Environment news

• Gas companies risk 'social licence' by failing to supply domestic market, Turnbull says

  14-03-2017 23:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Prime minister tells companies to produce more gas for the domestic market as Australians should not be ‘left short’ while ‘billions of dollars are being exported’Malcolm Turnbull has warned that gas companies risk their “social licence” to operate without reservation quotas if they fail to supply Australian domestic industry.Turnbull made the comments at a doorstop in Canberra before his meeting with the gas companies on Wednesday aimed to force them to incre
  
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• Louisiana wetlands struggling with sea-level rise four times the global average

  14-03-2017 23:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  Without major efforts to rebuild Louisiana’s wetlands, particularly in the westernmost part of the state, there is little chance that the coast will be able to withstand the accelerating rate of sea-level rise, a new Tulane University study concludes.The study by researchers in Tulane’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and published in the open-access journal Nature Communications shows that the rate of sea-level rise in the region over the past six to 10 year
  
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• Groundwater supplies low after dry winter

  14-03-2017 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Underground aquifers are usually replenished from October through to March, but hydrographs reveal progress was slow until JanuaryIn the UK, about one third of the water that comes out of our taps is sourced from groundwater. The south of the country is particularly dependent on this underground store of water, with Cambridge Water and Cholderton Water relying entirely on the water found in the chalk and sandstone rock formations of the south-east.After a dry winter, groundwater levels are lower
  
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• Increase in Extreme Sea Levels Could Endanger European Coastal Communities

  14-03-2017 22:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  Massive coastal flooding in northern Europe that now occurs once every century could happen every year if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, according to a new study.New projections considering changes in sea level rise, tides, waves and storm surge over the 21st century find global warming could cause extreme sea levels to increase significantly along Europe’s coasts by 2100. Extreme sea levels are the maximum levels of the sea that occur during a major storm and produce massive f
  
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• Taking B Vitamins May Reduce Epigenetic Effects of Air Pollution

  14-03-2017 21:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health showed that B vitamins may play a critical role in reducing the impact of air pollution on the epigenome, further demonstrating the epigenetic effects of air pollution on health. This is the first study to detail a course of research for developing interventions that prevent or minimize the adverse effects of air pollution on potential automatic markers. The results are published online in the jou
  
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• World's spiders devour 400-800m metric tons of insects yearly – experts

  14-03-2017 21:25 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘We hope that these estimates and their significant magnitude raise public awareness and increase the level of appreciation for spiders,’ study authors sayThe world’s spiders eat 400-800m tonnes of insects every year – as much meat and fish as humans consume over the same period, a study said Tuesday.In the first analysis of its kind, researchers used data from 65 previous studies to estimate that a total of 25m metric tonnes of spiders exist on Earth. Continue reading...
  
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• Scientists figure out the huge number of insects world's spiders devour each year

  14-03-2017 21:25 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘We hope that these estimates and their significant magnitude raise public awareness and increase the level of appreciation for spiders,’ study authors sayThe world’s spiders eat 400-800m tonnes of insects every year – as much meat and fish as humans consume over the same period, a study said Tuesday.In the first analysis of its kind, researchers used data from 65 previous studies to estimate that a total of 25m metric tonnes of spiders exist on Earth. Continue reading...
  
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• Early Earth Had a Hazy, Methane-filled Atmosphere

  14-03-2017 21:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  More than 2.4 billion years ago, Earth’s atmosphere was inhospitable, filled with toxic gases that drove wildly fluctuating surface temperatures. Understanding how today’s world of mild climates and breathable air took shape is a fundamental question in Earth science.New research from the University of Maryland, the University of St. Andrews, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Leeds and the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science suggests that long ago, Earth&rs
  
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• New Materials Could Turn Water into the Fuel of the Future

  14-03-2017 20:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  Researchers at Caltech and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have—in just two years—nearly doubled the number of materials known to have potential for use in solar fuels.They did so by developing a process that promises to speed the discovery of commercially viable solar fuels that could replace coal, oil, and other fossil fuels.
  
