Environment news

• Arctic ice forecasters help subs come up for air

  02-02-2017 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  As the ice melts, the race is on to exploit Arctic resources. And that means more claustrophobic submarine operationsDiminishing ice cover has increased political and economic competition for resources inside the Arctic Circle. This means more submarine operations, which are doubly claustrophobia-inducing, as a sub can only surface where the ice is comparatively thin. In an emergency, finding the nearest hole in the ice is essential, and this has spurred the development of a new type of forecast
  
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• Oil edges down as market downplays U.S.-Iran missile test dispute

  02-02-2017 21:42
  By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower on Thursday, giving back early gains as traders grew less concerned about tensions between the United States and Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday in a tweet that Iran had been "put on notice" after the country tested a ballistic missile. In morning trade, crude prices briefly climbed to their highest levels since early January due in part to the tough talk over the missile test since the possibility of a confrontatio
  
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• Scientists record breach in magnetic field

  02-02-2017 20:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists in India have recorded the events that unfolded after the Earth's magnetic shield was breached.
  
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• Life-cycle assessment study provides detailed look at decentralized water systems

  02-02-2017 20:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  The “decentralized” water system at the Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL) at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, which treats all non-potable water on site, contributes to the net-zero building’s recognition as one of the greenest buildings in the world. However, research into the efficacy of these systems versus traditional treatment is practically non-existent in the literature. Thanks to a collaboration between Phipps and the University of Pittsbu
  
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• Coal lobby's long game puts talking points into leaders' mouths | Graham Readfearn

  02-02-2017 20:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Climate science denier and veteran lobbyist Fred Palmer is proud of getting Australia to adopt the sector’s arguments on climate and povertyIf you’re a lobbyist or an industry advocate, then you know you’re winning when you hear your own talking points coming back at you through the mouths of ministers. Better still, if it’s the Australian prime minister.Continue reading...
  
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• Scientists Report on Latest Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Impacts

  02-02-2017 20:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  LSU scientists will present new research at the 2017 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference in New Orleans next week. These experts will be among hundreds of oil spill-related researchers from academia, state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and industry, who will share the latest oil spill and ecosystem scientific discoveries, innovations, technologies and policies on Feb. 6-9.
  
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• Plan to Reduce Air Pollution Chokes in Mexico City

  02-02-2017 20:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  Decades ago Mexico City’s air pollution was so poor, birds would fall out of the sky—dead. Locals said living there was like smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, according to one report.  In response, Mexico City took several steps to try to improve air quality including restricting driving one or two days during the weekdays. The program has had negligible results.In 2008, the city added driving restrictions on Saturdays in hopes of moving the needle but according to new
  
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• Republicans back off bill to sell 3.3m acres of public land after outcry

  02-02-2017 20:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Congressman Jason Chaffetz withdraws House bill 621 as conservationists and outdoorsmen vow to continue fight over similar legislationIn the small hours of Thursday morning, US congressman Jason Chaffetz announced that he would withdraw a bill he introduced last week that would have ordered the incoming secretary of the interior to immediately sell off 3.3m acres of national land. Chaffetz, a representative from Utah, wrote on Instagram that he had a change of heart in the face of strong opposit
  
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• Total's Pouyanne says earnings will show it is doing well versus peers

  02-02-2017 20:11
  By Bate Felix PARIS (Reuters) - French oil and gas major Total will post industry-leading 2016 earnings, Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne told France Info Radio on Thursday. Rival Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday it was close to selling assets totalling $5 billion to cut debt following its acquisition of BG Group, as it reported its lowest full-year earnings in more than a decade. Asked if Total will restart investments following the rebound in oil prices, Pouyanne said the company will keep i
  
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• Scientists hope wetland carbon storage experiment is everyone's cup of tea

  02-02-2017 20:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Citizen scientists are being sought for a project which will see tens of thousands of teabags buried in wetlands to monitor carbon sequestration Australian scientists have launched a project to bury tens of thousands of teabags in wetlands around the world. They are hoping others will sacrifice a few cups of tea and join in to discover how efficient different wetlands are at capturing and storing carbon dioxide.Lipton green tea and red tea “rooibos” varieties will be used in the proj
  
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• Chemicals company applies for first Scottish self-supply licence

  02-02-2017 18:21
  
  Earls Gate Water, a subsidiary of chemical company CalaChem, has become the first non-household water customer in Scotland to apply to provide its own retail services.
  
