Environment news

• Peru's plans to cut air quality rules would smooth sale of top polluter

  01-05-2017 21:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Proposals to raise legal limits of sulfur dioxide by more than 12 times linked directly to sale of US-owned smelter in the AndesIt’s a fairly common tactic in Peru to issue a significant or potentially controversial decision or resolution when you hope no one is paying attention. 24, 26 or 31 December, for example. The Environment Ministry (MINAM) recently adopted that ploy by releasing, just before the Easter week holiday, proposals to dramatically roll back certain air quality standards
  
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• Many more stinging insects have arrived in the UK – they’re welcome | Patrick Barkham

  01-05-2017 18:57 via theguardian.com
  
  The migration of 25 new species of bees and wasps – and a slime-covered fungus – could be a beneficial effect of climate changeOne of Britain’s newest arrivals inhabits a kind of ingenious microflat sadly not available to human victims of the housing crisis. Constructing secure compartments with resin inside a grass stem or beetle nest is a neat trick performed by the small-headed resin bee, a tiny insect more familiar with Mediterranean climes, which has now taken up residence
  
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• Birdwatchers flock to Orkney to catch glimpse of American blackbird

  01-05-2017 18:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Twitchers charter planes to North Ronaldsay island hoping to spot first red-winged blackbird ever recorded in EuropeIt is a small brown bird with no ostentatious marking and unremarkable to the untrained eye. But a single female American blackbird spotted on a remote island in the Orkneys has prompted birdwatchers to charter planes, drive through the night and catch ferries to in the hope of catching a glimpse of the hitchhiking bird. More than 15 planes have landed on North Ronaldsay in the pas
  
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• SpaceX launches 'spy satellite' from Florida

  01-05-2017 17:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A SpaceX Falcon 9 has launched a classified military satellite - known only as NROL-76 - into orbit.
  
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• Rapha: brand capitalises on the concept of cycling gear as a fashion item

  01-05-2017 15:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Fashionable but pricey bikewear maker has thrived on cycling boom but, its CEO asks, could it grow faster with the right backing?The morning commuter peloton can be a sight. While professional cyclists whizz through tours in a blur of neon Lycra and bulging quads, dedicated amateurs often resort to makeshift gear such as flapping Sports Direct jogging bottoms and sweaty cagoules for the schlep to work.Simon Mottram, the chief executive of the cyclewear brand Rapha, is the cycling world’s e
  
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• Don’t feed seagulls or pick blackberries: how to go for a walk and not get arrested

  01-05-2017 15:44 via theguardian.com
  
  It used to be one of life’s simple pleasures, but now park rules and regulations mean going for a stroll could cost you an arm and a legWalking – sorry, taking the 10,000 steps a day required to keep you from having a heart attack/getting cancer/becoming crippled by anxiety caused by failing to walk 10,000 steps a day – is supposed to be an innocent activity. It’s free, good for you, and you get to avoid following the latest election/Brexit horrors and watch some blossom
  
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• Royal Institution's new director Sarah Harper: we must show gold standard for science

  01-05-2017 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Second woman to be appointed in RI’s 218-year history identifies role, in era of fake news, to supply trusted data across many issues from health to climate change and roboticsWhen Michael Faraday ran the Royal Institution, one of the oldest scientific organisations in the world, the 19th-century chemist took time to pile into public discourse. He ranted about dangerous pollution in the Thames. He debunked the fad of table-turning and blamed the educational system for allowing such nonsens
  
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• Pecking order: East Devon district council to fine seagull feeders

  01-05-2017 12:09 via theguardian.com
  
  People who habitually feed birds as well as cafes and restaurants that improperly dispose of food to be hit with £80 fineSeaside residents and holidaymakers who feed seagulls could be fined under new council powers in an effort to stop the birds attacking people for food.People who feed the often aggressive birds could be hit with an £80 fine as part of public space protection orders (PSPOs) issued by East Devon district council. Continue reading...
  
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• State-owned Swedish firm Vattenfall enters UK energy market

  01-05-2017 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Company is latest foreign publicly owned entity to join lucrative UK market with plan to sell energy from windfarms to big businessA state-owned Swedish company has become the latest European firm to enter the UK’s lucrative energy market, as Britain’s appeal to continental power suppliers shows no sign of abating after the Brexit vote.Vattenfall, which is 100% controlled by the Swedish government, is launching its first foray into UK energy supply as it joins a competitive field of
  
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• Bill Shorten welcomes jobs from Adani coalmine but says taxpayers shouldn't foot bill

  01-05-2017 07:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Labor leader says project ‘all well and good’ if it clears regulatory hurdles after shadow minister casts doubt on viabilityThe Labor leader, Bill Shorten, is continuing to welcome the jobs that would be created if the controversial Adani coalmine proceeds, despite the shadow climate change minister, Mark Butler, saying over the weekend it would be a “miracle” if the project went ahead.Shorten told reporters on Monday that, if the Adani project cleared all the regulatory
  
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• My wormhole through a Yorkshire childhood

  01-05-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Otley, West Yorkshire It ran around the back of our house, connecting it to the fields via a conduit of green shadowsMid-run, I suddenly stop by the inconspicuous entrance. I have passed it many times, but the thought to revisit never occurred until now. As an adult, with my sense of scale expanded, perhaps it had acquired a sort of invisibility, vivid in the memory but overlooked in the present.You might refer to it as a ginnel. You might even, depending on where you grew up, know it as a genne
  
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• Mathias Cormann says Westpac's restrictions on coal projects are 'very disappointing'

  01-05-2017 02:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Finance minister attacks bank’s ‘blanket refusal’ and says Queensland coalmines offer significant economic opportunityMathias Cormann has described the decision by Westpac to place tougher restrictions on lending to new coal projects as strange and disappointing.The finance minister said that, while banks had the right to make their own lending decisions, coal remained Australia’s second-largest export. Continue reading...
  
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• UK researchers lead effort to design climate-proof refugee housing

  01-05-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Bath University staff head an international team working on shelters capable of withstanding extremes of temperatureResearchers will today begin a three-year project to design housing for refugee camps in extreme climates where temperatures range from 45C to -10C. The international team behind the Healthy Housing for the Displaced project, led by Bath University, aim to improve living conditions for refugees by creating low-cost and easy-to-construct housing.Their 20 shelter designs will moderat
  
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