Environment news

• Ceredigion TB fears over 'thriving' wild red deer

  03-04-2017 23:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Fears are raised TB could be linked to growing numbers of red deer running wild in parts of rural Wales.
  
  Read more

• We can't be Denmark: Josh Frydenberg plays down wind energy potential on Q&A

  03-04-2017 23:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Energy minister says Australia’s remoteness means it cannot match European countries yet in producing electricity from renewables Josh Frydenberg has pointed to South Australia’s intermittent power issues as evidence that the rest of the country is not ready to transition out of fossil fuels, calling the state Australia’s “great experiment”.
  The minister for the environment and energy appeared alongside Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the chief executive of Save the Childre
  
  Read more

• Is consciousness just an illusion?

  03-04-2017 22:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett believes the human brain might not be that special.
  
  Read more

• Who'd want to dump Australia's nuclear waste here? Well, this guy

  03-04-2017 22:15 via theguardian.com
  
  At Kimba in the heart of the country, a community is divided – in one case literally so – over a plan to deposit the national stockpile of radioactive wasteAt a point almost halfway between the east and west coasts of Australia, a mob of emus scamper along the Napandee property fenceline. The mallee scrub out this way appears otherwise deserted, the kind of remote location where one could hide a dead body and get away with it – but what about an entire country’s radioacti
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Dairy needn’t be scary – just look at our calves | Letters

  03-04-2017 20:25 via theguardian.com
  
  We are dairy farmers in Scotland who rear our calves to eight weeks of age in hutches clearly visible to the public next to a road. Walkers, cyclists and motorists stop to view and photograph the calves in their happy and comfortable environment. We have never had a negative comment as to their welfare and since starting to calve in September – the last one arrived on Sunday night – no antibiotics have been required to treat any ailment with the calves.Though I would agree that the c
  
  Read more

• Tourists can help protect St Lucia’s unique lizard | Letters

  03-04-2017 20:21 via theguardian.com
  
  The news of a plan to destroy the Maria Islands’ unique species (Plan for £2bn St Lucia resort prompts fear for rare snake and lizard, 1 April) filled me with horror. Until now St Lucia has had an excellent record on wildlife conservation combined with tourist enjoyment of, and local pride in, its unique wildlife.In 1983 the St Lucia National Trust designated the Maria Islands a nature reserve and I was invited to make a study of the St Lucia whiptail lizard. The lizard lives on
  
  Read more

• Graphene-based sieve turns seawater into drinking water

  03-04-2017 19:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The development could help provide clean drinking water for millions of people who lack access to safe sources.
  
  Read more

• Badgers v farmers: finally we’re getting away from this polarised debate | Patrick Barkham

  03-04-2017 18:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Bovine TB has been detected in everything from earthworms to cats. Rather than culling, we need a different way to compensate those who’ve lost cattleThe belief that badgers possess superpowers is supported by cameras in Utah’s Grassy Mountains, which have revealed a badger working for four days to bury a calf carcass much bigger than itself, before digging a new home next door.The American badger, Taxidea taxus, is a different species to Britain’s native badger, but Meles mele
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Graphene sieve turns seawater into drinking water

  03-04-2017 18:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  Graphene-oxide membranes have attracted considerable attention as promising candidates for new filtration technologies. Now the much sought-after development of making membranes capable of sieving common salts has been achieved.
  
  Read more

• Cummins embeds new innovations to reduce key environmental footprints

  03-04-2017 18:40
  
  Heat capturing equipment, food composting and algae tiles have been named amongst the innovations that could deliver costs savings of more than £640,000 while reducing key climate impacts for engine manufacturers Cummins.
  
  Read more

• Greenland's Coastal Glaciers Are Rapidly Withering Away

  03-04-2017 18:37 via feedproxy.google.com
  Greenland’s icy coastlines are withering away at a rapid pace. With ever rising temperatures in the region, scientists fear the glaciers may never grow back.
  
  Read more

• Unique experiment set to reveal the effects of climate change on the forests of the future

  03-04-2017 18:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  A major new decade-long experiment to study the impact of climate and environmental change on woodlands is launching today.
  
  Read more

• Where the Jordan Stops Flowing

  03-04-2017 18:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new study conducted at Tel Aviv University and published in the journal Water Research argues that Israel's Jordan River may be a useful case study for the challenges facing stream restoration initiatives around the world. The Jordan River has been ravaged by unbridled population growth and defunct sewage treatment plants.
  
  Read more

• Scientists in Staffordshire switch on futuristic-looking forest to measure carbon impact

  03-04-2017 18:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The launch of the giant outdoor experiment will see trees engulfed by high levels of carbon dioxide.
  
