Environment news

• Planet could breach 1.5C warming limit within 10 years, but be aware of caveats

  08-05-2017 22:27 via theguardian.com
  
  A new study shows how a switch in a major climate system could accelerate global temperatures to a 1.5C limit, but some scientists are challenging the assumptionsIn the Brazilian city of São Paulo, more than 80 experts, including dozens of climate scientists, gathered back in March for a giant planning meetingAs part of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the group from 39 different countries were starting their work on a major report that will tell govern
  
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• Climate talks cool on idea of accommodating the US

  08-05-2017 20:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Delegates are wary of changing the Paris climate agreement just to keep the Americans on board.
  
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• US Air Force's secretive space plane lands after two years in orbit

  08-05-2017 20:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  After almost two years in orbit, the X-37B Orbit Test Vehicle has returned to Earth - but what has it been doing?
  
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• Irish beach reappears 33 years after being washed away – video

  08-05-2017 20:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Locals at Dooagh, Achill island, had got used to their sandless beach, which storms in 1984 turned into just rocks and pools. But a freak tide at Easter has brought hundreds of tonnes of sand back to the bay off Ireland’s County Mayo coastIrish beach washed away 33 years ago reappears overnight after freak tideContinue reading...
  
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• Rare ammonite 'death drag' fossil discovered

  08-05-2017 20:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The creature's shell made a 8.5m-long mark as it drifted along the seafloor 150 million years ago.
  
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• X-37B space plane returns after two-year secret mission

  08-05-2017 20:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What was the US Air Force's X-37B doing during its almost two years in orbit?
  
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• Speedy subtitles just get lost in translation | Brief letters

  08-05-2017 20:13 via theguardian.com
  
  Climate change | Older drivers | TV subtitles | Grandparents’ namesIn response to Benjamin Barber’s article on putting cities in charge of climate change (Opinion, 8 May), while I agree that current government attempts are ineffective, and Oslo, the example city, has worked effectively to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions, I think putting less affluent cities in charge would have a different outcome.
  Kate McWilliams
  Newcastle upon Tyne Related: It&rsquo
  
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• The Guardian view on May’s air pollution plan: all mouth, no trousers | Editorial

  08-05-2017 20:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Theresa May talks big but doesn’t deliver on cleaning up Britain’s polluted citiesTheresa May recognises that air pollution is one of the biggest threats faced by millions of citizens: last November, after a judge ordered the government to produce a plan to tackle an avoidable cause of up to 40,000 premature deaths, she told MPs: “Nobody in this house doubts the importance of the issue of air quality. We have taken action, there is more to do and we will do it.” Roll forw
  
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• 50 MPs back fight to divest parliament pension fund of fossil fuels

  08-05-2017 18:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Cross-section of MPs urge £612m pension fund to show greater leadership and “take climate change seriously”A campaign calling on parliament’s £612m pension fund to divest from fossil fuels has won the backing of 50 MPs from across the UK’s main political parties.The Divest Parliament campaign has announced it has secured support from a cross-section of MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Greens, SNP, SDLP and Plaid Cymru, who are all urging the Parli
  
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• EPA removes half of scientific board, seeking industry-aligned replacements

  08-05-2017 17:55 via theguardian.com
  
  Administrator Scott Pruitt, in choosing not to renew nine members’ terms, has ‘eviscerated’ board of scientific counselors, says chairThe Environmental Protection Agency has “eviscerated” a key scientific review board by removing half its members and seeking to replace them with industry-aligned figures, according to the board’s chair.Related: Worried world urges Trump not to pull out of Paris climate agreementContinue reading...
  
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• When they act like wolves, are dogs still our best friends? | Patrick Barkham

  08-05-2017 17:30 via theguardian.com
  
  In Britain we love dogs, but there are too many of them – and politicians are afraid to tackle the danger they pose to children and other animalsDenmark has its first wild wolf pack for 200 years after a young female walked 500km from Germany. There have been several attacks on sheep, but the Danes have sensibly arranged compensation and funding for wolf-proof fencing. Imagine the furore if wolves were reintroduced into Britain and began devouring sheep. So it is strange that we tolerate o
  
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• Forest rangers tortured and killed by illegal settlers in Liberia rainforest

  08-05-2017 17:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Two forest patrollers have been killed and four hospitalised in what is believed to be retaliatory action from illegal settlers in Sapo National ParkTwo forest rangers have been killed by a violent mob in a Liberian rainforest after discovering a community illegally settling and hunting in the park, according to authorities.Related: Another day, another dead wildlife ranger. Where is the outrage? | Sean WillmoreContinue reading...
  
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• Toyota drives 'Digiman' project to develop 50,000 fuel cell stacks by 2020

  08-05-2017 15:49
  
  Japanese carmaker Toyota will be responsible for best practice requirements in a £3m programme created by several public and private bodies which aims to create a platform for fuel cell production for zero-emission cars.
  
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• Staying on course

  08-05-2017 15:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Land Speed Record holder Andy Green describes how the Bloodhound supersonic car will drive in a straight line.
  
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• Scientists climb the ocean mountain Balls Pyramid – video

  08-05-2017 14:50 via theguardian.com
  
  A daring Australian Museum expedition to Balls Pyramid near Lord Howe Island has succeeded in its search for the rare and elusive Lord Howe Island stick insect Continue reading...
  
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• UK's £350m coal subsidies clash with Government's phase-out pledges

  08-05-2017 14:07
  
  The UK is providing £356m annually in coal subsidies, despite the UK Government denying that it provides financial support for fossil fuels, a new report has claimed.
  
