Environment news

• New climate risk classification created to account for potential 'existential' threats

  14-09-2017 23:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new study evaluating models of future climate scenarios has led to the creation of the new risk categories “catastrophic” and “unknown” to characterize the range of threats posed by rapid global warming. Researchers propose that unknown risks imply existential threats to the survival of humanity.These categories describe two low-probability but statistically significant scenarios that could play out by century’s end, in a new study by Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a di
  
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• NASA-NOAA Satellite Spots 2 Tails of Hurricane Max

  14-09-2017 21:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of the latest tropical cyclone in the Eastern Pacific on Sept. 13 along the southwestern coast of Mexico. After Max formed as a tropical storm, it appeared to have two "tails." Max strengthened into a hurricane on Sept. 14.Max formed as a depression on Sept. 13 around 11 a.m. EDT. It was the sixteenth tropical depression of the Eastern Pacific Ocean hurricane season. By 5 p.m. EDT it had strengthened into a tropical storm.   
  
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• SLAC-Led Project Will Use Artificial Intelligence to Prevent or Minimize Electric Grid Failures

  14-09-2017 21:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  A project led by the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will combine artificial intelligence with massive amounts of data and industry experience from a dozen U.S. partners to identify places where the electric grid is vulnerable to disruption, reinforce those spots in advance and recover faster when failures do occur.
  
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• At least one-third of Asian glaciers will disappear

  14-09-2017 20:37 via feedproxy.google.com
  Even if the planet only warms up by 1.5 degrees Celsius – which is what the signatories to the Paris climate agreement are aiming for – one-third of all Asian glaciers will have melted by 2100, according to a study carried out by Utrecht University researchers, which will be published in Nature on 14 September.
  
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• Radiohead and Hans Zimmer collaborate for Blue Planet II teaser

  14-09-2017 20:12 via theguardian.com
  A prequel to the blockbuster nature documentary series will feature (ocean) Bloom, an orchestral reworking of Radiohead’s song BloomRadiohead have teamed with Hans Zimmer, the Oscar-winning composer for The Dark Knight, The Lion King and Gladiator, on a new piece of music – called ocean (Bloom) – that will appear on a prequel to the BBC’s flagship nature documentary series Blue Planet II. Related: The must-watch TV of autumn 2017, from Blue Planet to Stranger ThingsContin
  
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• US people of color still more likely to be exposed to pollution than white people

  14-09-2017 20:01 via theguardian.com
  New federal government-funded study finds exposure to a key air pollutant is significantly influenced by race, far more than by income, age or educationPeople of color are still far more likely to suffer from harmful air pollution than whites across the US and this disparity has barely improved in recent years despite overall improvements in air quality, a new federal government-funded study has found. Related: London’s black communities disproportionately exposed to air pollution –
  
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• GPM Satellite Finds Sheared Hurricane Jose Has Very Tall Storms

  14-09-2017 19:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite analyzed Hurricane Jose and found some very tall, powerful thunderstorms within, despite still being battered by wind shear as it moves between Bermuda and the Bahamas.
  
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• The role of renewables in the UK energy mix | Letters

  14-09-2017 18:54 via theguardian.com
  The case for new nuclear power stations is fatuous now offshore wind power has come down in cost so much, says Ian Hill. Yes, writes Will Taylor, but don’t forget the potential of tidal energy. Hold on a minute before rejecting nuclear, argue Tim Chittenden and Jim WatertonYour excellent editorial on the reducing cost of offshore wind power (13 September) is timely in identifying the increasingly futile case for new nuclear build. It does, however, repeat the fallacy that nuclear power &ld
  
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• Why scientists are so excited about Saturn's icy moon Enceladus

  14-09-2017 18:48 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists explain how they discovered a water ocean beneath the ice shell of Saturn's moon Enceladus.
  
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• From Africa to the US to Haiti, climate change is a Black Lives Matter | Patrisse Cullors and Nyeusi Nguvu

  14-09-2017 17:52 via theguardian.com
  Racism is endemic to global inequality. This means that those most affected – and killed – by climate change are black and poor people
  Just over a year ago, Black Lives Matter UK successfully shut down London City airport. Our aims were to call attention to three things: Britain’s historical responsibility for global temperature changes, while the UK remains among the least vulnerable countries to the direct effects of climate change; second, that black people and poor people g
  
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• UK to reopen inquiry into plastic bottle use

  14-09-2017 17:33 via theguardian.com
  New inquiry will look into the viability of deposit schemes and taxes as ways to reduce impact of plastic waste on the environmentMPs are to mount a new inquiry into plastic bottles amid growing calls for a deposit scheme to reduce the impact of plastic waste in the ocean.The investigation will also examine whether charges or taxes should be put on single-use plastic bottles and takeaway coffee cups to reduce their littering. Continue reading...
  
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• MPs to reopen inquiry into plastic bottle use

  14-09-2017 17:33 via theguardian.com
  New inquiry will look into the viability of deposit schemes and taxes as ways to reduce impact of plastic waste on the environmentMPs are to mount a new inquiry into plastic bottles amid growing calls for a deposit scheme to reduce the impact of plastic waste in the ocean.The investigation will also examine whether charges or taxes should be put on single-use plastic bottles and takeaway coffee cups to reduce their contribution to litter. Continue reading...
  