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• Citi sees oil majors carving out modest role in hedging

  02-02-2017 18:10
  Citigroup said investment banks will remain the main players in hedging energy products even though oil majors are carving out a role in the sector as some banks cut their exposure. Citi, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan are the top three banks active in commodities trading, while peers such as Barclays and Deutsche Bank have cut back following the 2007-9 financial crisis and the introduction of the Dodd-Frank regulations. Last year, oil major Royal Dutch Shell made a splash by becoming one of the fi
  
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• Oil little changed as market downplays U.S.-Iran missile test dispute

  02-02-2017 17:59
  By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were little changed in U.S. trade on Thursday, retracing early gains as traders grew less concerned about mounting tensions between the United States and Iran, but prices were still supported by evidence that OPEC and other big exporters were cutting production. "Traders seem to have concluded the dispute between the U.S. and Iran over a recent missile test represents more of a war of words than the start of a military confrontation that would pu
  
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• Shell says renegotiating Permian joint venture with Anadarko

  02-02-2017 17:57
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell and Anadarko Petroleum are renegotiating their five-year-old joint venture in the Permian shale basin in Texas, Shell Chief Financial Officer Simon Henry said on Thursday. The 50-50 JV in the Delaware basin, which expires this year, will likely see the operatorship of the asset "consolidated in a different way", Henry said in an earnings presentation to analysts. Henry also said that Shell's position in the Haynesville basin to the east of the P
  
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• NASA Scientist Studies Whether Solar Storms Cause Animal Beachings

  02-02-2017 17:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  A long-standing mystery among marine biologists is why otherwise healthy whales, dolphins, and porpoises — collectively known as cetaceans — end up getting stranded along coastal areas worldwide. Could severe solar storms, which affect Earth’s magnetic fields, be confusing their internal compasses and causing them to lose their way?
  
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• U.N.'s court says it can rule on Somalia-Kenya boundary case

  02-02-2017 17:30
  By Stephanie van den Berg THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The United Nations' highest court ruled on Thursday it has the authority to adjudicate in a maritime boundary dispute between Kenya and Somalia over stretches of the Indian Ocean potentially rich in oil and gas. Somalia asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to rule on the maritime boundaries between the two coastal nations in 2014 after negotiations over the 100,000 square kilometre stretch of sea floor broke down.
  
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• Car ban fails to curb air pollution in Mexico city

  02-02-2017 17:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Banning cars on Saturdays in a heavily polluted city hasn't made the air any cleaner according to new research.
  
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• Turbine Breaks World Record for Wind Power Generated in Just One Day

  02-02-2017 17:14 via feedproxy.google.com
  A 722-foot tall, 9-megawatt wind turbine operating at an offshore testing site near Østerild, Denmark has set a new world record for wind electricity generation. The V164 turbine, built by Danish energy company MHI Vestas, produced 216,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in just 24 hours, enough to power 240 U.S. homes for a month.
  
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• Toward all-solid lithium batteries

  02-02-2017 17:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  Most batteries are composed of two solid, electrochemically active layers called electrodes, separated by a polymer membrane infused with a liquid or gel electrolyte. But recent research has explored the possibility of all-solid-state batteries, in which the liquid (and potentially flammable) electrolyte would be replaced by a solid electrolyte, which could enhance the batteries’ energy density and safety.
  
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• Low level of oxygen in Earth's middle ages delayed evolution for two billion years

  02-02-2017 16:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  New research by the University of Exeter explains how oxygen was trapped at such low levels. Professor Tim Lenton and Dr Stuart Daines, of the University of Exeter Geography department, created a computer model to explain how oxygen stabilised at low levels and failed to rise any further, despite oxygen already being produced by early photosynthesis. Their research helps explain why the ‘Great Oxidation Event’, which introduced oxygen into the atmosphere around 2.
  
