Environment news

• First Americans claim sparks controversy

  26-04-2017 23:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A study that claims humans reached the Americas 130,000 years ago, much earlier than previously suggested, has run into controversy.
  
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• TfL to spend £18m on preparing London for new electric black cabs

  26-04-2017 18:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Transport for London’s outlay will upgrade capital’s power grids so energy companies can install 300 fast-charging stationsTransport for London is spending £18m on upgrading the capital’s power grids to charge the first generation of battery-powered black cabs.From 1 January 2018, all new black cabs will have to be battery-powered electric models by law as part of TfL’s effort to reduce toxic pollution from diesel engines. Continue reading...
  
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• Builders 'behind UK flooding risk'

  26-04-2017 16:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Government rapped again for failure to tighten flood-prevention rules on new homes
  
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• Baby humpback whales 'whisper' to mums to avoid predators

  26-04-2017 16:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  New recordings show newborn humpback whales and mothers "whisper" to each other, to avoid predators.
  
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• California ‘super bloom’ visible from space – video report

  26-04-2017 15:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Wildflowers have erupted across California deserts in the past month in a phenomenon known as a ‘super bloom’. After heavy rainfall ended months of drought, the flowers carpeted such vast areas that the transformation was visible from spaceVideo courtesy of Heather LomaxImages courtesy of Planet LabsContinue reading...
  
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• 'Fossil' groundwater's modern secret

  26-04-2017 15:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The deepest and oldest waters on Earth are not immune from contamination, warn scientists.
  
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• Satellite Eye on Earth March 2017 – in pictures

  26-04-2017 15:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Mount Etna, India’s ship graveyard and trees in Africa are among the images captured by European Space Agency and Nasa satellites last monthThe Mackenzie river system is Canada’s largest watershed, and the 10th largest water basin in the world. The river runs 4,200km (2,600 miles) from the Columbia icefield in the Canadian Rockies to the Arctic Ocean. If your vehicle weighs less than 22,000lb, you can drive the frozen river out to Reindeer Station. The bitterly cold ice road runs for
  
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• Triodos launches UK's 'most sustainable' personal current account

  26-04-2017 14:45
  
  Sustainable banking group Triodos has today (26 April) ramped up efforts to disrupt the "dysfunctional" banking sector through the launch of a new personal current account that embraces responsible finance.
  
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• Report: Fortune 500 firms showcasing the business case for energy efficiency

  26-04-2017 14:39
  
  Major US businesses are reaping economic benefits from energy-efficiency projects implemented to meet broad sustainability targets, with 190 Fortune 500 companies collectively generating $3.7bn in annual energy savings.
  
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• Trump review threatens to rip up Obama protections for wilderness areas

  26-04-2017 14:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Interior secretary to review past presidents’ national monument designationsDesignation of monuments could be ‘rescinded, modified or resized’Donald Trump is triggering a review of protections that cover more than a billion acres of US public land and waters in a move that could potentially rescind the designation of several national monuments declared by previous presidents. Trump will on Wednesday sign an executive order relating to the Antiquities Act, a law introduced by Pr
  
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• Punch a shark, whistle away a bear: how to survive deadly encounters | Jules Howard

  26-04-2017 14:34 via theguardian.com
  
  From crocodiles in ponds to wasps in service stations or vampires in your hammock, your best bet for dealing with predators is simple: respect themPunching sharks in the face isn’t something to be attempted lightly, but in the jaws of death it can be the best means of remaining uneaten, as this weekend’s incident involving a shark attack on a British woman attests. Here are some tips to help you remain alive should you face any other predators. Continue reading...
  
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• Australia to impose gas export controls if domestic shortage hits

  26-04-2017 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The prime minister says gas producers failed to give him concrete guarantees on domestic supply and he is acting on the advice of the energy regulatorThe Turnbull government will impose export controls when there is a shortage of gas in the domestic market, acting on advice from the energy market operator and Australia’s competition watchdog.Malcolm Turnbull confirmed on Wednesday night the government had taken the decision to intervene in the market because Australia’s liquefied nat
  
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• Nasa waits on Cassini radio contact from Saturn

  26-04-2017 13:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The probe should have completed its first plunge in between the planet's rings and cloudtops.
  
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• The government just announced a gamechanger for cycling in England – Sam Jones

  26-04-2017 12:45 via theguardian.com
  
  The new cycling and walking investment strategy is the first legislation of its kind to legally bind the government to long-term funding for cycling and walking provisionUnless you’re an avid transport campaigner, it’s likely that among the rush of government announcements made last week, you will have missed one very important one: the publication of the cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS),The government’s intention to launch a CWIS was first announced in January 20
  
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• Mercedes-Benz brings energy storage units to the UK

  26-04-2017 12:06
  
  Mercedes-Benz wants to introduce a "private energy revolution" to UK, after commencing deliveries of energy storage units that can connect with renewable energy sources.
  
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• Olam International pairs sustainability and financial reporting for the first time

  26-04-2017 10:15
  
  Agri-business supplier Olam International has announced cuts to carbon intensity and water usage in its own operations in a sustainability report that has been merged with its annual financial report for the first time.
  
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• MPs accuse Government of having 'no clear plan' to implement SDGs

  26-04-2017 09:16
  
  The UK Government has failed to set out a clear plan to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or encourage businesses to do likewise, according to new research from a cross-party watchdog.
  
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• 'The scales have tipped': Majority of investors taking action on climate change

  26-04-2017 09:15
  
  The number of the asset owners recognising and acting on the risk of climate change has risen by almost a fifth in the last year, with 60% of the world's biggest investors taking steps to protect their portfolios, a new report has revealed.
  
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• Physics of throwing analysed by scientists

  26-04-2017 07:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have calculated the optimal strategy for throwing something accurately, even a ball of paper.
  
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• Milkwort steals the show at Figsbury Ring

  26-04-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Figsbury Ring, Wiltshire Sewn like gems into the sward, these little blue flowers take shelter in the lee of the earthwork ringsBluer than the sky, bluer than the sheen on rooks and the lustre of oil beetles, the milkwort flowers are sewn like gems into the sward. Polygala calcarea is the chalk milkwort, with a gentian-blue far brighter than the common milkwort flowers I’m used to seeing on Wenlock Edge. High on Salisbury Plain, open to the winds and shafts of sunlight through distant show
  
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• Baby whales 'whisper' to mothers to avoid predators, study finds

  26-04-2017 04:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Scientists reveal unique, intimate form of communication between humpback mothers and calves as well as silent method to initiate sucklingNewborn humpback whales and their mothers whisper to each other to escape potential predators, scientists reported Wednesday, revealing the existence of a previously unknown survival technique.
  “They don’t want any unwanted listeners,” researcher Simone Videsen, lead author of a study published in Functional Ecology, said.Continue reading...
  
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