Environment news

• New York Times wants to offer diverse opinions. But on climate, facts are facts | Jane Martinson

  03-05-2017 20:54
  
  Facts, truth and opinion, always at the heart of journalism, are now the cause of an existential crisis over why it existsRight after the election of Donald Trump, a man widely considered a fake and a fool by many of its writers, the New York Times issued an extraordinary statement promising to “strive always to understand and reflect all political perspectives”. In April, amid criticism that the Times, along with others in the mainstream media, had ignored the concerns of the Americ
  
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• Rare Russian tiger returns to the wild

  03-05-2017 20:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Amur tigers were nearly driven to extinction, but conservation work in Russia is helping them bouncing back slowly.
  
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• Global warming 'hiatus' doesn't change long term climate predictions – study

  03-05-2017 19:03
  
  Deatailed analysis rejects view that apparent slowing of global rise in temperature from 1998-2012 is evidence against man-made climate changeAn apparent hiatus in global warming that spawned a decade-long controversy has had no impact on long-term climate projections, a detailed analysis has concluded.The slower rise in temperatures from 1998 to 2012 has repeatedly been cited by climate sceptics as a sign that the climate is less sensitive to greenhouse gases than previously thought – or
  
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• Why the environment must be at the heart of the UK general election | Letters

  03-05-2017 18:48
  
  Fears about climate change, air pollution, waste and possible changes to the Hunting Act concern readers from Brian May and Ranulph Fiennes to James Marsden of Much MarcleAs party leaders prepare to sign off on their election manifestos, we would like to draw their attention to a policy that has the overwhelming support of the British public.While 52% of British people voted to leave the EU, 84% want the ban on hunting foxes to stay, according to the latest Ipsos Mori data. In addition, 88%
  
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• 'International development' is a loaded term. It's time for a rethink | Jennifer Lentfer

  03-05-2017 15:48
  
  Our organisation was formed 30 years ago to share ideas on making the poor richer. Now a new mindset has led the organisation to change its namePeople would always give me a quizzical look. “And what is that, exactly?” they would ask, if brave enough to reveal their naiveté about what was to become the next decades of my life.“Well, it’s the study of how to help poor countries become richer,” I would explain of my choice to study international development. Co
  
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• LEED and BREEAM can generate 'stories of leadership' for businesses, says USGBC

  03-05-2017 14:46
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The ongoing expansion of LEED certification opportunities in Europe can enable businesses to become leaders in the built environment, by obtaining duel, third-party certifications that highlight the business case for green buildings.
  
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• Disturbing turtle video drives UK pub chain to clamp down on plastic straws

  03-05-2017 14:06
  
  A growing number of restaurants and pubs are listening to environmental campaigners and taking a stand against plastic strawsWhen the boss of UK pub chain Oakman Inns, Peter Borg-Neal, was shown a YouTube video (warning: graphic content) of a turtle in obvious pain as a plastic straw is removed from its nostril, he reflected on his company’s own straw consumption: 100,000 per month. At least that was the figure until last week, when the company announced it was restricting the use of plast
  
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• This is Andrea Leadsom’s chance to show us she’s against poisoning babies | Susanna Rustin

  03-05-2017 13:51
  
  The environment secretary has made much of being a mother. So what will she do about the UK’s air pollution – so toxic, experts advise plastic covers on prams?Theresa May has never struck me as much of a joker. But was it with a secret snigger that she offered former banker Andrea Leadsom the cabinet seat of environment secretary last year? Leadsom, you will remember, sparked a short-lived but almighty row, and handed May the premiership, when she told an interviewer that she thought
  
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• Nespresso launches coffee capsule recycling service in London borough

  03-05-2017 13:20
  
  Nespresso has this week teamed up the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to recycle consumer aluminium coffee capsules in the local area.
  
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• Nespresso launches coffee capsule recycling service in London

  03-05-2017 13:20
  
  Nespresso has this week teamed up the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to recycle consumer aluminium coffee capsules in the local area.
  
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• Keystone XL: Republican ranchers join the fightback in South Dakota – video

  03-05-2017 13:00
  
  After Trump’s revival of the Keystone XL pipeline project, some communities along its route are getting ready to fight back. Others see the US president keeping his promise to ‘make America great again’. The Guardian drove along the proposed route of the pipeline, through three red states – Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska – to hear what those who will be affected have to say about itKeystone defiance triggers assault on a constitutional rightLife on the Keystone
  
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• Keystone pipeline defiance triggers further assault on citizens' rights

  03-05-2017 13:00
  
  Part two: In South Dakota, a law could ban protests amid opposition from Republican ranchers, as many fear a ‘serious threat’ to waterWords by Oliver Laughland, photos and video by Laurence Mathieu-LégerSupport our environmental reporting with a contribution or by becoming a memberBret Clanton might not belong to the most obvious group of opponents to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. But when a survey crew from TransCanada arrived on his property eight years ago, the rancher
  
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• Keystone defiance triggers assault on a constitutional right

  03-05-2017 13:00
  
  Part two: In South Dakota, a law could ban protests amid opposition from Republican ranchers, as many fear a ‘serious threat’ to waterWords by Oliver Laughland, photos and video by Laurence Mathieu-LégerMake a contribution now: help the Guardian expand its climate change desk
  Bret Clanton might not belong to the most obvious group of opponents to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. But when a survey crew from TransCanada arrived on his property eight years ago, the rancher and
  
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• World's largest brewer saves £50m through sustainability strategy

  03-05-2017 12:19
  
  The world's largest brewer has saved $60m (£46.5m) in the past four years through energy-efficiency improvements, while also passing key water stewardship and carbon reduction targets.
  