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• We need to talk about climate change – Guardian Members' exclusive podcast

  02-02-2017 16:45 via theguardian.com
  
  What will a Trump presidency mean for the future of the planet? In the first of our new monthly podcasts for Guardian members, in which expert panelists and journalists tackle your queries on the subjects you consider most pressing, we consider climate change policy in the Trump era. What should we expect – and what can we do about it? Welcome to the first podcast exclusively for Guardian Members. Every month we’ll be assembling a panel of experts and journalists to answer your quest
  
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• Trains plough through the waves on scenic UK line as storms approach

  02-02-2017 16:43
  DAWLISH, England (Reuters) - Throwing up spectacular showers of spray, trains braved the waves along one of Britain's most scenic rail stretches on Thursday, ahead of a weekend which could see widespread travel disruption from high winds. The line between Exeter and Plymouth at the seaside town of Dawlish in Devon, southwest England, is regularly pummelled by heavy seas and in 2014 was partially washed away when a storm destroyed a large section of sea wall. http://uk.reuters. ...
  
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• Brexit White Paper: Government underlines vision for 'cleaner, healthier environment'

  02-02-2017 16:06
  
  The UK Government has today (2 February) released its much-anticipated Brexit White Paper document, providing assurances that the nation will remain a "leading actor" on climate change and environmental policy following its imminent departure from the European Union (EU).
  
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• UK completes Antarctic Halley base relocation

  02-02-2017 15:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The British Antarctic Survey shifts its futuristic Halley base to keep it away from a watery grave.
  
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• Millennials view SUVs as leading choice for fuel-efficient vehicles

  02-02-2017 15:17
  
  Fresh from the announcement that Ford is commercialising a fully-electric SUV, a survey sponsored by the motor giant has revealed that millennials are making purchasing decisions based on the efficiency of a vehicle.
  
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• Galactic X-rays could point to dark matter proof

  02-02-2017 15:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A small but distinctive signal in X-rays from the Milky Way could be key to proving the existence of dark matter.
  
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• Shell nears another $5 billion in sales to ease debt load

  02-02-2017 14:37
  By Karolin Schaps and Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell is close to selling assets totalling $5 billion to cut debt following its acquisition of BG Group, the oil major said on Thursday as it reported its lowest full-year earnings in more than a decade. Dealmaking in the oil and gas sector has been muted for more than two years due to collapsing oil prices, but as crude prices recover buyers and sellers are starting to agree on price tags. For Shell, disposals of $3 billion (£
  
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• Crackdown on bush refineries unsettles Nigeria's oil heartland

  02-02-2017 14:28
  Nerves are on edge now that the military has started sending boats, jeeps and helicopters to destroy hundreds of such facilities in the country's main oil region. The government wants to prevent theft from oil company pipelines and so has turned its attention to shutting down the illicit refineries - makeshift, blackened structures of pipes and metal tanks hidden in oil-soaked clearings - that process the stolen crude. Authorities have spent the last eight months holding peace talks with the mil
  
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• Zeroing in on the chemistry of the air

  02-02-2017 14:14 via feedproxy.google.com
  We breathe it in and out every few seconds, yet the air that surrounds us has chemical activity and variations in its composition that are remarkably complex. Teasing out the mysterious behavior of the atmosphere’s constituents, including pollutants that may be present in tiny amounts but have big impacts, has been the driving goal of Jesse Kroll’s research.
  
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• An entrepreneurial approach to Egypt's water crisis

  02-02-2017 14:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  In Egypt, two out of five households do not have access to clean drinking water. This reality hit home for fourth-year entrepreneurship student Omar El Araby in December, when he visited the city of Asyut with Enactus Ryerson.
  
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• European Tree of the Year 2017 – vote for your favourite tree

  02-02-2017 13:52 via theguardian.com
  
  The Woodland Trust is calling on tree lovers to vote for their favourite entry in this year’s European contest that includes four British trees. The competition highlights the cultural importance of old trees and the need to protect them Continue reading...
  
