Environment news

• Gene Cernan, last man to walk on Moon, dies aged 82

  16-01-2017 23:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US astronaut Gene Cernan, commander of Apollo 17, has died, his family and Nasa announce.
  
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• How airlines can fly around new carbon rules

  16-01-2017 22:30
  
  Aircraft are gradually becoming more fuel efficient, but that’s not happening fast enough to keep up with the boom in flyingThe world’s airline industry adds to climate change. It burns the equivalent of more than 5m barrels of oil a day, adding up to around 2.5% of all carbon dioxide pollution, in addition to nitrogen oxides, soot and water vapour, which place an even bigger burden on the world’s climate.Aircraft are gradually becoming more fuel efficient, but that’s not
  
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• Venus wave may be Solar System's biggest

  16-01-2017 20:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A giant wave in the atmosphere of Venus may be the biggest of its kind in the Solar System.
  
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• Oil up on Saudi commitment to cut; U.S. output seen rising

  16-01-2017 20:07
  By Ethan Lou CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Oil prices were up on Monday, buoyed by Saudi commitments to reducing production, even as U.S. output is expected to increase again this year. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has agreed to cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to 32.5 million bpd from Jan. 1 in an attempt to clear a global oversupply that has depressed prices for more than two years. Russia and other key exporters outside OPEC have said they wil
  
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• We need a Ladybird book of climate change deniers | Patrick Barkham

  16-01-2017 19:28
  
  Prince Charles has been signed up by the publishers to write an expert’s book. But maybe readers nowadays prefer spoofsMy twins are “studying” Jack and the Beanstalk, and I’ve just packed them off to school with my battered copy of Ladybird’s Well-Loved Tales.I’ve collected a few old Ladybirds from car boot sales because they are beautiful and nostalgic, hailing from a time when truths were simpler and there was faith in the future. My favourite is The Story o
  
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• Trump team moving away from supporters on climate science

  16-01-2017 18:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The incoming Trump administration accepts far more of the research on climate change than many of their political supporters, say British scientists.
  
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• 'Pragmatic' Trump might be persuaded on climate action - UK scientists

  16-01-2017 18:30
  By Laurie Goering LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Donald Trump's administration, heavy with fossil fuel industry backers, could cause major damage to efforts to deal with climate change through measures such as cutting access to satellite data for weather forecasting and climate research, scientists warned Monday. It also appears increasingly unlikely he will pull the United States out of major international bodies dealing with climate change, though he may cut funding for them, the scient
  
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• Jersey monitors threat from toxic sea lettuce fumes

  16-01-2017 18:12
  
  Channel Island’s authorities considering measures to protect people from coastal algae linked to death of jogger in FranceAuthorities in the Channel Islands are looking at ways to protect residents and visitors from toxic beach gases after the death of a jogger in France that has been linked to the fumes from rotting seaweed.The government of Jersey said on Monday it was considering the installation of devices to check gas levels from deposits of sea lettuce. Warning signs could also be er
  
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• Ice crack to put UK Antarctic base in shut-down

  16-01-2017 17:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The British Antarctic Survey is pulling all staff out of the space-age Halley base in March because of a big crack in nearby ice.
  
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• Tesla allows self-driving cars to break speed limit, again

  16-01-2017 17:12
  
  Drivers of the electronic cars will again be able to set the self-driving features to break the speed limit, even on undivided roadsTesla owners will be able to ask the robot that drives their car to break the speed limit, again, following a software update pushed out to users over the weekend.The new software changes the way the autopilot function works on Tesla cars equipped with it. The brand covers a suite of advanced safety features, from lane assist, which keeps the car in the correct lane
  
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• Paris vehicle pollution sticker scheme comes into force

  16-01-2017 16:52
  
  Police checks last week found only one in 50 vehicles stopped had sticker despite them being available since JulyDrivers in Paris must display an anti-pollution sticker in their vehicles or face fines in the latest attempt by the French authorities to improve air quality.The sticker scheme, which became mandatory on Monday, includes cars, lorries, motorcycles and scooters, and bans some vehicles from the city during weekdays. Continue reading...
  
