Environment news

• Renewables roadshow – Canberra: '100% renewable by 2020. It will happen' – video

  29-03-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Helped by the country’s largest community-owned solar farm, Australia’s capital is making plans to provide all its energy from renewables. Wind turbines now being built around Canberra and the 1.2MW community-owned solar farm will ensure the ACT meets its 2020 goal. About 600 locals have a share in the scheme• Renewables roadshow: how Canberra took lead in renewable energy raceContinue reading...
  
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• Renewables roadshow: how Canberra took lead in renewable energy race

  29-03-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  In the latest in our series on Australian green energy projects, we find out how the ACT is transitioning to 100% renewable energy, aided by the country’s largest community-owned solar farm• How the ‘nonna effect’ got Darebin’s pensioners signing up to solar
  • How Daylesford’s windfarm took back the powerAs Australia remains mired in a broken debate about the supposed dangers of renewable energy, some states and territories are ignoring the controversy and
  
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• Tackling resilience: Finding order in chaos to help buffer against climate change

  29-03-2017 23:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  "Resilience" is a buzzword often used in scientific literature to describe how animals, plants and landscapes can persist under climate change. It’s typically considered a good quality, suggesting that those with resilience can withstand or adapt as the climate continues to change.But when it comes to actually figuring out what makes a species or an entire ecosystem resilient ― and how to promote that through restoration or management ― there is a lack of consensus in the scien
  
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• Reusable carbon nanotubes could be the water filter of the future, says RIT study

  29-03-2017 23:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new class of carbon nanotubes could be the next-generation clean-up crew for toxic sludge and contaminated water, say researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology.Enhanced single-walled carbon nanotubes offer a more effective and sustainable approach to water treatment and remediation than the standard industry materials—silicon gels and activated carbon—according to a paper published in the March issue of Environmental Science Water: Research and Technology.
  
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• 'Climate change is real': companies challenge Trump's reversal of policy

  29-03-2017 21:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Mars Inc, Staples, The Gap and others speak out against Trump’s sweeping executive order that begins to dismantle Obama’s Clean Power PlanIn 2015, when Barack Obama signed the nation’s clean power plan, more than 300 companies came out in support, calling the guidelines “critical for moving our country toward a clean energy economy”. Now, as Donald Trump moves to strip those laws away, Mars Inc, Staples and The Gap are just a few of those US corporations who are cha
  
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• Legends of the lost reservoirs

  29-03-2017 19:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  UC interdisciplinary researchers and global collaborators dig into the past to inspire modern water management strategies that can save time and money and may avoid negative effects on our climate.
  
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• Thousands of pollution deaths worldwide linked to western consumers – study

  29-03-2017 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Study shows extent to which US and western European demand for clothes, toys and mobile phones contributes to air pollution in developing countriesWestern consumers who buy cheap imported toys, clothes and mobile phones are indirectly contributing to tens of thousands of pollution-related deaths in the countries where the goods are produced, according to a landmark study.Nearly 3.5 million people die prematurely each year due to air pollution, the research estimates, and about 22% of these death
  
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• Late-night TV roasts Trump on climate: he 'surrendered Florida to the ocean'

  29-03-2017 17:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Comics including Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers discussed the executive order rolling black environmental protection and further Russian connectionsLate-night hosts on Tuesday decided to focus on Trump’s latest decision to remove many of Obama’s environmental regulations and further revelations about possible Russian connections. Related: Late-night hosts on Trump: 'How to Lose Friends and Influence No One'Continue reading...
  
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• Heavy industry to get £100m exemption from low-carbon levy

  29-03-2017 17:26
  
  Energy intensive industries will see their annual bills cut by £100 million under plans to exempt them from the majority of the costs of the contracts for difference (CfD) scheme.
  
