Environment news

• Underwater seagrass beds dial back polluted seawater

  16-02-2017 23:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  “The seagrass appear to combat bacteria, and this is the first research to assess whether that coastal ecosystem can alleviate disease associated with marine organisms,” said lead author Joleah Lamb of Cornell University’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, where she is a Nature Conservancy NatureNet fellow.
  
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• Afraid of the rise of a Canadian Trump? Progressive populism is the answer | Martin Lukacs

  16-02-2017 21:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Anti-establishment sentiment is surging to a record high—the question now is who will capture and channel it.
  Believe Canada is immune to Trump-like conservatism? That the country could never be swept by a right-wing populist scapegoating the vulnerable, promising to bring back jobs, and beating the drum of law-and-order? Think again. The conditions for such an eruption are on stark display.A poll released this week reveals a stunning lack of trust in government among Canadians—and a
  
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• Afraid cartoon conservatism will rise in Canada? Progressive populism is the answer | Martin Lukacs

  16-02-2017 21:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Anti-establishment sentiment is surging to a record high—the question now is who will capture and channel it.
  Believe Canada is immune to Trump-like conservatism? That the country could never be swept by a right-wing populist scapegoating the vulnerable, promising to bring back jobs, and beating the drum of law-and-order? Think again. The conditions for such an eruption are on stark display.A poll released this week reveals a stunning lack of trust in government among Canadians—and a
  
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• 'Seagrasses' vital to coastal health

  16-02-2017 20:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Underwater flowering plants play multiple roles in keeping coastal ecosystems healthy.
  
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• The Guardian view on pollution: a new Clean Air Act is overdue | Editorial

  16-02-2017 19:23 via theguardian.com
  
  No one can escape filth in the atmosphere. Even conservatives must see that it blights all our lives and requires a collective political remedyA problem that cannot be seen is one that politicians will generally choose to ignore. That natural human tendency is dangerously short-sighted. When it comes to air pollution it is literally lethal. Scientists and environmental campaigners have been warning about a build-up of toxins in the atmosphere over British cities for years. Yet only when the
  
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• 'Resurrecting' tiny lake-dwelling animals to study evolutionary responses to pollution

  16-02-2017 19:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  A University of Michigan biologist combined the techniques of "resurrection ecology" with the study of dated lake sediments to examine evolutionary responses to heavy-metal contamination over the past 75 years.
  
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• Ken Montague obituary

  16-02-2017 18:20 via theguardian.com
  
  My friend and comrade Ken Montague, who has died aged 70 from pancreatic cancer, was a lecturer, writer, climate change activist, trade unionist and Socialist Workers party member, who played a big part in the 1976-78 Grunwick strike for union recognition.The son of Florence (nee Needham), a housewife, and Walter Montague, an engineer, he was born in Stepney, east London. On leaving Raine’s Foundation grammar school, he studied literature at the University of Essex and took his MA there, t
  
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• Event Horizon Telescope ready to image black hole

  16-02-2017 18:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An Earth-sized "virtual telescope" is ready to take the first ever picture of a black hole - the monster mysterious object at the centre of our galaxy.
  
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• Study links outdoor air pollution with millions of preterm births

  16-02-2017 17:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  The study, which was led by a team from The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York, found that in 2010, about 2.7 million preterm births globally – or 18% of all pre-term births – were associated with outdoor exposure to fine particulate matter.
  
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• Less snow and a shorter ski season in the Alps

  16-02-2017 17:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  After long-awaited snowfall in January, parts of the Alps are now covered with fresh powder and happy skiers. But the Swiss side of the iconic mountain range had the driest December since record-keeping began over 150 years ago, and 2016 was the third year in a row with scarce snow over the Christmas period. A study published today in The Cryosphere, a journal of the European Geosciences Union, shows bare Alpine slopes could be a much more common sight in the future.
  
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• Antarctic sea ice extent lowest on record

  16-02-2017 17:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  This year the extent of summer sea ice in the Antarctic is the lowest on record. The Antarctic sea ice minimum marks the day – typically towards end of February – when sea ice reaches its smallest extent at the end of the summer melt season, before expanding again as the winter sets in.
  