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• Unilever commits to 100% recyclable plastic packaging by 2025

  16-01-2017 16:14
  
  On the same day that the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) unveiled a business-backed action plan to crack down on plastic waste, global consumer goods giant Unilever has made a bold new pledge to ensure that 100% of its plastic packaging is fully re-usable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
  
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• Study refutes how fruit flies developed alcohol tolerance

  16-01-2017 16:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  The common fruit fly, the tiny insect drawn to your beer or wine, has evolved to have an impressive tolerance for alcohol.More than two decades ago, in one of the first papers using gene sequences to find signatures of natural selection, scientists hypothesized that a molecular change in an enzyme gave the Drosophila melanogaster fruit fly species its superior ability to metabolize alcohol. Scientists concluded that the change they found in the Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) protein could be the ad
  
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• Genome sequence of a polar alga explains adaptation to extreme climates

  16-01-2017 16:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  An international team of researchers has identified the genetic mutations which allowed microalgae (phytoplankton) from the Southern Ocean to adapt to extreme and highly variable climates – a step towards understanding how polar organisms are impacted by climate change.
  
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• Water-energy-food: can leaders at Davos solve this global conundrum? | Dominic Waughray

  16-01-2017 15:47
  
  Huge demands for water present complicated challenges, but leaders will not resolve these kinds of interconnected risks without a systems approachProducing electricity from coal, gas and oil is a surprisingly thirsty business. The United States needs around 731,920 million litres a day (161,000m gallons) to produce and burn the nearly 900m tonnes of coal it uses each year to generate just a third of the nation’s electricity.In India, plans to produce 500 gigawatts of coal-fired electricity
  
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• Oil prices under pressure on doubts over output cuts

  16-01-2017 15:27
  By Christopher Johnson and Julia Payne LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices were under pressure on Monday due to doubts that large oil producers will reduce production as promised and on expectations that U.S. production would increase again this year. Benchmark Brent crude oil was up 8 cents a barrel at $55.53 after being down for most of the day by 1416 GMT and U.S. light crude was flat at $52.37 a barrel. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has agreed to cut production by 1.
  
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• Battery with inbuilt 'fire extinguisher' developed

  16-01-2017 15:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Flames from an exploding battery were put out in less than half a second during tests.
  
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• Courtauld Commitment signatories aim to double food redistribution output

  16-01-2017 14:43
  
  Signatories of the flagship Courtauld Commitment are aiming to double the amount of surplus food that is redistributed across the UK, which has seen Waitrose agree to a new surplus food redistribution trial with social enterprise charity FareShare.
  
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• Saudi pledges adherence to oil cut, confident others will

  16-01-2017 14:36
  By Rania El Gamal and Maha El Dahan ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will adhere strictly to its commitment to cut output under the global agreement among oil producers, its energy minister said on Monday, expressing confidence that OPEC's plan to prop up prices would work. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, speaking at an industry event in Abu Dhabi, also said he was encouraged by signs of commitments by other participants in the deal since it took effect on Jan. 1. Compliance with the de
  
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• Dutch Trains Are World's First to Run on 100% Wind Power

  16-01-2017 14:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Netherlands, aka Windmill Country, is now operating 100 percent of its electric trains with wind energy.As of Jan. 1, 600,000 daily train passengers have been traveling completely carbon neutral, according to an announcement from the Netherlands’ principal passenger railway operator, NS.
  
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• Scientists highlight the critical role of birds in forest regeneration

  16-01-2017 14:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  The loss of birds could significantly impact efforts to combat deforestation, according to research from scientists looking at species across the Brazilian Amazon. 
  
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• Oslo temporarily bans diesel cars to combat pollution

  16-01-2017 13:48
  
  Norway’s two-day city centre ban angers motorists who were encouraged to buy diesel cars in 2006Oslo will ban diesel cars from the road for at least two days this week to combat rising air pollution, angering some motorists after they were urged to buy diesel cars a few years ago.The ban, announced by the city late Sunday, will go into effect on Tuesday on municipal roads but will not apply on the national motorways that cross the Norwegian capital. Better atmospheric conditions are expect
  
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• UK export agency signs first loan deal in Africa for Ghana energy project

  16-01-2017 13:30
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's credit export agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF), signed its first direct loan deal in Africa on Monday, providing $310 million (257.35 million pounds) to GE Oil & Gas to supply equipment for an oil and gas project in Ghana. UKEF's loan and credit facility is part of a wider $1.35 billion financing for the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) project, developed by Eni , Vitol Ghana Upstream [VITOLV.UL] and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. The $7.9 billion pro
  
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• New Plastics Economy: Businesses support action plan to recycle 70% of global plastic packaging

  16-01-2017 13:29
  
  A cross-sector coalition of multinational businesses have today (16 January) thrown their weight behind the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's new global action plan to recycle and re-use 70% of the world's plastic packaging.
  
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• UK wave power far too costly, warns energy research body

  16-01-2017 13:23
  
  ETI says technology is 10 times dearer than other low carbon power sources and UK should prioritise tidal streamAn embryonic industry trying to harness the UK’s waves to generate clean electricity has been dealt a significant blow by a warning that the technology is too costly.Wave power devices being tested in Cornwall and at Orkney are 10 times more expensive than other sources of low carbon power and need a radical rethink, the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) said. Continue reading.
  