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• Aurora Experiment Streaks Into Alaska's Sky on Small NASA Rocket (Photos)

  02-02-2017 13:41
  
  A sounding rocket flew successfully into the Alaskan sky Jan. 27 to track down nitric oxide, a byproduct of auroras (northern lights) that form in the region. The mission's goal was to see how much nitric oxide there is in the atmosphere, and how high it goes. Nitric oxide is generated during an aurora but is not "significantly destroyed" during the polar night, and under certain conditions it could make its way into the stratosphere and destroy ozone, NASA officials said in a statement.
  
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• Tetra Pak commits to science-based emissions target

  02-02-2017 13:28
  
  Swedish food processing and packaging company Tetra Pak has today (2 February) pledged to reduce emissions by 58% through a partnership with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBT).
  
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• Oil up as OPEC cuts outweigh rise in U.S. stocks

  02-02-2017 12:58
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Thursday as evidence that OPEC and other big exporters were cutting production outweighed a sharp rise in U.S. crude and gasoline stockpiles. Brent crude was up 50 cents at $57.30 a barrel by 1145 GMT after settling up $1.22 in the previous session. U.S. light crude gained 30 cents to $54.18 after climbing by $1.07 on Wednesday.
  
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• Trump aide: US will undergo climate policy overhaul 'in next few months'

  02-02-2017 12:44
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The US will initiate all of Donald Trump's major climate change policy changes - including highly controversial moves to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and abolish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - in the next few months, a key aide of the President has told edie.
  
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• EXCLUSIVE: US withdrawal from Paris Agreement 'could happen any day', says Trump aide

  02-02-2017 12:44
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The US will initiate all of Donald Trump's major climate change policy changes - including highly controversial moves to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and abolish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - in the next few months, a key aide of the President has told edie.
  
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• Heathrow third runway will create a more global Britain, says Grayling

  02-02-2017 12:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Transport secretary says airport expansion will bolster post-Brexit economy but critics warn over environmental obligationsProposals for a third runway at Heathrow have been published for public consultation by the government as it declared that expanding the airport would show the world Britain was open for business after Brexit.Related: Heathrow third runway plans published for public consultationContinue reading...
  
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• A punchy climate book from a citizen scientist | John Abraham

  02-02-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Twenty-eight Climate Change Elevator Pitches’ delivers basic, accurate climate information
  We know the climate is changing, the Earth is warming, and humans are the cause. As a scientist who studies this daily, I know the evidence is compelling and mutually reinforcing. In fact, the evidence is so compelling that it’s almost impossible to find scientists who disagree. We also know that it’s possible to solve this problem using today’s technology. We don’t nee
  
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• Shell nears deals to sell $5 billion of assets - CFO

  02-02-2017 10:51
  LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell is nearing deals to divest $5 billion of assets, Chief Financial Officer Simon Henry said on Thursday, adding that the company was "selectively accelerating" shale oil production in the United States. (Reporting by Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps; Editing by David Goodman)
  
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• Oil prices steady after sharp rise in U.S. stockpiles

  02-02-2017 10:43
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices steadied on Thursday after a sharp rise in U.S. crude and gasoline stockpiles, although evidence that OPEC and other big exporters were cutting production helped support sentiment. Brent crude was up 5 cents at $56.85 a barrel by 0925 GMT after settling up $1.22 in the previous session. U.S. light crude was down 5 cents at $53.83 after climbing $1.07 on Wednesday.
  
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• DONG Energy pledges to phase-out coal by 2023

  02-02-2017 10:39
  
  Utility company DONG Energy has today (2 February) announced an "important step" in its green transformation, with a pledge to completely phase-out coal from its heat and power generation by 2023.
  
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• Is that me? Kestrel checks out reflection in traffic camera – video

  02-02-2017 10:16 via theguardian.com
  
  A kestrel takes a shine to a Highways England CCTV camera at Junction 11a of the M5 in Gloucestershire. First spotted by traffic officers in October 2016, the kestrel is seen on separate occasions checking its reflection in the camera, struggling against high winds and being assailed by a magpie and a ravenContinue reading...
  