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• Method to predict surface ozone pollution levels provides 48-hour heads-up

  16-02-2017 17:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  A novel air quality model will help air quality forecasters predict surface ozone levels up to 48-hours in advance and with fewer resources, according to a team of meteorologists.The method, called regression in self-organizing map (REGiS), weighs and combines statistical air quality models by pairing them with predicted weather patterns to create probabilistic ozone forecasts. Unlike current chemical transport models, REGiS can predict ozone levels up to 48 hours in advance without requiring si
  
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• Snow Science in Support of Our Nation's Water Supply

  16-02-2017 17:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  Researchers have completed the first flights of a NASA-led field campaign that is targeting one of the biggest gaps in scientists' understanding of Earth's water resources: snow.NASA uses the vantage point of space to study all aspects of Earth as an interconnected system. But there remain significant obstacles to measuring accurately how much water is stored across the planet's snow-covered regions. The amount of water in snow plays a major role in water availability for drinking water, agricul
  
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• Ivory tells the history of the world – it must never be banned

  16-02-2017 17:18 via theguardian.com
  
  UK legislation to ban ivory products from across history would criminalise some of the greatest art the world has seen. We need reason, not passion, in the fight against poachingThe cover of the Lorsch Gospels is one of the most unexpected beauties in any of our museums. This yellowish-white carving comes from the depths of the dark ages, when Europe was supposedly a primitive and barbaric place – yet it is a delicate and subtle artistic masterpiece. It was made in Aachen, Germany, in abou
  
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• Richard Burton obituary

  16-02-2017 16:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Architect who was a pioneer in design for energy conservationRichard Burton, who has died aged 83, was a third of the architectural partnership of Ahrends, Burton & Koralek (ABK), alongside Peter Ahrends and Paul Koralek. It is not particularly rare that three architects should meet as students and go on to practise together, but most unusual that all three should be involved in design and should remain lifelong friends. The partnership survived controversy when its competition-winning exten
  
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• How an Ice Age paradox could inform sea level rise predictions

  16-02-2017 16:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  New findings from the University of Michigan explain an Ice Age paradox and add to the mounting evidence that climate change could bring higher seas than most models predict.The study, published in Nature, shows how small spikes in the temperature of the ocean, rather than the air, likely drove the rapid disintegration cycles of the expansive ice sheet that once covered much of North America.
  
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• Crystal Growth, Earth Science and Tech Demo Research Launching to Orbiting Laboratory

  16-02-2017 16:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  The tenth SpaceX cargo resupply launch to the International Space Station, targeted for launch Feb. 18, will deliver investigations that study human health, Earth science and weather patterns. Here are some highlights of the research headed to the orbiting laboratory:Crystal growth investigation could improve drug delivery, manufacturingMonoclonal antibodies are important for fighting off a wide range of human diseases, including cancers. These antibodies work with the natural immune system
  
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• Laissez-faire is not good enough for reforestation

  16-02-2017 15:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  In order to restore tropical rainforests, it is not enough to simply set up protected areas and leave them to their own devices. In particular, tree species with large fruit and seeds distributed by birds will have to be actively planted. This is one of the conclusions of a large-scale study by scientists from ETH Zurich in the Western Ghats, the mountain range running along the western coast of India. Today, the rainforest that exists there is highly fragmented. In the late 20th century in part
  
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• How much biomass grows in the savannah?

  16-02-2017 15:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  Savannahs form one of the largest habitats in the world, covering around one-fifth of the Earth's land area. They are mainly to be found in sub-Saharan Africa. Savannahs are home not only to unique wildlife, including the 'Big Five' - the African elephant, rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, leopard and lion - but also to thousands of endemic plant species such as the baobab, or monkey bread tree.
  
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• Weather experts say new El Niño possible later this year

  16-02-2017 14:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The World Meteorological Organisation say there is a possibility of a new El Niño later this year.
  
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• How can the UK reduce air pollution?

  16-02-2017 14:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The European Commission says the UK has two months to address repeated breaches of air pollutants.
  
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• Financial giants repeat calls for G20 to phase-out fossil fuel support

  16-02-2017 13:50
  
  The financial sector is calling on G20 governments to sever ties with the fossil fuel sector, as 16 major companies with assets under management worth $2.8trn signed a joint statement for governments to phase-out subsidies by 2020.
  
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• 'You can taste it in the air': your stories of life in polluted cities

  16-02-2017 13:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Readers shared their experiences of living in cities affected by air pollution – from the curse of the ‘Delhi chest’ in India’s capital to celebrating blue sky in ShanghaiContinue reading...
  
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• Running ants: Why scientists built an insect treadmill

  16-02-2017 13:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The researchers recording ants' brain activity as they run.
  
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• Sustainably attired: H&M and Mango launch ethical fashion collections

  16-02-2017 13:02
  
  Multinational clothing brands H&M and Mango have unveiled new sustainable fashion collections made from organic and recycled materials.
  