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• CO2 Levels Continue to Increase at Record Rate

  14-03-2017 20:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  For the second year in a row, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have increased at a record rate, jumping 3 parts per million (ppm) in 2016, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. CO2 concentrations rose 3.03 ppm in 2015, making the last two years the first time that the greenhouse gas has risen more than 3 ppm in NOAA’s 59 years of monitoring, Climate Central reported.
  
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• 'Oldest plants on Earth' discovered

  14-03-2017 19:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The origins of plants may go back hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought, according to fossil evidence.
  
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• Flying high: why peregrine falcons are kings of the urban jungle

  14-03-2017 18:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Last century, the cliff-dwelling bird of prey almost became extinct in Britain. Now it has reinvented itself as a city creature. What is behind this spectacular recovery?By the four chimneys of Battersea power station, between tower cranes and builders’ cabins, is an unobtrusive metal mast. At the top, a watchful figure looks down upon the 3,000 workers bustling around this vast £9bn construction site.“Female,” says David Morrison, with a deft glance through his binocular
  
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• Did humans create the Sahara Desert?

  14-03-2017 17:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  New research investigating the transition of the Sahara from a lush, green landscape 10,000 years ago to the arid conditions found today, suggests that humans may have played an active role in its desertification. The desertification of the Sahara has long been a target for scientists trying to understand climate and ecological tipping points. A new paper published in Frontiers in Earth Science by archeologist Dr. David Wright, from Seoul National University, challenges the c
  
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• Spiders Eat 400-800 Million Tons of Prey Every Year

  14-03-2017 17:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  It has long been suspected that spiders are one of the most important groups of predators of insects. Zoologists at the University of Basel and Lund University in Sweden have now shown just how true this is – spiders kill astronomical numbers of insects on a global scale. The scientific journal The Science of Nature has published the results.
  
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• Scientists harness solar power to produce clean hydrogen from biomass

  14-03-2017 17:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  A team of scientists at the University of Cambridge has developed a way of using solar power to generate a fuel that is both sustainable and relatively cheap to produce. It’s using natural light to generate hydrogen from biomass.One of the challenges facing modern society is what it does with its waste products. As natural resources decline in abundance, using waste for energy is becoming more pressing for both governments and business.
  
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• Rex Tillerson used email alias at Exxon to discuss climate, says New York AG

  14-03-2017 16:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Eric Schneiderman’s office, investigating whether Exxon misled public on climate change, says secretary of state used email pseudonym ‘Wayne Tracker’ Related: UN climate chief unable to secure meeting with US state department The US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, the former chairman and chief executive of ExxonMobil Corp, used an alias email address while at the oil company to send and receive information related to climate change and other matters, according to the New Yor
  
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• Why Donald Trump should play even more golf | Patrick Barkham

  14-03-2017 16:48 via theguardian.com
  
  There’s a furore over how much he’s played in his first few weeks as president. But evidence shows that being outdoors could be the best way for him to stay calm and saneScrolling through Twitter last night, I wondered why I felt so well. Not smug, just mystified by a mental and physical glow that made me strangely impervious to the toxic aspects of social media. Related: Warning: living in a city could seriously damage your health | Florence WilliamsContinue reading...
  
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• Circular Economy Package: MEPs pledge to restore recycling targets in landmark vote

  14-03-2017 16:46
  
  The European Parliament has today (14 March) voted to restore recycling and landfill targets that had been lowered by the European Commission in its re-tabled Circular Economy Package.
  
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• After Deepwater Horizon Spill: Which Animals Weathered the Disaster

  14-03-2017 16:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new study from a Coastal Waters Consortium team of researchers led by Rutgers University postdoctoral researcher, Michael McCann, has found which birds, fish, insects and other animals affected by the Deepwater Horizon explosion should be given top priority for conservation, protection and research.
  