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• Theresa May urged to commit to $12trn SDG opportunity

  16-01-2017 12:18
  
  More than 80 global firms including Unilever, Coca-Cola and BT have called on Prime Minister Theresa May to demonstrate commitment to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); on the same day that research revealed that the Goals could add $12trn to the global economy.
  
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• China's Sinochem chief dismisses ChemChina merger reports as 'rumour'

  16-01-2017 12:12
  Media reports of a merger of Chinese state-owned chemical firms Sinochem Group and ChemChina, which is finalising a $43 billion takeover of Swiss pesticides and seed group Syngenta are just rumours, Sinochem Group Chairman Ning Gaoning said. Sources told Reuters in October that Sinochem and ChemChina were in discussions about a possible merger to create a chemicals, fertiliser and oil giant with almost $100 billion in annual revenue. "No, no, it has been a rumour for a long while," said Sinochem
  
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• New year, new direction: ESA chairman Stewart Davies outlines circular economy prospects for 2017

  16-01-2017 12:00
  
  At the start of a year that offers much hope and expectation for green businesses, edie sits down with Stewart Davies, the new chairman of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), to discuss his thoughts on the year ahead for nation's circular economy progress.
  
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• New studies show Rex Tillerson is wrong about climate risks | Dana Nuccitelli

  16-01-2017 12:00
  
  The remaining climate change uncertainties point toward higher risks and greater urgency for action
  President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State – and until recently the CEO of ExxonMobil – Rex Tillerson was given a confirmation hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week. In his testimony, Tillerson accepted the reality of human-caused global warming and that “The risk of climate change does exist and the consequences of it could be serio
  
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• Montenegro’s pristine Lake Skadar threatened by new resort

  16-01-2017 12:00
  
  Tourism in Montenegro is booming, but the approval of plans for a new ‘eco-resort’ has led to protests from conservationists who fear it will threaten a stunning national parkLike its Adriatic neighbour Croatia, Montenegro is a rapidly-growing travel destination: in 2016 there were nearly 1.5 million visits from international tourists – up 6.9% on 2015. But although the country is known for eco-tourism and as a “soft adventure” hotspot, tourism development hasn&rsqu
  
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• UK to test Fiat Chrysler Jeep model after U.S. emission accusations

  16-01-2017 11:11
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday it will carry out tests on the Jeep Grand Cherokee model following U.S. accusations carmaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles mislead regulators on diesel car emissions. "We have instructed our Market Surveillance Unit to undertake testing on one of these vehicles at the earliest opportunity," a spokesman at the Department for Transport said. FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne has angrily rejected the allegations, saying there was no wrongdoing and FCA never
  
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• Iran oil minister certain that oil prices will rise - Mehr

  16-01-2017 10:57
  Iran's oil minister said that he was confident the OPEC and non-OPEC members would commit to the output cut deal agreed in November, noting that prices of oil would rise further as a result. "I am certain that the OPEC and non-OPEC members will cut oil output as committed. This will remove the oil surplus from the market, balance the demand and supply, and lift prices," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.
  
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• Oil prices slip on doubts over output cuts

  16-01-2017 10:28
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Monday, pressured by doubts that large oil producers will reduce production as promised and on expectations that U.S. production would increase again this year. Benchmark Brent crude oil was down 10 cents a barrel at $55.35 by 0915 GMT and U.S. light crude fell 10 cents to $52.27. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has agreed to cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to 32.5 million bpd from Ja
  
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• Japan criticised after whale slaughtered in Australian waters

  16-01-2017 09:35
  
  Australia’s environment minister says government ‘deeply disappointed’ after Sea Shepherd photos show minke whale killing in Antarctic sanctuaryAustralia’s federal environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, has criticised Japan following the release of photographs allegedly showing the slaughtering of protected whales inside Australia’s Antarctic whale sanctuary. Frydenberg’s statement came as conservationists called for tougher action from Australia. Continue rea
  
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• Oil prices steady on weaker dollar, but doubts over output cuts linger

  16-01-2017 09:09
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices were steady on Monday, supported by a weaker dollar, although doubts that OPEC and other producers would fully implement announced crude output cuts held the market back. Brent crude futures , the international benchmark for oil prices, were trading at $55.40 per barrel at 0758 GMT, within 0.1 percent from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $52.32 a barrel, also within 0.1 percent of their last settleme
  
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• China's booming middle class drives Asia's toxic e-waste mountains

