Environment news

• Even short-duration heat waves could lead to failure of coffee crops

  30-03-2017 23:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  "Hot coffee" is not a good thing for java enthusiasts when it refers to plants beset by the high-temperature stress that this century is likely to bring, research at Oregon State University suggests.A study by OSU’s College of Forestry showed that when Coffea arabica plants were subjected to short-duration heat waves, they became unable to produce flowers and fruit.
  
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• Satellite galaxies at edge of Milky Way coexist with dark matter, says RIT study Paper to publish in "Monthly Notices for the Royal Astronomical Society"

  30-03-2017 23:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  Research conducted by scientists at Rochester Institute of Technology rules out a challenge to the accepted standard model of the universe and theory of how galaxies form by shedding new light on a problematic structure.
  
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• NASA Examines the Rainfall Left Behind from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie

  30-03-2017 23:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tropical Cyclone Debbie generated a lot of rainfall before and after it made landfall in Queensland, Australia, and NASA analyzed how much rain fell from a vantage point of space. NASA's Terra satellite provided a look at the remnants early on March 30 is it lingered near Australia's Gold Coast.
  
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• Tigers, ready to be counted

  30-03-2017 23:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new methodology developed by the Indian Statistical Institute, and WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) may revolutionize how to count tigers and other big cats over large landscapes.
  
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• Emissions from the edge of the forest

  30-03-2017 23:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  When talk is of important ecosystems, tropical forests are top of the list. After all, half of the carbon stored in all of the Earth's vegetation is contained in these ecosystems. Deforestation has a correspondingly fatal effect. Scientists estimate that this releases 1000 million tonnes of carbon every year, which, in the form of greenhouse gasses, drives up global temperatures. That is not all, however, reveals a new study by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Univer
  
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• Lost in space: 'Peggy, I don't have a shield'

  30-03-2017 23:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Astronauts Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough were meant to be installing debris shields on the ISS.
  
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• Climate change: global reshuffle of wildlife will have huge impacts on humanity

  30-03-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Mass migration of species to cooler climes has profound implications for society, pushing disease-carrying insects, crop pests and crucial pollinators into new areas, says international team of scientistsGlobal warming is reshuffling the ranges of animals and plants around the world with profound consequences for humanity, according to a major new analysis.Rising temperatures on land and sea are increasingly forcing species to migrate to cooler climes, pushing disease-carrying insects into new a
  
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• P272: The new regulation that could prove 'vital' for business energy efficiency

  30-03-2017 19:27
  
  Large businesses are being urged to seize the opportunity of gaining a more detailed and accurate breakdown of their energy consumption as an important new regulation comes into effect on Saturday (1 April).
  
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• The renewables revolution rolls on: 2016 in charts

  30-03-2017 18:49
  
  New figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) have revealed that 2016 was the strongest year yet for renewable energy. Here, edie digs deep into the data to bring you 10 key statistics that chart a record-breaking year for the world's clean energy transformation.
  
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• James Webb telescope: Hubble successor set for yet more tests

  30-03-2017 18:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The spectacular James Webb Space Telescope is bound next for the giant Apollo testing chamber.
  
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• Thousands of pollution deaths worldwide linked to western consumers

  30-03-2017 17:51
  
  Western 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.
  
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• Who should direct Donald Trump: the Movie? Step forward, Werner Herzog

  30-03-2017 16:14 via theguardian.com
  
  With his yen for monomaniacal oddballs and love of an unhappy ending, the German film-maker is surely the perfect person to tackle a Trump biopicAs we inch towards day 100 of his ignoble reign, it is becoming increasingly clear that Donald Trump is going to remain president of the United States for a fair while yet (bar a sudden and unlikely show of courage from Republican politicians). Which means at some point we’ll have to start thinking about those big questions around the legacy of PO
  
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• West Mersea mammoth tusk found on beach

  30-03-2017 16:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Research will be carried out into the age and rarity of the tusk.
  
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• USGS and Partners Team Up to Track Down Nonnative and Invasive Fishes in South Florida

  30-03-2017 15:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  U.S. Geological Survey scientists teamed up with government, nonprofit, and university partners in South Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve to hold a scientific scavenger hunt for nonnative and invasive freshwater fish species.
  
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• A superbloom of wildflowers overtakes California's southeastern deserts in March 2017

  30-03-2017 15:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  After five years of exceptional drought, desert landscapes across southern California exploded with “superblooms” of wildflowers this March following ample winter precipitation. According to local news reports, it’s the most spectacular display some locations have seen in more than two decades.
  
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• Norway's climate secretary expects deepened UK energy ties post-Brexit

  30-03-2017 15:09
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The UK can play an "active role" in influencing Europe's climate policy post-Brexit, according to Norway's Climate and Environment Secretary, who believes the low-carbon energy relations between the two countries will be strengthened over the next few years.
  
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• El Salvador makes history as first nation to impose blanket ban on metal mining

  30-03-2017 13:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Campaigners celebrate victory for ‘water over gold’ after country unaninmously ushers through historic bill to end all forms of metal mining El Salvador has made history after becoming the first country in the world to ban metal mining.Lawmakers in the water-parched country passed the ban in a unanimous vote on Wednesday, declaring El Salvador a mining-free territory.Continue reading...
  