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• Asia Pulp & Paper advances forest conservation initiatives

  14-03-2017 15:29
  
  One of the biggest pulp, paper and packaging firms has taken strides to cease all natural forest clearances within its suppliers and operations and promote best practice working standards for peatland management in Indonesia.
  
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• Internal communication key to driving resource efficiency in fast-fashion world

  14-03-2017 15:10
  
  Sustainability professionals working within incumbent fashion retailers need to be more closely aligned with procurement departments in order to accelerate the transition to more sustainable fashion industry.
  
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• The UK's Drop in CO2 Emissions Shows the Power of Carbon Taxes

  14-03-2017 14:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new analysis indicates that the UK’s CO2 output is at a record low, and it’s largely down to one major action: a reduction in coal use.
  
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• Anger over UK ship's damage to pristine reef

  14-03-2017 13:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The ship damaged a large area of one of Indonesia's best coral reefs, in an area dependent on tourism.
  
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• Member states move to weaken EU energy efficiency targets

  14-03-2017 13:19
  
  European Union (EU) member states have moved to weaken the bloc's 2030 energy efficiency goals, setting up tough negotiations with the European Parliament, which backs stronger legislation.
  
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• Trump and climate chaos: a letter to my daughter

  14-03-2017 13:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Jeremy Hance writes a letter to his young daughter as a part of the Letters to the Revolution initiative.First published on January 2nd, 2017 at Letters to the Revolution.Continue reading...
  
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• Report: Big businesses falling 'overwhelmingly behind' on human rights

  14-03-2017 12:03
  
  A large majority of businesses are in danger of falling "overwhelmingly behind" on human rights issues, according to a new report which benchmarks the ethical performance of some of the world's biggest businesses.
  
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• G20 set to scale back climate funding pledges

  14-03-2017 10:47
  
  Pledges from G20 nations to finance climate mitigation strategies, including the $100bn fund for developing countries, could be set aside, with ministers instead calling on development banks to raise private capital to meet the bill.
  
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• Culls aren't the way to balance the needs of sharks and surfers

  14-03-2017 09:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Following the shark bite death of a body boarder in February, there have been calls for a cull of bull sharks. But it isn’t the answer – and it won’t workI’m a shark biologist and I also love to surf. One of my favourite surfing memories isn’t one of my rides, however, but of being a spectator. I remember standing on the Waimea shoreline in 2009, feeling the beach shake as enormous waves thundered to a close. Moments before, my favourite surfer had just scored a 98
  
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• Cold catch: the ice fishermen of Astana – in pictures

  14-03-2017 09:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Outside the Kazakh capital, Astana, the river snowscape is populated by strange figures. Detroit-based photographer Aleksey Kondratyev investigated and discovered they were ice fishermen, who brave -40C temperatures waiting patiently for their catch Continue reading...
  
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• Brutal inspiration: why poets are writing about Coventry's ring road

  14-03-2017 08:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Encircling an eccentric city centre where medieval streets meet the modern world, this hulking piece of 1970s infrastructure is the subject of 27 poetry films celebrating its bizarre concrete beauty The urban landscape has long set literary imaginations on fire – but a ring road may not spring to mind as an obvious source of poetic inspiration. In Coventry, however, the overt orbicular oddness of the ring road and its nine junctions, each elbowing the city, has been celebrated in a collabo
  
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• British scientists face a ‘huge hit’ if the US cuts climate change research

  14-03-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Academics fear Donald Trump’s environmental policy may put an end to key data from US agenciesUK scientists are warning they may be unable to carry out crucial research on climate change if Donald Trump cuts climate science funding in the US.Trump tweeted in 2014 that research on global warming is “very expensive bullshit” that “has to stop”. Scientists are braced to find out whether his administration will put these words into practice. The early signs are not good
  
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• Tasmanian bill to extend wilderness logging sparks federal intervention call

  14-03-2017 07:41 via theguardian.com
  
  The bill ‘spells doom’ for species including Tasmanian devil, wedge-tailed eagle and swift parrot, says Bob BrownA proposal to allow logging access to more parts of Tasmania’s wilderness has sparked calls for federal government intervention. Related: Speaking for the trees: hope, despair, and regrowth in Tasmania's charred wilderness |Continue reading...
  