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• Monarch Butterflies Just Lost Another Third of Their Population

  16-02-2017 13:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  While international efforts are underway to protect iconic monarch butterflies from disappearing, the latest population count has found their numbers have dropped by nearly one-third since last year.According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, in the 1990s, an estimated one billion monarchs embarked on an epic annual migration. Their journey takes them from sites in Canada and the U.S. to wintering grounds in California and Mexico, where they find shelt
  
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• Smurfit Kappa hits certification goal for sustainably-sourced packaging

  16-02-2017 12:26
  
  Global paper-based packaging firm Smurfit Kappa has completed its goal of ensuring that 90% of all packaging sold to consumers is Chain of Custody certified, demonstrating full-transparency and a willingness to source from verified certification systems.
  
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• Scientists study ocean absorption of human carbon pollution | John Abraham

  16-02-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Knowing the rate at which the oceans absorb carbon pollution is a key to understanding how fast climate change will occur
  As humans burn fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases, those gases enter the atmosphere where they cause increases in global temperatures and climate consequences such as more frequent and severe heat waves, droughts, changes to rainfall patterns, and rising seas. But for many years scientists have known that not all of the carbon dioxide we emit ends up in the atmosphere.
  
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• London bus routes set to go 100% electric

  16-02-2017 11:38
  
  A full electric operation of two London bus routes will be in place by 2018 thanks to a new partnership between Transport for London (TfL) and a French public transport operator.
  
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• Brazil's forgotten state: oil and agribusiness threaten Amapá forests – in pictures

  16-02-2017 11:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Pristine Amazon rainforest and conservation areas are being rapidly opened up to dams, gold mining and soya plantations in Brazil’s least developed stateRead more: Amazon’s final frontier under threat from oil and soyaContinue reading...
  
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• Record-breaking offshore wind construction in 2016

  16-02-2017 11:05
  
  Offshore windfarm construction in the UK hit a record level last year, according to new figures.
  
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• Report: EU nations struggling to foster smart city transition

  16-02-2017 10:16
  
  The majority of European Union (EU) members are showing "little progress" in developing smart built environment policies that encourage the uptake of energy storage or demand response initiatives, a new report has found.
  
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• Where the wind blows: how China's dirty air becomes Hong Kong's problem

  16-02-2017 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Last month there were 300,000 doctor’s visits in Hong Kong linked to smog – much of which wafts over from mainland China. But in a busy town obsessed with money, will it take a direct economic hit to wake people to the danger?At the age of three, Margaux Giraudon developed something akin to a smoker’s cough. Thereafter, she became all too familiar with the inside of her doctor’s office in Hong Kong.For years, her father Nicolas Giraudon was told the same thing by doctors:
  
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• Urban butterfly declines 69% compared to 45% drop in countryside

  16-02-2017 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Pesticides, paving and higher temperatures have put huge strain on butterflies in cities over past two decades, finds studyButterflies have vanished from towns and cities more rapidly than from the countryside over the past two decades, according to a new study.Industrial agriculture has long been viewed as the scourge of butterflies and other insects but city life is worse – urban butterfly abundance fell by 69% compared to a 45% decline in rural areas over 20 years from 1995. Continue re
  
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• Wagging tongues of ferns and salty yarns

  16-02-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Egglestone, Teesdale Near the hart’s tongues, mosses clinging to the rock were becoming fossilised, encased in tufaThis section of moist, shady, wooded bank above the footpath, extending for perhaps 150 metres, is covered with the largest concentration of hart’s tongue ferns I have ever seen. This fern, Phyllitis scolopendrium, dominates because it thrives in calcareous woodland soils over limestone and the conditions here are perfect.This morning, as I approached, hundreds of long,
  
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• Climate change doubled the likelihood of the NSW heatwave – let’s be clear, this is not natural

  16-02-2017 04:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Rapid warming trend sees heat records in Australia outnumber cold records by 12 to one over the past decadeThe heatwave that engulfed southeastern Australia at the end of last week has seen heat records continue to tumble.
  On Saturday 11 February, as New South Wales suffered through the heatwave’s peak, temperatures soared to 47℃ in Richmond, 50km northwest of Sydney, while 87 bushfires raged across the state, amid catastrophic fire conditions. Continue reading...
  
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• Electricity pricing is confusing and that's why they're using it to mislead us | Greg Jericho

  16-02-2017 01:29 via theguardian.com
  
  One of the more frustrating aspects of energy policy is that it begins and ends with electricity prices and the over-arching issue of climate change is a side issueThe government has clearly decided that electricity prices is its key message for the next three years – and as a result the prime minister has ensured the policy debate will be biased towards climate change denial and will continue to treat Australians as idiots. When the prime minister let fly against Bill Shorten in parliamen
  
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