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• The curious disappearance of climate change, from Brexit to Berlin | Andrew Simms

  30-03-2017 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The word climate does not appear once in the letter triggering the UK’s departure from Europe. But it’s not just in London that the issue seems to be slipping from the political stage
  The word climate does not appear once in the letter triggering the UK’s departure from Europe. Despite the world experiencing a second, successive, record annual rise in carbon dioxide concentrations, on one level the omission is hardly surprising. When the environment minister, George Eustice, re
  
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• Good news for elephants: China's legal ivory trade is 'dying' as prices fall

  30-03-2017 12:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Elephant conservationists hopeful that demand for ivory in China is falling amid government clampdown on ivory sellers, but experts remain wary of poaching
  The wholesale price of raw legal ivory has dropped by almost two thirds since China, the world’s largest ivory importer and trader, announced plans to close down its domestic market, according to new research.Researchers working for the conservation organisation Save the Elephants visited Beijing and Shanghai, as well as six cities whos
  
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• BMW and Volkswagen lead 'next level' automotive supply chain partnership

  30-03-2017 11:41
  
  Ten global automotive giants including BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen (VW) have launched a new partnership to integrate a common approach to sustainability throughout the automotive supply chain.
  
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• South Australia to get $1bn solar farm and world's biggest battery

  30-03-2017 09:41 via theguardian.com
  
  System will include 3.4m solar panels and 1.1m batteries, with operations set to begin by end of 2017A huge $1bn solar farm and battery project will be built and ready to operate in South Australia’s Riverland region by the end of the year. Related: Elon Musk, meet Port Augusta: four renewable energy projects ready to goContinue reading...
  
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• Reusable incentives could slash disposable coffee cup waste

  30-03-2017 08:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Free reusables, 25p charge on disposables and green slogans in cafes could cut some of 2.5bn cups thrown away each year, finds studyIncentives such as a tax on disposable coffee cups or free reuseable replacements could help cut the number thrown away in the UK every year by between 50m and 300m, according to new research.An estimated 2.5bn throwaway coffee cups are used in the UK every year by consumers buying coffee from chains and cafes, creating approximately 25,000 tonnes of waste. Continue
  
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• Sadiq Khan launches real-world air quality vehicle tracker

  30-03-2017 08:15
  
  London Mayor Sadiq Khan has teamed up with his French counterpart Anne Hidalgo to unveil a new initiative which measures the on-road emissions from vehicles.
  
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• Climate change: China calls US 'selfish' after Trump seeks to bring back coal

  30-03-2017 08:14 via theguardian.com
  
  State-run tabloid says Beijing cannot fill vacuum left by US and urges west to pressure Trump on global warmingChinese state media has lambasted Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back many Obama-era environmental regulations, with a state-run tabloid saying that: “No matter how hard Beijing tries, it won’t be able to take on all the responsibilities that Washington refuses to take.”Continue reading...
  
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• Cedar cuts a bold dash among the grey ranks

  30-03-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire Spring hasn’t ignited its neighbours but this red-barked giant is vibrant in the sunlightA banner of red falls amid ranks of anaemic grey: if sentient, this tree would have to be either mortified or cocksure, cutting such a bold dash in demure company. I shamble through ankle-snagging greenery and brownery as if through stubborn snow. My steps are crisp and disturb a sweet smell. I get to the tree. It’s magnificent: 40 metres at least. It seems all tr
  
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• Wildlife activists discover pit full of native waterbirds 'dumped' by hunters – video

  30-03-2017 06:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Video provided by Coalition Against Duck Shooting shows muddy pits full of dead birds they allege were shot and dumped by hunters who exceeded their bag limit on the opening weekend of Victoria’s duck hunting season Continue reading...
  
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• Food trade drains global water sources at 'alarming' rates

  30-03-2017 03:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The global food trade is depleting water sources quicker than they can naturally be refilled in many places.
  
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• SpaceX set to launch 'used rocket'

  30-03-2017 03:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  California's SpaceX company expects to make a piece of history later when it re-flies a Falcon rocket.
  
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• Philippines fisherman tells of deadly two-month ordeal stranded at sea

  30-03-2017 03:09 via theguardian.com
  
  The 21-year-old watched his uncle die, and lived off rainwater and moss growing on his small boat until his rescue earlier this monthA young fisherman flew home to the Philippines on Wednesday after being given up for dead at sea, battling hunger, thirst and despair for nearly two months on a tiny boat that drifted all the way to Papua New Guinea.
  Rolando Omongos, 21, recounted an astonishing tale of survival as he arrived from his first plane ride at Manila airport, three weeks after his rescue
  
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• Number of robins visiting UK gardens hits 20-year high

  30-03-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  British gardens also saw a ‘waxwing winter’ in this winter’s Big Garden Birdwatch, conservationists sayThe number of robins visiting gardens hit a 20-year high in this winter’s Big Garden Birdwatch, conservationists said.Average numbers of the robin seen in gardens were up to their highest levels since 1986, making it the seventh most commonly seen bird in the citizen science survey in January. Continue reading...
  
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