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• Trump is leading coal miners out of a ditch – and into the abyss | Ross Barkan

  29-03-2017 16:48 via theguardian.com
  
  Scrapping Obama’s Clean Power Plan won’t bring back jobs or save the towns of Appalachia. It will only serve to make America sicker and more disappointedFor the out-of-work coal miners in West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, Donald Trump is the pied piper leading them nowhere. Dismantling the Obama administration’s clean power plan will not bring back coal jobs or save the withering towns of Appalachia. It will only serve to make America sicker and disappoint some misguide
  
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• BAFTA and beer giant announce renewables purchasing plans

  29-03-2017 15:50
  
  As BAFTA forms a partnership to help the television and film sector purchase renewable energy, the world's largest beer maker has announced a new commitment to secure 100% purchased electricity from renewable sources by 2025.
  
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• World Meteorological Organization retires storm names Matthew and Otto

  29-03-2017 15:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  You’ve heard the last of Matthew and Otto – at least as Atlantic storm names.These two storms ravaged the Caribbean so much last year their names have been retired by the World Meteorological Organization’s Region IV Hurricane Committee, of which NOAA's National Hurricane Center is a member.
  
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• It's Not Too Late to Conserve Water Resources in Rapidly Urbanizing Areas of Eastern Massachusetts

  29-03-2017 15:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  As climate change and population pressure both intensify in suburban areas northwest of Boston in th­e coming decades, a new study bywatershed scientist Timothy Randhir of the University of Massachusetts Amherstsuggests that threats to the area’s watershed such as water shortages and poor quality can be met if managers begin to act now.
  
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• Uber expands London EV plans, despite 'woeful' charging infrastructure

  29-03-2017 14:40
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Uber is taking steps to overcome the "economic disincentive" of using electric vehicles (EVs) in its fleet, by unveiling a new partnership with Nissan and beginning the construction of a network of chargers to combat London's "woefully inadequate" infrastructure.
  
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• Article 50: What we know (and don't know) about the environmental impact of Brexit

  29-03-2017 14:30
  
  As the UK's departure process from the European Union (EU) officially commences with the triggering of Article 50, edie takes an in-depth look at how Brexit could affect Britain's green business community.
  
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• Ray Collier obituary

  29-03-2017 14:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Country Diarist who adopted the wilds of Scotland as his home and inspirationRay Collier, who has died aged 79, was devoted to the wildlife and landscape of Scotland, and used his years of experience, depth of knowledge and lively writing to kindle a similar love in others. A longstanding member of the Guardian’s band of Country Diarists, he also wrote for a sheaf of Highland newspapers, took eagerly to blogging when the world went online and was the author of two respected books.Born in G
  
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• Dead Sea evidence of unprecedented drought is warning for future

  29-03-2017 13:48 via theguardian.com
  
  A 30-metre layer of salt discovered beneath Dead Sea reveals drought worse than any in human history – and it could happen againFar below the Dead Sea, between Israel, Jordan and Palestinian territories, researchers have found evidence of a drought that has no precedent in human experience.From depths of 300 metres below the landlocked basin, drillers brought to the surface a core that contained 30 metres of thick, crystalline salt: evidence that 120,000 years ago, and again about 10,000 y
  
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• Cyclone Debbie: Experts fear damage to Great Barrier Reef

  29-03-2017 13:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Australian state of Queensland is assessing the extent of the damage caused by the major storm.
  
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• Elephants in dramatic muddy escape

  29-03-2017 12:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Eleven Asian elephants manage to drag themselves clear of a muddy hole in Cambodia.
  
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• Rare Indochinese tigers caught on camera in Thai jungle – video

  29-03-2017 11:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Critically endangered Indochinese tigers are captured on sensor-triggered cameras throughout 2016, set up in Thailand’s Eastern Forest Complex by the Forest Department and wildlife NGOs Freeland and Panthera. Conservationists say it gives hope for the survival of an animal whose total population is estimated at 221, spread across Myanmar and ThailandFootage courtesy of the Freeland foundationNearly extinct tigers found breeding in Thai jungleContinue reading...
  