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• South Australia's $550m energy plan – video explainer

  14-03-2017 07:20 via theguardian.com
  
  The South Australian government has announced it will intervene in the national energy market in a $550m plan that seeks to tame the state’s turbulent power supply and prices. The premier, Jay Weatherill, says his government will build a gas-fired power station and Australia’s largest battery storage unit Continue reading...
  
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• 'Spinning sail' rebooted to cut fuel and make ocean tankers greener

  14-03-2017 07:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Century-old rotating columns fixed to ship’s deck interact with wind to provide forward thrust and could make 10% fuel savingAn ocean-going tanker is to be fitted with a type of “spinning sail” invented almost a century ago in a step that could lead to more environmentally friendly tankers worldwide.The unusual sails are rotating columns fixed to the deck of the ship, whose interaction with the wind provides forward thrust. The trial is backed by Maersk, one of the world’
  
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• World's first fluorescent frog discovered in South America

  14-03-2017 07:02 via theguardian.com
  
  In normal light the polka-dot tree frog has a dull complexion – but under UV light it glows bright greenThe world’s first fluorescent frog has been discovered in the Amazon basin in Argentina.Scientists at the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum in Buenos Aires made the discovery by accident while studying the pigment of polka-dot tree frogs, a species common to the rainforest. Continue reading...
  
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• A sudden threat scatters the downland birds

  14-03-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Wepham Down, West Sussex The hen harrier raises its wings as air brakes, using the wind to lift, stall and loop backwardsA skylark rises up in loud, breathless song, claiming its breeding territory. The bird hovers with vibrating wings, unmoved by the strong gusts of wind. It climbs into the air in steps, each new phrase propelling it further up into the sky, until I can no longer see it. Another skylark answers in the distance.Fieldfares hop across the grass – they’ll be moving on,
  
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• SA to spend $500m on Australia's largest battery storage and gas-fired power plant – as it happened

  14-03-2017 04:24 via theguardian.com
  
  The South Australian government will spend $500m on energy plan, which includes building the nation’s largest battery storage and a state-owned gas-fired power plant. As it happened 3.24am GMTThe main points of Jay Weatherill’s energy plan: 3.08am GMTAnd on the SA energy security target, South Australian energy retailers will have to get electricity from cleaner generators that produce their electricity using South Australia’s natural resources. Retailers will be compelled to s
  
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• B vitamins may have 'protective effect' against air pollution

  14-03-2017 02:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  B vitamins may offer some protection against particulate pollution, a small human trial suggests.
  
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• SA to spend $500m on Australia's largest battery storage and gas-fired power plant – politics live

  14-03-2017 02:17 via theguardian.com
  
  The South Australian government will spend $500m on energy plan, which includes building the nation’s largest battery storage and a state-owned gas-fired power plant. Follow it live … 1.17am GMTThe premier pulls no punches.All I know is that there is no future in coal and the only future is a price on carbon that sends the right investment signals so we can get clean energy generation. We are not seeing that at a national level. That is why SA is taking steps at a state level to imp
  
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• Gulf of Carpentaria's record mangrove dieback is a case study of extremes

  14-03-2017 00:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Our investigation shows a combination of extreme temperatures, drought and lower sea levels caused the 2015-16 eventOne of the worst instances of mangrove forest dieback recorded globally struck Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria in the summer of 2015-16. A combination of extreme temperatures, drought and lowered sea levels likely caused this dieback, according to our investigation published in the journal Marine and Freshwater Research.The dieback, which coincided with the Great Barrier Reef
  
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