Environment news

• We grow it, we waste it, we dump it: fighting food waste one click at a time

  01-03-2017 23:27 via theguardian.com
  
  With almost 4m tonnes of food from the commercial sector going to landfill, social enterprise Yume connects suppliers with restaurants and other buyers Australians eat more salmon than any other fish – six times more than tuna and 16 times more than barramundi. But even then, suppliers of the pink-hued fish were overly optimistic about our appetites at Christmas.About six tonnes of unsold middle cuts of salmon landed on the online wholesale food marketplace Yumeafter the holiday season, sa
  
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• Concurrent heat waves, air pollution exacerbate negative health effects of each

  01-03-2017 22:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  The combination of prolonged hot spells with poor air quality greatly compounds the negative effects of each and can pose a major risk to human health, according to new research from the University of California, Irvine.“The weather factors that drive heat waves also contribute to intensified surface ozone and air pollution episodes,” said UCI professor of Earth system science Michael J. Prather, co-author of the study, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy
  
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• Sustainability reporting frameworks lack comparability to attract investment, say experts

  01-03-2017 20:43
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Sustainability reporting frameworks should be developed to encourage businesses to compete on performance and attract investors rather than simply being used as compliance mechanisms, a panel of experts have agreed.
  
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• Earliest evidence of life on Earth 'found'

  01-03-2017 19:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers discover fossils of what may be some of earliest living organisms.
  
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• How have you been affected by air pollution?

  01-03-2017 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  If you are campaigning against high levels of toxic air or planning to relocate because of it, we’d like to hear from you
  There are 802 educational institutions in London where pupils as young as three are being exposed to high levels of nitrogen dioxide.The schools, nurseries and colleges are within 150 metres of nitrogen dioxide pollution levels that exceed the EU legal limit of 40µg/m3 (40 micrograms per cubic metre of air), putting tens of thousands of children at risk from lifel
  
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• Keep it in the ground: Shell's 1991 film warning of climate change danger uncovered

  01-03-2017 17:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Public information film unseen for years shows Shell had clear grasp of global warming 26 years ago but has not acted accordingly since, say criticsMore than a quarter of a century ago, oil giant Shell made an extraordinary public film about the dangers of global warming, called Climate of Concern, which has just been rediscovered. The film, says one leading climate scientist, is one of the best he has ever seen: the science is sharp, the predictions uncannily accurate and the suggested solutio
  
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• Apocalypse hedgehog: the fight to save Britain's favourite mammal

  01-03-2017 16:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The much-loved creature of the suburban garden is in rapid decline – with new builds, roads and badgers to blame. Can we prevent their extinction?Hit by a car. Savaged by a dog. Slashed by a strimmer. Burnt in a bonfire. Tangled in garden netting. Poisoned by slug pellets. Caught in a postman’s discarded rubber bands. Head stuck in a tin can. Tricked out of hibernation by increasingly unpredictable winter weather. Modern life, governed by humans, designs a multitude of ingenious ways
  
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• Bhutan's stumbling block to becoming the greenest nation on the planet

  01-03-2017 15:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  Bhutan is well on its way to becoming the greenest nation on the planet. In his Special Report for the Ecologist, Photojournalist MICHAEL BUCKLEY explores the reasons why the country's ecosystems and dazzling biodiversity remain intact - and highlights the one thing that threatens this admirable integrity...
  
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• Northern hemisphere sees in early spring due to global warming

  01-03-2017 15:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Spring is sprung 26 days earlier than a decade ago, causing problems for the natural cycle of plants and wildlife, Climate News Network reports Spring is arriving ever earlier in the northern hemisphere. One sedge species in Greenland is springing to growth 26 days earlier than it did a decade ago. And in the US, spring arrived 22 days early this year in Washington DC.The evidence comes from those silent witnesses, the natural things that respond to climate signals. The relatively new science of
  
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• Asian pollution, heat waves worsen US smog

  01-03-2017 15:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  An influx of pollution from Asia in the western United States and more frequent heat waves in the eastern U.S. are responsible for the persistence of smog in these regions over the past quarter century despite laws curtailing the emission of smog-forming chemicals from automobile tailpipes and factories.The study, led by researchers at Princeton University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), highlights the importa
  
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• Signy Island is hottest place in the Antarctic

  01-03-2017 15:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) committee of experts announces this week (Wed 1 March) new records for the highest temperatures recorded in the Antarctic Region. The results are part of continuing efforts to expand a database of extreme weather and climate conditions throughout the world.
  
