Environment news

• Cockatoos play drum solos to attract mates – video

  28-06-2017 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Researchers have captured footage of cockatoos in North Queensland, Australia, playing drum solos with little sticks and pods in an attempt to attract the opposite sex Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• World has three years left to stop dangerous climate change, warn experts

  28-06-2017 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres among signatories of letter warning that the next three years will be crucial to stopping the worst effects of global warmingAvoiding dangerous levels of climate change is still just about possible, but will require unprecedented effort and coordination from governments, businesses, citizens and scientists in the next three years, a group of prominent experts has warned. Warnings over global warming have picked up pace in recent months, even as the pol
  
  Read more

• How San Francisco is leading the way out of bottled water culture

  28-06-2017 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The city is not just restricting sales but working to ensure people have access to safe high-quality tap water Americans drink enough bottled water each week to circle the globe two times around. That was one of the many alarming facts that motivated politicians in San Francisco to pursue a progressive environmental regulation no other major US city had dared – a ban on bottled water.The liberal California city had previously led the way on banning plastic shopping bags, but the 2014 propo
  
  Read more

• Antarctica's ice-free areas to increase by up to a quarter by 2100, study says

  28-06-2017 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  If greenhouse gas emissions aren’t reduced, ice-free areas are expected to surge by as much as 17,000 square kilometresClimate change will cause ice-free areas on Antarctica to increase by up to a quarter by 2100, threatening the diversity of the unique terrestrial plant and animal life that exists there, according to projections from the first study examining the question in detail.
  If emissions of greenhouse gasses are not reduced, projected warming and changes in snowfall will cause ice
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Robots to mine the ocean floor: the risks and rewards of deep-sea mining – video

  28-06-2017 18:17 via theguardian.com
  
  On the seabed, where the water is as dark as ink, lies a vast treasure of untouched resources. Nautilus Minerals will use remote-controlled robots to steamroll the bottom of the Bismarck Sea off the coast of Papua New Guinea – but this emerging technology could forever scar the landscape of the sea Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Climate change is an energy problem, so let's talk honestly about nuclear

  28-06-2017 17:02 via theguardian.com
  
  Fear of nuclear energy runs deep but it may be the most efficient and clean energy source we have, albeit with complicationsOf all the hazards facing humankind, climate change is the single greatest threat we have ever faced. In a few short decades, we have altered the climate more than we ever thought possible and now, in the midst of the greatest heatwave recorded in decades in the hottest year on record, we are finally beginning to countenance the scale of problem before us. The poorest of th
  
  Read more

• China's informal army of recyclers keep plastic bottles out of landfill

  28-06-2017 15:01 via theguardian.com
  
  In the global rush for bottled water, China leads the way. But while cities lack official recycling schemes, some residents are turning the tide of plastic waste into cash and keeping it out of landfil in the processIn the great global rush for bottled water, nowhere is thirstier than Asia. Demand is predicted to surge by more than 140% across the region this decade, to account for one-third of the global total by 2020.China leads the way. The country accounted for 28% of the global demand for p
  
  Read more

• A million bottles a minute: world's plastic binge 'as dangerous as climate change'

  28-06-2017 14:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Annual consumption of plastic bottles is set to top half a trillion by 2021, far outstripping recycling efforts and jeopardising oceans, coastlines and other environments
  Help us tell the stories that need to be told. Become a Guardian supporter or make a contribution todayA million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute and the number will jump another 20% by 2021, creating an environmental crisis some campaigners predict will be as serious as climate change.New figures obtain
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• UK risks becoming 'dumping ground' for plastic after Brexit

  28-06-2017 13:40 via theguardian.com
  
  UK will not be bound by EU deal and opposition MPs say Tory government unlikely to have political will to develop equivalent system
  The UK risks becoming the “dirty man of Europe” after Brexit with no plan to deal with the millions of plastic bottles dumped by consumers every week, according to politicians and leading environmental campaigners.The EU is currently drawing up an ambitious “circular economy” strategy which aims to make manufacturers take greater responsibili
  
  Read more

• Ocean conservation needs a Hippocratic oath – we must do no harm

  28-06-2017 13:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Saving the oceans shouldn’t mean hurting people. Should marine conservation have its own code of conduct?Many professions – including doctors, lawyers and teachers – have a code of conduct to ensure fair practice and accountability. For example, doctors have a Hippocratic oath. Perhaps marine conservation should have one too?As marine conservation ramps up around the globe to achieve UN sustainable development goal (SDG) 14 – conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas
  