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• edie Live exhibitor focus: Flexitricity

  29-03-2017 11:35
  
  Ahead of edie Live at the NEC on 23-24 May, we get up close and personal with some of our exhibitors to find out what visitors can expect to see from them at the show, what's new and how they can help in the drive towards sustainability targets.
  
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• Government badger cull kill targets 'deliberately set too low'

  29-03-2017 11:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Lower cull targets are easier to achieve but risk increasing instances of TB in cattle rather than reducing them, warns expertThe government’s killing targets for the controversial badger cull in England are “deliberately being biased down”, according to a leading animal population expert.The badger cull, now rolled out to seven counties in England, is part of efforts to reduce the scourge of tuberculosis in cattle but has been heavily criticised by scientists.Continue reading.
  
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• Fear of solar geoengineering is healthy – but don't distort our research

  29-03-2017 10:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Models suggest solar geoengineering could reduce climate change and our independently assessed studies are vital to understanding its full potentialEven if the world were to cut emissions to zero tomorrow, global temperatures and sea levels would rise for decades. If our roll of the climate dice is unlucky, they could rise for centuries. It is in this context that some climate researchers have begun to reluctantly take seriously ideas first proposed in the 1960s: the possibility of using solar g
  
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• A strong parliament will be nature’s last line of defence during Brexit

  29-03-2017 10:30 via theguardian.com
  
  EU membership has given Britain vital environmental laws. Any changes to legislation must be done with full public scrutiny to protect us from exploitationWhen Theresa May fires the Brexit starting gun by triggering article 50, she will start a process that could dramatically reshape almost every aspect of British life – from our economy, laws, and place in the world to our natural environment. The difficult choices our politicians make in just a few years could change the face of Britain
  
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• Westinghouse bankruptcy move casts shadow over world nuclear industry

  29-03-2017 10:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Plight of US firm, which has technology in about half world’s reactors, deals blow to building of new plantsThe US bankruptcy filing by nuclear giant Westinghouse has been branded a major blow to the prospects for new atomic power globally.The nuclear arm of Toshiba proudly states “we are nuclear energy” on its website, a boast underpinned by its technology being in around half the world’s reactors. Continue reading...
  
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• Nuclear giant Westinghouse files for bankruptcy protection

  29-03-2017 10:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Collapse of Toshiba unit, which has technology in about half world’s reactors, will deal blow to UK’s nuclear strategyWestinghouse Electric, the US nuclear power plant giant, has filed for bankruptcy protection, threatening a further blow to the UK’s atomic energy programme.
  The filing for Chapter 11 protection from creditors will allow Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse, whose nuclear plant projects have been dogged by delays and cost overruns, to renegotiate or break its construct
  
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• UPS to trial electric vehicle 'smart grid' in London

  29-03-2017 09:15
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Delivery firm UPS is moving onto the "next stage" of the electric vehicle (EV) deployment challenge to trial decentralised power generation and onsite storage systems at its London operating base.
  
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• Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin the evolutionary 'fairytale' of coral

  29-03-2017 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Science storytelling could be the way forward for science communication, so for your edification here’s the story of the Three Little Corals ...Science and storytelling don’t seem like obvious bedfellows but recently there’s been a serious vein of science communication research that suggests a strong narrative can help with dissemination, understanding by nonexperts and number one for most publishing scientists, citations. Of course, sciencing the art of storytelling, with narr
  
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• Cycle freight: why the bike is good for moving more than people

  29-03-2017 08:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Better infrastructure for transporting people by bike is great. But cycle freight could free up roads and transform cities and towns tooThe plastic bike basket I bought online was billed as “large”, but even so I was amazed when it arrived. This was a behemoth – a cavernous, black box into which you could as easily fit a decent-sized dog as a bag of shopping.Fitted to my new commuter bike, the initial effect was comical. But such worries were soon forgotten given how astonishin
  
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• Sex, death and sperm whales in the Indian Ocean – in pictures

  29-03-2017 08:15 via theguardian.com
  
  While observing sperm whale off the Sri Lankan coast, Philip Hoare came face to face with eight hunting orcas who had no fear of the 100-strong sperm whale pod Continue reading...
  