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• Adani may face fine over sediment released in floodwaters after Cyclone Debbie

  03-05-2017 12:03
  
  Queensland environment department says it is considering action against mining giant with fines of up to $3.8m possible Adani faces a possible multimillion-dollar fine for environmental breaches over floodwaters released from its Queensland coal port after Cyclone Debbie.The Queensland environment department said it would consider “compliance action” against Adani over discharges of water containing more than eight times the level of sediment allowed from Abbot Point terminal. Contin
  
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• Is the climate consensus 97%, 99.9%, or is plate tectonics a hoax? | Dana Nuccitelli

  03-05-2017 12:00
  
  A new study argues the 97% climate consensus estimate is too low, while deniers claim it’s too high
  Four years ago, my colleagues and I published a paper finding a 97% consensus in the peer-reviewed literature on human-caused global warming. Since then, it’s been the subject of constant myths, misinformation, and denial. In fact, last year we teamed up with the authors of six other consensus papers, showing that with a variety of different approaches, we all found the expert consensu
  
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• Natural capital: Credible concept or spurious sustainability approach?

  03-05-2017 11:45
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Natural capital accounting can be a "disaster" for sustainability professionals and is not an effective way of engaging the finance community with environmental issues, the head of sustainability and finance at UK brewer Adnams has said.
  
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• My dog is a registered waste collector, says critic of lax regulation

  03-05-2017 11:28
  
  Environmental consultant says light-touch approach is leading to record levels of waste crime, costing £600m a yearRegulatory failings are contributing to fly-tipping and waste crime costing more than £604m a year, according to an investigator who was able to license a dog as a rubbish collector.A report by an environmental consultancy, Eunomia, says “systematic failure” to regulate the more than 180,000 waste carriers, brokers and dealers is leading to record levels of c
  
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• Last chance to register for free sustainability reporting webinar

  03-05-2017 11:00
  
  Sustainability and CSR professionals are invited to tune into a free-to-watch live webinar on Thursday (4 May) which will focus on maximising the value of reporting.
  
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• Paralympian Sarah Storey relishes new role as cycling persuader

  03-05-2017 09:00
  
  Multi-gold medalist became British Cycling policy advocate because she wants her children to be able to cycle on roads in safety as they grow upSarah Storey has already achieved astonishing things: beginning as a teenage swimmer in 1992 before moving to the bike, she has amassed 14 Paralympic gold medals and is set on extending that record at an eighth Games in 2020.But now Storey has taken on an arguably even greater challenge: persuading government ministers and councillors to take everyday cy
  
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• Crab invasion in the Bay of Pigs in Cuba – in pictures

  03-05-2017 09:00
  
  Every year, after mating season, millions of red, yellow and black landcrabs invade Playa Girón, on the eastern side of the Bay of Pigs or Bahía de Cochinos. The crabs migrate from the surrounding forests to the bay to spawn in the sea Continue reading...
  
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• Washed up whale 'most contaminated' on record

  03-05-2017 06:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Lulu the killer whale had 20 times the expected level of banned chemicals known as PCBs in her system.
  
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• The ancient magic of apple blossom time

  03-05-2017 06:30
  
  Wenlock Edge We have lost so many old orchards here that this young tree will hopefully encourage future plantingTo misquote the old Andrews Sisters song about a May Day wedding: “I’ll bewitch you, in apple blossom time.” Apple blossom has powerful emotional, cultural and ecological significances, each of which is inseparable in these woozily psychedelic days of spring. There’s a small apple tree planted a few years ago behind the windmill on top of the hill. It’s g
  
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• Resources minister steps up extraordinary Westpac attack over Adani coalmine

  03-05-2017 04:13
  
  Matt Canavan accuses bank of conflict of interest over policy to limit lending for coal projects to ‘existing coal-producing basins’Matt Canavan has redoubled his attack on Westpac – accusing the bank of a conflict of interest over financial links to the Newcastle port – as a direct competitor to future coalmines in the Galilee basin.“This stinks to high heaven,” the resources minister told the ABC in response to the bank’s new policy to limit lending fo
  
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• Black rhinos return to Rwanda 10 years after disappearance

  03-05-2017 03:27
  
  Around 20 eastern black rhinos are being moved to Akagera national park from South Africa Around 20 endangered eastern black rhinos are returning in an “extraordinary homecoming” to Rwanda after the species disappeared from the country 10 years ago, the African Parks organisation has said.
  The rhinos are being moved from South Africa to the Akagera national park in eastern Rwanda, according to the non-profit group that manages protected areas for African governments. Continue reading
  
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• Busy shipping lanes could cause 'seal hearing loss'

  03-05-2017 02:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers say noise could affect how whales, dolphins and seals find food and communicate.
  
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• Bumblebees: Pesticide 'reduces queen egg development'

  03-05-2017 02:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Using the insecticide thiamethoxam in spring could reduce bee numbers later in the year, a study finds.
  
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