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• Shell outstrips Exxon on profit, cashflow seen signalling revival

  02-02-2017 09:46
  By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Shell made more money than Exxon Mobil in the second half of 2016, despite the Anglo-Dutch oil major's annual profit hitting its lowest level in more than a decade as it grappled with a deep downturn. Europe's largest oil and gas company showed stronger signs that it was turning a corner following deep spending cuts, divestments and thousands of job losses last year, with cashflow increasing by 69 percent in the fourth quarter. With BG Group's
  
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• Shell profit misses forecast due to forex-related charge

  02-02-2017 08:56
  By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell's profits were lower than forecast in the last quarter of 2016 due to an unexpected charge relating to foreign exchange moves, but it was still ahead of its larger U.S. rival Exxon Mobil . Shell's full year production rose by nearly a quarter from a year earlier to 3.668 million barrels of oil equivalent, reflecting the integration of BG Group's operations following its acquisition in February last year. Shell booked a $763 mi
  
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• Armed herders invade Kenya's most important wildlife conservancy

  02-02-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Nomadic herders have killed wildlife and torched buildings but questions remain over the causes of the violence Thousands of heavily-armed herders are invading conservancies, private properties and smallholdings in Laikipia, one of Kenya’s most important wildlife areas, as they search for pasture for their cattle.Over the past couple of weeks, about 10,000 nomadic herders, armed with automatic rifles and driving 135,000 cattle, have left a trail of destruction and chaos in the county, just
  
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• OPEC, Russia spare Asia oil supply cuts in fight to hold market share

  02-02-2017 07:26
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - OPEC and non-OPEC producer Russia are shielding Asia from supply cuts agreed in a landmark deal last year as they fight to protect their share of the world's biggest and fastest growing oil market. Instead, they have reduced deliveries to Europe and the Americas as they implement a coordinated agreement to cut supply by about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd), seeking to reduce a global supply glut and lift oil prices. The Organization of the Petroleum
  
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• Rush to build new homes will increase flooding, experts warn

  02-02-2017 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Plans for one million new homes by 2020 risk overwhelming drains, unless the government ends freeze on legal requirements for sustainable drainage
  The rush to build one million new homes in England by 2020 is set to increase flooding by overwhelming drains, according to the nation’s building and flooding professionals.
  The risk could be avoided, however, if the government ends its seven-year freeze on implementing legal requirements for new developments to include sustainable drainage syst
  
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• Electric cars and cheap solar 'could halt fossil fuel growth by 2020'

  02-02-2017 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Solar power and clean cars are ‘gamechangers’ consistently underestimated by big energy, says Imperial College and Carbon Tracker reportFalling costs of electric vehicles and solar panels could halt worldwide growth in demand for oil and coal by 2020, a new report has suggested. A scenario that takes into account the latest cost reduction projections for the green technologies, and countries’ pledges to cut emissions, finds that solar power and electric vehicles are “game
  
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• Layby in the landscape, buffeted by history

  02-02-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Sun Bank, Teesdale Snow has a magical effect when the shadows emphasise features of this post-glacial landscapeIf there was a league table for roadside laybys, ranked according to the grandeur of the landscape that they overlook, then this one, on the B6282 two miles east of Middleton-in-Teesdale, would be a strong contender.It’s perched on the edge of a steep escarpment, high above the river Tees. With the valleyblanketed in snow, the bare branches of birch, alder and ash below stood out
  
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• Santos' coal seam gas jobs claim at odds with original projection

  02-02-2017 06:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Opponents of Pilliga state forest wells raise doubts about economic and environmental claims in fact sheetDoubts have been raised about claims made in the environmental impact statement for Santos’ controversial plans to drill 850 coal seam gas wells in and around the Pilliga state forest.The full statement has not been publicly released yet but questions are being raised about the economic and environmental claims in it, which are summarised in a “fact sheet” released by Santo
  
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