  Read more

• Flying ant day: when virgin queens and male drones mate on the wing

  28-06-2017 13:05 via theguardian.com
  
  After warm weather and summer rain, flying ants emerge from nests for a mass mating event to ensure survival and dispersal of the speciesA steady stream of black ants scurries in and out of a crack in the patio. They have been living there quietly for weeks. Perhaps you tried to get rid of them – especially if they were taking sugar from the kitchen or crawling across your bedroom. Perhaps you ignored them, or marvelled at their ability to navigate over apparently featureless paving stones
  
  Read more

• Mayors of 7,400 cities vow to meet Obama's climate commitments

  28-06-2017 12:13 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Global covenant of mayors’ to work together on climate change whether current White House resident agrees or notMayors of more than 7,400 cities across the world have vowed that Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris accord will spur greater local efforts to combat climate change.
  At the first meeting of a “global covenant of mayors”, city leaders from across the US, Europe and elsewhere pledged to work together to keep to the commitments made by Barack
  
  Read more

• Climate scientists just debunked deniers' favorite argument | Dana Nuccitelli

  28-06-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  And in the process, illustrated the difference between skepticism and denial
  Whenever they hold one of their frequent hearings to reject and deny established climate science, congressional Republicans invariably trot out contrarian scientist John Christy, who disputes the accuracy of climate models. In doing so, Christy uses a cherry-picked, error riddled chart, but there’s a nugget of truth in his argument. Although the discrepancy isn’t nearly as large as Christy’s misleading
  
  Read more

• Swarm of bees take up temporary residence in New York's Times Square – video

  28-06-2017 11:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Around 30,000 honey bees swarm on a ledge at One Times Square, where the New Year’s Eve ball drop happens, in New York. Andrew Coté, a fourth generation beekeeper of AndrewsHoney.com, was called to the rescue and used a vacuum to suck up the bees, who he said were looking for a new home Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Malcolm Turnbull's leather jacket may be zipped up but his frustration is showing | Gabrielle Chan

  28-06-2017 10:37 via theguardian.com
  
  The PM wants to talk about big nation-building projects like Snowy Hydro 2.0. Reporters ask him about Tony AbbottMalcolm Turnbull got his leather jacket out for his visit to the southern New South Wales town of Cooma for a briefing on Snowy Hydro 2.0.The jacket has become a talisman, a reminder of earlier carefree days out of the prime ministerial suite, when he was delivering political double speak on Q&A designed to give Tony Abbott heartburn.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Hot fuzz: the baby bird fossil that gives new meaning to ancient feathers

  28-06-2017 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The discovery of a hundred-million-year-old specimen, beautifully preserved in amber, shows how the birds of yesteryear hatched fully prepared for takeoffWe’re back with News from the World of Old Feathers, and Lida Xing and colleagues strike again. They describe a new amber specimen of a Cretaceous bird with parts of the head, feet and wings beautifully preserved. Why is this important? After all, we have seen feathers in amber before, we have seen wings of juvenile birds in amber and las
  
  Read more

• A storytelling of crows

  28-06-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Wenlock Edge, Shropshire Birds verminous and ominous, persecuted and mythologised, foolproof, climateproof, futureproofTwo crows fly into a tree towards the end of a long dreamy summer’s day. They had been walking their beat on Windmill Hill, through the flowering cocksfoot, lady’s bedstraw, pyramidal orchids and whitlowgrass, hunting there as they have done every day for 15 years I know of. They now perch together as if watching the sunset, and so do I. In the same place doing the s
  
  Read more

• 'Boaty McBoatface' submarine returns home

  28-06-2017 04:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK's favourite yellow submarine completes its first major science expedition in the Antarctic.
  
  Read more

• When magpies attack: the swooping, dive-bombing menace – and how to avoid them

  28-06-2017 02:57 via theguardian.com
  
  In an excerpt from his book on Australian birdlife, Geoffrey Maslen finds there’s method in magpies’ madnessHostilities have broken out up and down the east coast of Australia. The enemy strikes from above, and always attacks from behind. Casualties have been reported and the dive bombings that began with the onset of spring have become more frequent. Zoologists have been called in to devise some means of defence but they have also suffered from the swift and silent enemy.Related: Pe
  
  Read more

• Raptor plunging to extinction in England

  28-06-2017 02:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  There are just four breeding pairs of the iconic bird of prey left in England.
  
  Read more

• Boaty McBoatface submarine records successful maiden voyage

  28-06-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Robotic submersible probes depths of up to 4,000m near Antarctic Peninsula to obtain unprecedented data on how mixing ocean waters affect climate changeA yellow submarine dubbed Boaty McBoatface has obtained “unprecedented data” from its first voyage exploring one of the deepest and coldest ocean regions on Earth, scientists have said. The robotic submersible was given the name originally chosen for a new polar research ship by irreverent contestants in a public competition. Embarras
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!