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• An extraordinary battle between sperm whales and orcas – in pictures

  29-03-2017 08:15 via theguardian.com
  
  While observing sperm whales off the Sri Lankan coast, Philip Hoare came face to face with eight hunting orcas who had no fear of the 100-strong sperm whale pod Continue reading...
  
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• An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power trailer: climate change has new villain – video

  29-03-2017 07:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Former US vice president Al Gore has produced a follow-up to his award-winning 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. Watch the first official trailerContinue reading...
  
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• Cyclone Debbie's cooling effect won't prevent Great Barrier Reef bleaching, scientist says

  29-03-2017 06:41 via theguardian.com
  
  OceanWatch had expressed hope cyclone could have alleviated pressure the reef is under and prevented further bleachingThe cooling effect of Cyclone Debbie will not be enough to prevent further mass bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, a leading marine scientist has said.The category-four tropical storm made landfall on the north Queensland coast on Tuesday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Airlie Beach, Proserpine and Bowen were among the worst hit, though Hamilton, Hayman and Daydrea
  
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• Old-fashioned narcissi are part of the fabric of the woodland

  29-03-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  St Dominic, Tamar Valley The hardier bulbs have naturalised and merged with bluebells, ferns, dog’s mercury and moschatel, shaded by scrub and treesLucifer, Sunrise, Croesus and Bernardino, narcissi with orange cups and creamy-white petals, should be at their best but hail and wind have battered these successors to the yellow-trumpeted daffodils. Bath’s Flame, on a taller stem with spreading lemon-yellow petals and scarlet-rimmed centre, is also spoilt, part-eaten by snails and littl
  
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• Nearly extinct tigers found breeding in Thai jungle

  29-03-2017 05:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Hope for critically endangered cats as only 221 Indochinese tigers, which once ranged across much of Asia, are thought to remain in Thailand and MyanmarConservationists say they have evidence the critically endangered Indochinese tiger is breeding in a Thai jungle, giving hope for the survival of an animal whose total population may be only a little over 200. Thailand’s conservation authorities, along with two private organisations, have announced photographs of new tiger cubs in eastern T
  
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• Jane Goodall calls Trump's climate change agenda 'immensely depressing'

  29-03-2017 03:32 via theguardian.com
  
  The renowned primatologist is dismayed by Trump administration’s climate skepticism, but says people have ‘woken up’ to the dangers of doing nothingTrump moves to dismantle Obama’s climate legacy with executive order
  Leading conservationist Jane Goodall has condemned Donald Trump’s bid to rip up America’s climate change policies as “immensely depressing” and flying in the face of scientific evidence.The US president signed an executive order on Tue
  
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• Hazelwood's closure shows industry and government must plan ahead for climate change | Nicholas Aberle

  29-03-2017 01:03 via theguardian.com
  
  More coal generators will close as Australia shifts to renewable energy, so there must be more plans in place to smooth the transition When Hazelwood stops generating electricity this week, it will be the first Australian power station to close, at least in part, because of climate change. Hazelwood’s owner, French energy giant Engie, has said it is “making climate a priority” and has committed to retiring its most outdated coal plants worldwide. Hazelwood’s closure will
  
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• RSPCA animal cruelty caseload rises to almost 150,000 investigations

  29-03-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Calls to cruelty hotline rose by nearly 5% in 2016, but charity says increase reflects more sharing of abuse footage on social mediaThe number of animal cruelty investigations by the RSPCA jumped by nearly 5% last year to more than 400 a day, according to figures released by the animal welfare charity.In its annual prosecutions report the RSPCA said it had investigated almost 150,000 cases in 2016. Calls to its 24-hour cruelty hotline rose by nearly 4%, averaging one every 27 seconds. Continue r
  
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