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• U of T research could help sponge up oil sands wastewater

  01-03-2017 15:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  In theory, oil and water don’t mix. In reality, the two liquids can be almost impossible to separate, especially from complex chemical cocktails such as the wastewater produced by Alberta’s oil sands mining operations.
  
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• 40-year trend study finds signs of improved water quality in New Jersey streams

  01-03-2017 14:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  A USGS analysis of New Jersey water quality trends found levels of total nitrogen and total phosphorus, which fuel algae blooms, declined or stayed the same at most stream sites between the 1970s and 2011. At all sites studied, chlorides from road salt increased over that time.
  
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• Business Stream and Veolia team up for water retail

  01-03-2017 14:52
  
  Business Stream and Veolia have announced a new partnership in the run-up to market opening, to provide business customers with a "complete retail water package".
  
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• Burger King animal feed sourced from deforested lands in Brazil and Bolivia

  01-03-2017 14:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Campaign group Mighty Earth says aerial drones, satellite imaging and field research show farmers carried out forest-burning for fast food giant’s soy suppliers The hamburger chain Burger King has been buying animal feed produced in soy plantations carved out by the burning of tropical forests in Brazil and Bolivia, according to a new report.Jaguars, giant anteaters and sloths have all been affected by the disappearance of around 700,000 hectares (1,729,738 acres) of forest land between 20
  
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• Mothercare launches baby clothing redistribution scheme with Hubbub

  01-03-2017 13:27
  
  Mothercare has partnered with sustainability charity Hubbub to launch a pilot campaign aimed at supporting families to reduce textile waste, as research shows that UK homes are storing 183 millions items of outgrown baby clothing.
  
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• Taxi drivers and business leaders call for diesel scrappage scheme

  01-03-2017 13:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Broad coalition writes to chancellor, urging him to tackle air pollution with compensation scheme for motoristsTaxi drivers and business leaders have added their voices to the growing campaign calling on ministers to introduce a diesel scrappage scheme to tackle dangerous levels of air pollution.A broad alliance of business organisations and environmental charities has written to the chancellor, Philip Hammond, urging him to introduce a system in next week’s budget to compensate motorists
  
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• Revealed: exported EU animals subject to abuse and illegal conditions

  01-03-2017 12:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Undercover videos show EU cattle and sheep being beaten, given electric shocks, and inhumanely slaughtered at destinations in Turkey and Middle EastAnimals exported live from EU countries are routinely being subjected to abuse, illegal transportation conditions and inhumane slaughter, an investigation has found.Dozens of undercover videos and photographs obtained by the Guardian show live cattle and sheep from EU countries being beaten, shocked with electric prods, and held for days in overcrowd
  
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• Wildlife on your doorstep: share your March photos

  01-03-2017 12:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Whether you’re looking for early signs of spring or preparing for the autumn months ahead, we’d like to see photos of the March wildlife wherever you areMarch is upon us and while the northern hemisphere is preparing for springtime and signs of new life in the wild, the southern hemisphere will be saying goodbye to the summer temperatures and preparing for everything autumnal. So what sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps? We’d love to see your photos of the Ma
  
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• Republican hearing calls for a lower carbon pollution price. It should be much higher | Dana Nuccitelli

  01-03-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Staying below dangerous climate thresholds requires a carbon pollution price much higher than the federal estimate
  The ‘social cost of carbon’ is an estimate of how much carbon pollution costs society via climate damages, and can also be considered the optimal carbon tax price. The US federal estimate ($37 per ton of carbon dioxide pollution) underpins at least 150 regulations across various federal agencies, and has thus become a prime target in the Trump administration’s effo
  
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• 'Best ever' view of what a dinosaur really looked like

  01-03-2017 11:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Lasers reveal invisible details of the shape of a feathered dinosaur that lived 160 million years ago.
  
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• The North Face and Timberland owner commits to sustainable forestry

  01-03-2017 11:03
  
  VF Corporation, the parent company of global footwear and apparel brands The North Face, Timberland and Vans, has moved to minimise its impacts on deforestation with a new set of policies for the company's purchasing preferences and use of sustainable forest materials.
  
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• How to switch to solar power in your home and why now is the time – video

  01-03-2017 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Every day, the sun kickstarts mini power plants in about 942,000 homes around America. We are of course talking about solar energy – and in 2017, it’s never been cheaper to invest in it for your home. The Guardian looks at key tips for installing solar panels and why now is the time to switch Continue reading...
  