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• Investors worth £11bn urge Trump to stick with Paris Agreement ahead of withdrawal decision

  08-05-2017 13:56
  
  An investor group worth more than £11.5bn has urged Donald Trump to maintain support for the Paris Agreement, amid rife speculation that the President could seek to pull out the US from the landmark climate change deal as early as this week.
  
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• Study: to beat science denial, inoculate against misinformers' tricks | Dana Nuccitelli

  08-05-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A new study finds that explaining the techniques of science denial makes people resistant to their effects
  After receiving misinformation from the anti-vaccine movement, including its founder Andrew Wakefield, immunization rates plummeted in a community of Somali immigrants in Minnesota, causing a measles outbreak among their children. It’s a disturbing trend on the rise in America that shows the importance of immunization and the dangerous power of misinformation.A new paper published in
  
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• Where they eat water lilies to survive: South Sudan’s remote islands – in pictures

  08-05-2017 11:57 via theguardian.com
  
  While travelling across the country’s vast swampland – the Sudd – doing medical assessments, Chandra Gilmore, International Medical Corps’ South Sudan famine response team leader, took photographs and notes Continue reading...
  
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• 'Completely shattered but incredibly high': inside the mind of an ultra-distance cyclist

  08-05-2017 11:53 via theguardian.com
  
  The tragic death of Mike Hall, hit by a car in an Australian road race, left a hole in the world of endurance cycling. Craig Cunningham is one of many he inspired to ride an audax and experience the thrill of these most extreme ridesOn 31 March I remember waking and looking at my phone to find an abundance of posts commemorating the life of cyclist Mike Hall. Hall was hit by a motorist in Australia and killed, just hours from completing the Indian Pacific Wheel Race which saw contestants ride ac
  
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• Rare flowers destroyed in Australia after paperwork error

  08-05-2017 10:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The French collection was incinerated by Australian biosecurity officers due to missing paperwork.
  
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• MPs demand fossil fuel divestment for pension fund

  08-05-2017 10:00
  
  As focus turns to the general election, 50 MPs standing for re-election, including the Green Party's Caroline Lucas and the Conservative Party's Laura Sandys, have called for their £612m pension fund to sever investment ties with fossil fuels.
  
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• Carbon footprints and practical action: readers have their say on environment reporting

  08-05-2017 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Readers from across the UK have responded to our call out for suggestions for the Guardian’s newly expanded environment team – here’s a sample of your repliesThe Guardian’s new global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, recently explained why he believes that there is currently no news story more important than climate change. “How to put the environment front and centre is the big challenge,” he wrote, before asking for your ideas for the new, expanded enviro
  
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• Australian biosecurity officials destroy plant samples from 19th-century France

  08-05-2017 08:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Email mix-up blamed after historically significant plant samples incinerated by quarantine officialsAustralian biosecurity officials have destroyed historically significant plant samples from 19th-century France and damaged the reputation of Australian researchers, the head of the peak herbaria body has said.In two separate incidents, quarantine officials have incinerated specimens sent to Australian research facilities from overseas. Continue reading...
  
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• 10 of the best wild camping sites in Scotland

  08-05-2017 07:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Scotland offers idyllic wild camping, with spaces beside some of the UK’s loveliest beaches, lochs and mountains. We pick 10 of the best from Wild Guide ScotlandScotland is famous for its scenic wild places and uplifting sense of remoteness. With the exception of the recent bylaws banning wild camping in certain areas of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs (check before you go), it is still completely legal to camp on most of Scotland’s unenclosed land. Continue reading...
  
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• Liberal MP says Australia's part in Paris climate pact may change if US quit

  08-05-2017 06:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Zed Seselja says Turnbull government committed to climate change agreement, but if the US pulls out, it would put a question mark over the deal A leading government conservative has put a question mark over Australia’s continued participation in the Paris climate agreement in the event Donald Trump decides the United States will pull out.
  The assistant minister for social services and multicultural affairs, Zed Seselja, one of the government’s up-and-coming conservative figures, tol
  
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• Where the wild garlic grows

  08-05-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Clarach, Ceredigion Some like the smell, others endure it. In my case, the scent of Allium ursinum makes me feel hungryMy route through the beech woods was chosen to avoid the worst of the cold northerly wind that was cutting across the valley. Though the majority of leaves were still to open, the trees broke up the breeze and let me slacken the pace I’d needed to keep warm. The acoustic of this woodland is softened by its deep, moist leaf litter; outside sounds are dramatically attenuated
  
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• World Bank: let climate-threatened Pacific islanders migrate to Australia or NZ

  08-05-2017 06:04 via theguardian.com
  
  World Bank argues structured migration program would prevent forced migration in future generationsAustralia and New Zealand should allow open migration for citizens of Pacific nations threatened by climate change, to boost struggling island economies and prevent a later mass forced migration, a paper from the World Bank argues.The policy paper, Pacific Possible, suggests as one climate change adaptation measure, open access migration from Tuvalu and Kiribati – for work and permanent settl
  
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• Higher, cheaper, sleeker: wind turbines of the future – in pictures

  08-05-2017 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  With the UK government ending subsidies for onshore wind and the Trump administration pushing for a return to coal, you might think the wind power revolution had run out of puff. Far from it. The cost of energy from offshore wind in Britain has fallen by a third since 2012, and wind accounts for over 40% of new capacity in the US, representing an annual investment of $13bn. Now next-generation wind technologies promise to make wind energy safer and more affordable – if they can make the di
  
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