the softness of the body can guarantee our safety when we are interacting with the robots," said lead study author Takuya Umedachi, now a project lecturer in the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo. However, soft materials easily deform into complex shapes that make them difficult to control when conventional robotics techniques are used, according to Umedachi and hi
  
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• Obama puts pressure on Trump to adhere to US climate change strategy

  09-01-2017 18:31 via theguardian.com
  
  The US president has been writing for academic journals to pre-empt arguments Trump or Republicans are likely to use to roll back his key accomplishmentsBarack Obama called the adoption of clean energy in the US “irreversible” on Monday, putting pressure on his successor, Donald Trump, not to back away from a core strategy to fight climate change.Obama, penning an opinion article in the journal Science, sought to frame the argument in a way that might appeal to the president-elect: i
  
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• Climate Change Could Trigger Collapse of Major Ocean Current

  09-01-2017 18:31
  
  The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a deep-sea system that circulates warm water and helps to regulate Earth's climate, is far less stable than scientists once thought, according to a new study. Under climate-change pressures such as dramatic increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), the AMOC could even collapse entirely, resulting in a much colder Northern Hemisphere and a wetter tropical Atlantic region.
  
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• Oil down 3 pct on concerns over rising Iraqi exports, U.S. output

  09-01-2017 18:09
  By Catherine Ngai NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled by 3 percent on Monday on concern that record Iraqi crude exports and rising U.S. output would undermine OPEC's efforts to curb global oversupply. U.S. crude futures were trading at $52.36 a barrel, down $1.63 at 11:47 a.m. ET (1646 GMT). In Iraq, OPEC's second-biggest producer, oil exports from the southern Basra ports reached a record high of 3.51 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, the oil ministry said.
  
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• Huge Lava Collapse Rings in Hawaii's New Year

  09-01-2017 18:06
  
  A lava delta — an expanse of unstable rocky terrain formed by cooled lava — in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park collapsed suddenly into the ocean on New Year's Eve, creating a spectacle of volcanic ash, steam and gas to mark the end of 2016. The 26-acre (11 hectares) delta was created by a recent and massive lava flow from the Kilauea volcano pouring into the sea. The feature's collapse produced towering plumes of ash and sent large waves washing over and eroding the nearby sea cliff,
  
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• Crystallization method offers new option for carbon capture from ambient air

  09-01-2017 18:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have found a simple, reliable process to capture carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, offering a new option for carbon capture and storage strategies to combat global warming. 
  
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• Cat–astrophe! Feral Cats Have Invaded Nearly 100% of Australia

  09-01-2017 18:03
  
  A new study finds that feral cats inhabit 99.8 percent of the continent's landmass, including 80 percent of the land that makes up its islands. Feral cats have long been recognized as a grave and widespread threat to vulnerable native wildlife — particularly in Australia, where species found nowhere else in the world are ill-equipped to deal with these invasive and deadly predators. European explorers first introduced cats to Australia in the 18th century.
  
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• U of T researchers find plants evolving to adapt to urbanization-driven environmental conditions

  09-01-2017 17:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  A tiny plant is providing big clues about how urbanization is driving the evolution of living organisms.New research from U of T reveals the first evidence that the common white clover changes genetically to adapt to urban environments.
  
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• Tilikum and Granny are dead. Here’s why you should care about these killer whales | Patrick Barkham

  09-01-2017 17:47 via theguardian.com
  
  The documentary Blackfish challenged attitudes to our treatment of orcas, but these deaths should warn against complacencyTwo more public figures passed on last week: an impressive centenarian and community leader; and a killer serving life imprisonment. They taught us about one of the planet’s most intelligent creatures, and our own capacity for love and cruelty.Granny, the matriarch of a wild orca population close to Vancouver and Seattle, may have been as old as 105. She was studied for
  
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• US plans to save polar bears are toothless, says climate scientist

  09-01-2017 17:32 via theguardian.com
  
  US strategy offers no direct action to address threat of greenhouse gases on decline of sea ice habitatThe US Fish and Wildlife Service has released its plan for the recovery of threatened polar bears, acknowledging it will take no direct action to address the primary threat of greenhouse gases on the decline of sea ice habitat. Related: This is the polar bear capital of the world, but the snow has goneContinue reading...
  
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• An ecological invasion mimics a drunken walk

  09-01-2017 17:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  A theory that uses the mathematics of a drunken walk describes ecological invasions better than waves, according to Tim Reluga, associate professor of mathematics and biology, Penn State.
  
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• Climate change and farming: let's be part of the solution!

  09-01-2017 17:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  What with rising rainfall in the west, and hotter, drier summers in the east, British farmers place plenty of challenges from global warming, writes Anna Bowen. But there are also positive opportunities for agricultural innovators to adapt their farming systems to changing conditions, make their operations more resilient and sustainable, and make themselves part of the solution.
  