  Read more

• Exploring ocean waters to characterize atmospheric aerosols

  03-04-2017 18:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  Aerosols are collections of fine particles, either biological or of other types, in suspension in a gaseous medium. They play a major role in cloud formation and therefore have a strong impact on climate models. They are however extremely hard to study due to the small size and immense variety of their constituent particles. But researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, members of the PlanetSolar Deepwater expedition, have now succeeded in linking the composition of marine
  
  Read more

• Switch from nuclear to coal-fired power linked to low birth weight in US region

  03-04-2017 17:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Study reveals fall in birth weight in areas of the Tennessee Valley which had greatest boom in coal-fired power plant activity following nuclear closuresChildren in a region of the US were born smaller after the area switched from nuclear plants to coal-fired power stations, new research has found.The study looked at of the impact of nuclear power plant closures in the aftermath of the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania in 1979 – the most serious such accident in US history –
  
  Read more

• Report: Private sector entering new era of collaboration on sustainability

  03-04-2017 17:34
  
  Businesses are embarking on a "new era" of collaborative ventures to solve the world's greatest social and environmental challenges, a new study has found.
  
  Read more

• Grape Britain: UK merry on organic wine as sales soar

  03-04-2017 16:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Rise in number of environmentally conscious consumers lead to boom in sales of organic wines, beers and spiritsIt is made from grapes grown without pesticides and chemicals, is kind to the environment and rarely triggers hangovers. Sales of organic wine are booming in the UK as part of the growing trend for “conscious consumerism”.According to the organic food and farming group the Soil Association, sales of organic beers, wines and spirits rose by 14.3% last year to reach nearly &po
  
  Read more

• Renewables cut Europe's carbon emissions by 10% in 2015, says EEA

  03-04-2017 16:05 via theguardian.com
  
  European Environment Agency report solar and and wind is reducing fossil fuel dependency but clean energy capacity still not growing fast enoughA surge in the use of wind and solar energy helped Europe to cut its fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by about 10% in 2015, an authoritative new report has found. Energy use from renewables rose to 16.7% of Europe’s total, up from 15% in 2013, and accounted for 77% of the continent’s new power capacity. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Fracking firm Ineos leads industry lobbying to avoid green tax

  03-04-2017 16:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Documents show Anglo-Swiss firm is using Brexit as a chance to seek further exemptions from climate policy costsAnglo-Swiss chemicals firm Ineos is privately leading an industry lobbying attempt to avoid paying for the cost of decarbonising Britain’s economy.Documents released under freedom of information rules reveal that Ineos is pushing the government to use Brexit as a chance to exempt the chemicals sector entirely from climate policy costs.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Whitbread and Kwik Fit seize opportunity of water retail competition

  03-04-2017 14:10
  
  Hospitality giant Whitbread Group and vehicle servicing chain Kwik Fit are among the first wave of companies to capitalise on the newly-opened water retail market in an effort to improve efficiency and drive down costs.
  
  Read more

• RBS eyes £3m energy savings through employee engagement scheme

  03-04-2017 13:34
  
  The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is rolling out a sustainability engagement programme across the UK and Ireland after a successful pilot led to a 5% average electricity reduction and 500,000 disposable cups being correctly recycled.
  
  Read more

• Chemicals giant Ineos leads industry lobbying to avoid green tax

  03-04-2017 13:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Documents show Anglo-Swiss firm is using Brexit as a chance to seek further exemptions from climate policy costsAnglo-Swiss chemicals firm Ineos is privately leading an industry lobbying attempt to avoid paying for the cost of decarbonising Britain’s economy.Documents released under freedom of information rules reveal that Ineos is pushing the government to use Brexit as a chance to exempt the chemicals sector entirely from climate policy costs.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Wildlife on your doorstep: share your April photos

  03-04-2017 13:12 via theguardian.com
  
  April brings the joys of spring for the northern hemisphere while winter is a step closer for the southern hemisphere. We’d like to see your wildlife photosEverything is starting to finally bloom for the northern hemisphere, with the start of April promising milder spring weather. Meanwhile the southern hemisphere is preparing itself for more of those cooler autumn days. So what sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps? We’d love to see your photos of the April wildlife
  
  Read more

• Europe's energy giants set to overshoot Paris Agreement 'carbon budget'

  03-04-2017 13:08
  
  Europe's major utilities companies are "locked" into high emission projects, placing €14bn of earnings at risk unless they realign strategies with the goals of the Paris Agreement, a new CDP report has found.
  