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• How to install solar panels at home – to save the Earth and your bank account

  01-03-2017 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  With solar energy becoming cheaper – and federal and state authorities offering tax credits and other incentives – now is a good time to switchClimate change in the US: the dangers and the solutions – about this seriesInstalling solar panels on the roof of your home is a big project – but it can pay dividends in more ways than one. There’s the obvious environmental benefit, but for many homeowners, the joy comes with a dollar sign attached. Turning your home into a
  
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• Scotland's non-biting midges

  01-03-2017 10:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new species of midge has been discovered but there is no need to reach for the insect repellent.
  
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• Report: Brexit offers escape hatch from £2bn EU waste policy costs

  01-03-2017 10:04
  
  British businesses would lose as much as £2bn over the next 20 years through the EU's Circular Economy Package, according to a new report from think-tank Policy Exchange, which is calling on the UK to adopt a better waste and resource management framework post-Brexit.
  
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• Syngenta photography award 2016-17 exhibition – in pictures

  01-03-2017 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  This year’s theme is Grow-Conserve and entries will be on show in Somerset House, London, from 9 to 28 March. Winners will be announced on 8 March Continue reading...
  
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• Green Investment Bank: rival bidder launches legal challenge to sale

  01-03-2017 09:14 via theguardian.com
  
  SDCL claims government has not sought value for money for taxpayer in choice of Australian bank MacquarieA last-ditch attempt has been made to derail the government’s controversial sale of the Green Investment Bank to the Australian investment bank Macquarie.
  Sustainable Development Capital (SDCL), a rival bidder for the bank, said it was launching a legal challenge to the government’s decision to select Macquarie as its preferred bidder for the £2bn deal. Continue reading...
  
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• City of burning lakes: experts fear Bangalore will be uninhabitable by 2025

  01-03-2017 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The illegal dumping of waste mixed with mass untreated sewage in India’s Silicon Valley is creating a water crisis which threatens residents’ health – and is causing the city’s famous lakes to catch fireOn the evening of Thursday 16 February, residents in the south-east part of Bangalore noticed huge plumes of smoke rising into the sky. The smoke was coming from the middle of Bellandur Lake – the biggest lake in the city at a little over 890 acres. They realised the
  
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• Simplicity and symbolism in flowers and poems

  01-03-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Wenlock Edge Daisy – daes eage, day’s-eye – a wonderfully simple poetry that has become a complicated symbolic chain-link of love, innocence and deathHazel catkins are limp, in a still brightness they hang fire, waiting. After the thrashing they got from Storm Doris it’s a wonder they survived, let alone have any pollen left, but from woods and hedges, unimpeded by leaves, the magic dust cloud drifts for wider fertilisation. The pollen record found in peat bogs shows an e
  
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• Australia placed on El Niño 'watch' as weather bureau puts chance at 50% for 2017

  01-03-2017 06:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Analysis shows steady warming in the Pacific Ocean and that Australia could be in for a warmer and drier year Australia could be heading into another El Niño year according to new analysis by the Bureau of Meteorology, which found the chance Australia would be affected by the phenomenon in 2017 had increased to 50%.Six of the eight models used by Australian climatologists to predict El Niño and La Niña events indicate the El Niño threshold could be reached by July, wh
  
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• Tagged animals at risk from hunters and nature-lovers

  01-03-2017 01:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Radio signals from tags are helping hunters and harming conservation, warn scientists.
  
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• Sainsbury's named world's best sustainable seafood supermarket

  01-03-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Marine Stewardship Council table has Sainsbury’s on top with 225 MSC-certified productsSainsbury’s has been named the best sustainable seafood supermarket in the world in a survey published by the Marine Stewardship Council. The annual supermarket league table from the international certification body – known for its blue “ecolabel” – rates British supermarkets on their sustainable seafood range. More than 300 fisheries in over 30 countries are certified to th
  
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• British people unaware of pollution levels in the air they breathe – study

  01-03-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Citizen science’ project launched as FoE survey indicates population outside London overestimates air qualityPeople across the UK are underestimating the impact of the air pollution crisis in their local areas, according to a new survey.Almost two thirds of respondents said they were concerned about the issue of air pollution, but only one in 10 said they thought the air they breathe is bad. Continue reading...
  
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• How a conservative turns into a climate change evangelist – Australian Politics Live podcast

  01-03-2017 00:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Former US Republican congressman Bob Inglis joins Katharine Murphy for an in-depth interview about his journey from climate change sceptic to climate change campaigner. How can acting on climate change be seen as a core part of conservative ideology? Why has the debate become about right against left rather than economic or scientific facts? We also hear why he thinks Donald Trump will quit being president before his first four-year term is finished Continue reading...
  
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