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• Mother-baby bonding insight revealed

  09-01-2017 17:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists say mothers hold babies on the left to help in bonding - and this is not unique to humans.
  
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• Halt GIB sale to prevent asset stripping, says Barker

  09-01-2017 15:57
  
  The Government should halt the sale of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) to prevent it being broken up and stripped of assets, former Energy Minister Greg Barker has insisted.
  
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• NOAA releases draft plans for proposed marine sanctuaries in Wisconsin and Maryland

  09-01-2017 15:54 via feedproxy.google.com
  January 6, 2017 The public will be able to weigh in beginning Monday, January 9, on two proposals for new NOAA national marine sanctuaries in Wisconsin and Maryland that would protect nationally significant shipwrecks.
  
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• US announces polar bear plan; critics call it toothless

  09-01-2017 15:21
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its plan Monday for the recovery of threatened polar bears, acknowledging it will take no direct action for addressing the primary threat — greenhouse gases that contribute to the decline of sea ice habitat.
  
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• The old oak: a year in the life of a tree – photo essay

  09-01-2017 15:15 via theguardian.com
  
  The seasons change, but the tree remains: Christopher Thomond has been photographing a single, 200-year-old Lancashire oak throughout 2016When Guardian photographer Chris Thomond volunteered to spend a year photographing a tree, he spent “a mad couple of weeks auditioning trees” – sending photos of them to his picture editors. “Many were an hour away from my home and we realised we needed something nearby. As I was driving along one day, 10 minutes from my house on the ed
  
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• Sustainability Leaders Awards 2017: Meet the finalists

  09-01-2017 14:00
  
  edie brings you a unique insight into the fast-expanding green business community, with a new report which summarises the various businesses, initiatives, teams and individuals that have been shortlisted as finalists for edie's 2017 Sustainability Leaders Awards.
  
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• Frosts kill dozens in central Europe, smog forces production cuts

  09-01-2017 14:00
  The Danube river was slowly freezing over in Budapest, a rare sight in recent years. Air pollution, mostly from airborne dust particles, forced production cutbacks at large polluters in the Czech Republic and Poland. In Poland, 17 people died of the cold over the weekend, according to the Government Centre for Security, bringing the death toll since November to 65.
  
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• London councils commence innovative solar battery project and LED retrofit

  09-01-2017 13:59
  
  Councils across London are kick-starting the capital's 'smart city' transformation, with a new LED retrofit backed by the Green Investment Bank (GIB) and an innovative solar battery project set to commence.
  
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• Oil down on concerns rising U.S. production could dampen output cut deal

  09-01-2017 13:44
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell 2 percent on Monday as signs of growing U.S. production outweighed optimism that many other producers, including Russia, were sticking to a deal to cut supplies in a bid to bolster the market. U.S. crude futures were trading at $52.99 per barrel, down $1, or 1.9 percent, compared with a session low of $52.85. "We see the optimism surrounding OPEC and non-OPEC production cuts being counterbalanced by fears of higher U.S. crude production as the higher
  
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• Dams be damned, let the world's rivers flow again | Kate Horner

  09-01-2017 13:29 via theguardian.com
  
  The flawed development model of dam-building has continued around the world. It’s time to give permanent protection to free-flowing rivers
  Fifty years ago, environmentalists and dam builders in the United States were locked in a bitter battle. Dam building had swept the nation in the 1940s and 1950s, blocking and impounding some of the most important rivers of the American west. On the Snake river (where controversies about dams continue to this day), dam construction had led to a massive
  
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• Oil companies may boost E&P spending after two years of declines - Barclays

  09-01-2017 13:27
  (Reuters) - Global oil and gas companies are expected to raise exploration and production (E&P) spending in 2017 by 7 percent, marking the first increase in three years, Barclays said on Monday. Oil prices have recovered after a more than two-year slump caused by a glut due to U.S. shale oil flooding the market. Prices have risen about 21 percent since the OPEC, which accounts for a third of global oil output, signed an agreement in November to curb supply.
  