  Read more

• Aquariums flout Japan's ban on dolphin catching method

  03-04-2017 12:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Aquariums are quitting a Japanese zoo body to avoid a ban on a controversial method of catching dolphins.
  
  Read more

• UK travel firm becomes the first to drop zoos

  03-04-2017 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Responsible Travel withdraws trips that include visits to zoos but will continue to work with sanctuaries and rescue centresA UK travel company has pledged to stop promoting zoos and laid down guidelines for the kinds of animal facilities it will continue to work with. Responsible Travel said there was “no justifiable reason” to keep animals in captivity, in an announcement backed by the Born Free Foundation and actor and animal welfare campaigner Joanna Lumley. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Australian government lowers safe exposure levels of toxic firefighting chemicals

  03-04-2017 10:55 via theguardian.com
  
  Move brings tolerable daily intake levels in line with US standards and follows months of controversy over contaminations near airports and military basesThe federal government has dramatically lowered the safe exposure levels of toxic firefighting chemicals, following months of controversy over contaminations detected near airports and military bases.The new tolerable daily intake levels (TDIs) of the polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals – used in firefighting foam for decades unti
  
  Read more

• Big businesses unite in Square Mile coffee cup recycling challenge

  03-04-2017 09:20
  
  Major coffee retailers and businesses in the London Square Mile have today (3 April) joined forces to launch a scheme which aims to recycle half a million coffee cups in London this month.
  
  Read more

• Thousands of birds flock to Australia's inland lakes after record rain

  03-04-2017 07:57 via theguardian.com
  
  The influx includes a newly discovered breeding colony of the nomadic and somewhat mysterious banded stiltTens of thousands of coastal birds have flocked to the outback after record-breaking rains filled inland lakes to their highest levels in three decades.The influx includes a newly discovered breeding colony of the nomadic and somewhat mysterious banded stilts, on one of the lakes’ islands in the remote eastern Pilbara region of Western Australia. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Birds flock to Australian outback after torrential rains fill inland lakes – video

  03-04-2017 07:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Parks and Wildlife and Indigenous land and ranger groups have observed huge numbers of birds, including the mysterious banded stilt, flocking to inland lakes to breed after record-breaking rain events in Australia’s desert regions Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Ineos leads industry lobbying to avoid paying green tax

  03-04-2017 07:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Chemicals firm is using Brexit as a chance to seek further exemptions from climate policy costsAnglo-Swiss chemicals firm Ineos is privately leading an industry lobbying attempt to avoid paying for the cost of decarbonising Britain’s economy.Documents released under freedom of information rules reveal that Ineos is pushing the government to use Brexit as a chance to exempt the chemicals sector entirely from climate policy costs.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Sumatran elephants: a fragile future – in pictures

  03-04-2017 07:20 via theguardian.com
  
  These powerful, and at times graphic, images bear witness to the plight of critically endangered Sumatran elephants and the challenges they face. These include the conversion of forest habitat to oil palm plantations, degradation of forest habitat by illegal logging, conflicts with farmers through crop-raiding, and being illegally hunted for their ivory tusks. While the situation is dire, the camera’s lens also finds hope in the efforts of those working to safeguard the animal’s futu
  
  Read more

• There’s another story to tell about climate change. And it starts with water | Judith D Schwartz

  03-04-2017 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  In this time of reckless US action, it’s crucial to shift the narrative beyond despair over fossil fuels and look at water as a primary tool of climate controlIt’s easy for all concerned about air, water and nature to descend into despair as we watch brazen rollbacks of environmental legislation in the US. Just last week, developments included an executive order to rewrite US carbon emissions rules, jeopardising the country’s ability to uphold its Paris climate talk commitment;
  
  Read more

• Flickers of movement where no plane flies

  03-04-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Manchester airport A grounded traveller is distracted by the pied wagtails swarming over the terminal roofThe storm has mostly moved over, but its trailing coat still ruffles the air outside Terminal 1 of Manchester airport, and the backlog of cancelled and delayed flights testifies to its handiwork. With an unexpected three hours to kill, I leave the terminal by way of a first-floor access road, as the dregs of the day drain from the oppressively blank sky.I am braced for boredom, but an incong
  
  Read more

• Sci-fi forest tracks carbon impact

  03-04-2017 03:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists dose trees with atmosphere of the future to see how much they can swallow.
  
  Read more

• Scientists mobilise against 'fear of facts' in age of Trump

  03-04-2017 02:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists are learning even if you ignore politics, politics won't ignore you.
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!