  16-01-2017 07:00
  
  Sharp rise in discarded electronic goods is generating millions of tonnes of hazardous waste, putting pressure on valuable resources and the environment, study showsAsia’s mountains of hazardous electronic trash, or e-waste, are growing rapidly, new research reveals, with China leading the way. A record 16m tonnes of electronic trash, containing both toxic and valuable materials, were generated in a single year – up 63% in five years, new analysis looking at 12 countries in east and
  
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• The geological oddity that is Sarn Wallog

  16-01-2017 06:30
  
  Cardigan Bay, Ceredigion Made up of rounded cobbles graded in size, this ‘causeway’ looks beguilingly like the work of our ancestorsThe amount of ice on the narrow footpath came as a surprise. Hidden from the sun on the south side of the valley, it had probably accumulated over a number of days – along with the layered, crusted frost on the nearby vegetation. Few people seemed to have walked this stretch of the Wales coast path recently; a fox crossing the track ahead and a bri
  
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• Geothermal cooling, cycle paths and jobs: what does it take to get six green stars?

  16-01-2017 03:35
  
  Creating a sustainable community is about more than solar energy and recycled water, says the Green Building CouncilWith murder rates double, and robbery rates three times, the state average, the Sydney suburb of Blacktown is not an obvious choice as a world leader of sustainable living. But, in 2016, a new master-planned estate in the suburb became the first residential community in New South Wales to be awarded a top, six-star Green Star community rating by the Green Building Council of Austra
  
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• Kitesurfer has near miss with great white shark – video

  16-01-2017 02:23
  
  This video taken from a drone shows travel blogger Isabelle Fabre’s close encounter with a great white shark while kitesurfing off the West Australian coast. Fabre explains that she initially thought the shadow under her board was from her kite, and then that it was a dolphin. ‘I heard Cyril shouting “Shark! Isabelle, get out!” He saw everything through the drone and he thought I was done’ Continue reading...
  
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• Kitesurfer has close encounter with great white shark – video

  16-01-2017 02:23
  
  This video taken from a drone shows travel blogger Isabelle Fabre’s close encounter with a great white shark while kitesurfing off the West Australian coast. Fabre explains that she initially thought the shadow under her board was from her kite, and then that it was a dolphin. ‘I heard Cyril shouting “Shark! Isabelle, get out!” He saw everything through the drone and he thought I was done’ Continue reading...
  
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• Australia disappointed by Japan's continued whale hunt in Southern Ocean

  16-01-2017 02:21
  Australia said on Monday it was "deeply disappointed" Japan had continued whaling in the Southern Ocean after anti-whaling activists published a photograph of a dead whale and two days after Australian and Japanese leaders discussed the issue. Australia has long opposed Japanese whaling and the contentious issue was raised in talks between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sydney on Saturday, said sources familiar with the talks. "The Australian government
  
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• Frydenberg criticises Japan after whale slaughtered in Australian waters

  16-01-2017 02:08
  
  Environment minister says government ‘deeply disappointed’ after Sea Shepherd photos show minke whale killing in Antarctic sanctuaryThe federal environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, has criticised Japan following the release of photographs allegedly showing the slaughtering of protected whales inside Australia’s Antarctic whale sanctuary. Frydenberg’s statement came as conservationists called for tougher action from Australia. Continue reading...
  
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• Oil prices edge up on weaker dollar, expected crude output cuts

  16-01-2017 01:57
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices inched up on Monday, supported by a weaker dollar and expectations that OPEC and other producers will cut output as part of a deal to curb global oversupply. Brent crude futures , the international benchmark for oil prices, were trading at $55.55 per barrel at 0035 GMT, up 10 cents from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 9 cents at $52.46 a barrel.
  
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• Koalas are at the centre of a perfect storm. The species is slipping away | Kevin Evans

  16-01-2017 01:04
  
  Australia is one of the worst performing countries in terms of protecting its ecoregions. Koalas are a litmus test for conservation of a habitat in crisis
  In 2016 koalas were sighted for the first time in decades at Mount Kembla, Wollongong and in Kosciuszko national park in New South Wales. Although these sightings are a source of hope, it’s important we don’t get lulled into a false sense of security about the extent to which nature, including koalas, is threatened in Australia. We
  
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• Leading scientists urge May to pressure Trump over climate change

  16-01-2017 01:01
  
  Scientists warn Trump may ‘severely weaken’ climate research, but say UK ready to expand its work in area, offering jobs to disaffected US researchersLeading scientists have asked the prime minister to urge president-elect Donald Trump to acknowledge the risks of climate change and declare his support for international efforts to combat global warming.One hundred researchers, including many of the most prominent climate scientists in Britain, have written to Theresa May to warn her o
  
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