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• Yes, let’s send home those ‘expat’ species. Starting with donkeys and rabbits | Jules Howard

  09-01-2017 13:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Calls in the press for British ecosystems for British wildlife are ridiculous. They tell us more about readers’ attitudes than scienceFirst, a confession. Many years ago, I worked as a press officer for a small national wildlife charity. I found this quite a challenging job at the time, not least because the creatures whose declining fortunes I was promoting were frogs and toads, and national news editors have far less interest in frogs and toads than you might imagine. For many years, whi
  
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• Oil slips on concerns U.S. production is rising

  09-01-2017 12:44
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell on Monday as signs of growing U.S. production outweighed optimism that many other producers, including Russia, were sticking to a deal to cut supplies in a bid to bolster the market. U.S. crude futures were trading at $53.11 per barrel, down 88 cents. "We see the optimism surrounding OPEC and non-OPEC production cuts being counterbalanced by fears of higher U.S. crude production as the higher rig count of last Friday still weighs," said Hans van Clee
  
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• UK wind energy surpasses coal generation for first time

  09-01-2017 12:40
  
  The UK made history 2016, with new analysis revealing that energy from wind turbines dwarfed energy sourced from coal power stations for the first time ever.
  
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• Dieselgate: UK motorists file class-action suit against VW

  09-01-2017 12:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Greenpeace and Which? welcome move by 10,000 Volkswagen owners for £3,000 in compensation as carmaker faces bill as high as £3.6bnThousands of British motorists have launched a lawsuit against Volkswagen over the “dieselgate” emissions scandal, in a claim that could end up costing the carmaker billions of pounds.The group of 10,000 VW owners has filed a class action lawsuit against the German car firm, seeking £30m, or £3,000 each. Continue reading...
  
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• Oil slips $1 on concerns U.S. production is rising

  09-01-2017 11:20
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell by $1 a barrel on Monday as signs of growing U.S. production outweighed optimism that many other producers, including Russia, were sticking to a deal to cut supplies in a bid to bolster the market. A stronger U.S. dollar also weighed as the currency surge made it more expensive to hold dollar-denominated commodities. U.S. crude futures were trading at $52.99 per barrel, down $1, or 1.85 percent.
  
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• 'Dysfunctional' circular economy system leads to £72m Christmas waste costs

  09-01-2017 10:42
  
  England needs a more consistent recycling system that works for all companies and is fairer to local authorities, according to a new business-led report which reveals that waste packaging and food leftovers from the Christmas period will have cost councils £72m.
  
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• Dieselgate: UK motorists launch class-action suit against VW

  09-01-2017 10:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Group of 10,000 Volkswagen owners seek £3,000 each for emissions scandal with carmaker facing potential £3.6bn bill if all owners are compensatedThousands of British motorists have launched a lawsuit against Volkswagen over the “dieselgate” emissions scandal, in a claim that could end up costing the carmaker billions of pounds.The group of 10,000 VW owners has filed a class action lawsuit against the German car firm, seeking £30m, or £3,000 each. Continue read
  
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• Oil prices fall as Iran's exports surge, U.S. adds more rigs

  09-01-2017 09:09
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Monday as increased exports from Iran undermined efforts by other oil producers to curb a global fuel supply overhang and as U.S. drillers increased activity for a 10th straight week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading at $53.59 per barrel, down 40 cents, or 0.74 percent. The lower prices were a result of rising exports from Iran that come just as other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
  
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• Oil prices fall as Iran crude tanker exports surge, U.S. adds more rigs

  09-01-2017 06:39
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Monday as increased exports from Iran undermined efforts by other oil producers to curb a global fuel supply overhang and as U.S. drillers increased activity for a 10th straight week. Brent crude futures , the international benchmark for oil prices, were trading at $56.84 per barrel at 0535 GMT, down 26 cents from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $53.70 per barrel, down 29 cents.
  
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• Rebirth of a native woodland

  09-01-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Windermere, Lake District The wood is coming back to life, aided by a man on a missionNot everyone’s idea of a retirement present, perhaps, but three years ago Hamish Ross bought himself a wood to the east of Windermere, roughly triangular and bordered by a dry-stone wall. “The first thing we did was fix the walls and put up a deer-proof fence,” he said, leading me through the new gate. “They’d been getting in for decades – eaten everything. The under-storey h
  
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• Beijing creates anti-smog police to tackle air polluters

  09-01-2017 05:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Force will patrol streets looking for rules violations including open-air barbecues, rubbish burning and dusty roads Beijing will create an environmental police force aimed at tackling deadly smog, after the Chinese capital spent the first week of 2017 mostly shrouded in a thick haze of pollution.
  The new law enforcement outfit will patrol the streets, eyes peeled for open-air barbecues, trash burning and dusty roads that violate regulations, the city’s acting mayor Cai Qi said at the week
  
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• Oil prices fall as Iranian crude tanker exports surge, U.S. adds more rigs

  09-01-2017 01:40
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell early on Monday as Iran increased exports undermining efforts by other oil producers to curb a global fuel supply overhang and as U.S. drillers increased activity for a 10th week. Brent crude futures , the international benchmark for oil prices, were trading at $56.97 per barrel at 0019 GMT, down 13 cents from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $53.79 per barrel, down 20 cents.
  
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