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• Strange eel: mystery of the Texas eyeless sea beast solved

  14-09-2017 17:13 via theguardian.com
  Scary-looking fish found on a Texas beach after Hurricane Harvey is identified as a fangtooth snake-eel with the help of social mediaThe mystery of an eyeless fanged sea monster washed ashore by Hurricane Harvey has been solved by social media.
  Preeti Desai, a science communicator, found the sinister-looking fish on a beach in Texas City after the storm, and asked Twitter users to help identify it. Continue reading...
  
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• Snow leopard no longer 'endangered'

  14-09-2017 16:50 via bbc.co.uk
  The conservation status of the elusive snow leopard is downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable".
  
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• Ethanol to Gasoline Switch Raises Nanoparticles in Air

  14-09-2017 16:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  Using ethanol instead of gasoline as a car fuel can reduce emissions of ultrafine particles by a third, which benefits human health and the environment, according to a new study. 
  
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• Water Conservation Can Have Unintended Consequences

  14-09-2017 16:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  Conventional wisdom dictates water conservation can only benefit communities affected by drought. But researchers at the University of California, Riverside have deduced that indoor residential conservation can have unintended consequences in places where systems of wastewater reuse have already been implemented, diminishing both the quantity and quality of influent available for treatment.
  
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• How Cassini probe reached Saturn

  14-09-2017 16:21 via bbc.co.uk
  It took seven years for the US-European mission to get to the ringed planet, launching in 1997.
  
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• Once-Abundant Ash Tree and Antelope Species Face Extinction – IUCN Red List

  14-09-2017 15:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  North America’s most widespread and valuable ash tree species are on the brink of extinction due to an invasive beetle decimating their populations, while the loss of wilderness areas and poaching are contributing to the declining numbers of five African antelope species, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
  
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• Once-common ash trees and antelope added to red list of endangered species – in pictures

  14-09-2017 15:47 via theguardian.com
  North American ash trees, that face extinction due to an invasive beetle, and African antelope join the latest IUCN list that includes 25,000 species at risk of extinction Red list: ash trees and antelopes on the brink of extinctionContinue reading...
  
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• Forty years of space photography

  14-09-2017 15:13 via bbc.co.uk
  David Malin has spent four decades photographing space. Now retired, he has held a competition to inspire other astrophotographers.
  
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• Red list: ash trees and antelopes on the brink of extinction

  14-09-2017 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Scientists warn once-common species are disappearing faster than they can be counted as North America’s ash trees join IUCN’s list of endangered species due to threat of an invasive beetleNative ash trees, abundant across North America, are on the brink of extinction as an invasive beetle ravages forests, according to the new red list of threatened species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).The list now includes more than 25,000 species at risk of extincti
  
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• Greek oil spill forces closure of Athens beaches

  14-09-2017 13:39 via theguardian.com
  Leak described as ecological disaster with authorities accused of failing to recognise scale of threat from sunken tanker An emergency operation is under way to clean up an oil spill from a sunken tanker that has blackened popular beaches and bays in Athens’ Argo-Saronic gulf.What had been thought a containable spill is being described by officials as an ecological disaster after thick tar and oil pollution drifted toward residential coastal areas.Continue reading...
  
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• Cyclist set to finish record-breaking 'around the world in 80 days' cycle a day early

  14-09-2017 12:23 via theguardian.com
  British athlete Mark Beaumont is expected to complete his world tour on Monday after 79 days in the saddle, smashing the previous record of 123 daysEndurance cyclist Mark Beaumont is expected to arrive in Paris on Monday 18 September, 79 days after setting off on his attempt to cycle around the world in 80 days.The Guardian joined Beaumont in Lisbon on Wednesday, where he arrived on an overnight flight from Halifax in Canada to start the final leg of his record-breaking challenge. Despite cyclin
  
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• The entrepreneurs turning carbon dioxide into fuels

  14-09-2017 12:13 via theguardian.com
  The race is on to prove that CO2 can be taken from the air and recycled into profitable, carbon neutral fuels. But cost and investment obstacles remainIn an industrial greenhouse about 30km from Zurich, plump aubergines and juicy cherry tomatoes are ripening to perfection. Growing Mediterranean crops in Switzerland would traditionally be energy intensive but these vegetables are very nearly carbon-neutral. The greenhouse uses waste energy from a nearby refuse plant, and carbon dioxide from the w
  
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• Tony Abbott calls for end to all energy subsidies, including on coal

  14-09-2017 10:35 via theguardian.com
  Former PM says he wants to see market-driven energy prices which would mean coal wouldn’t need any subsidies because it’s cheapTony Abbott has used the second anniversary since losing the top job to declare he’s intent on looking forward, not backward – and has again weighed in to the government’s fraught energy debate to call for an end to all subsidies.
  The former prime minister told 2GB on Thursday he welcomed signs from Malcolm Turnbull that the government was m
  
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• Tony Abbott says concentrate on reliable power, not renewable – politics live

  14-09-2017 09:24 via theguardian.com
  Stuart Robert says Fairfax questions about whether family companies benefited from commonwealth investment are ‘complete load of rubbish’ 8.18am BSTThe House has adjourned, but the Senate is still going – it is just working out the final bits and pieces of the media reforms.So that legislation should, barring any unforeseen drama, be passed by the red chamber very soon. 8.08am BSTTony Abbott, who said he is looking forward on what is the second anniversary of Malcolm Turnbull w
  
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• Out of the Wreckage by George Monbiot review – the thrill and danger of a new left politics

  14-09-2017 08:30 via theguardian.com
  With neoliberalism in crisis, it’s time to emphasise the importance to people of belonging and co-operation, argues this optimistic call to actionThat which is dangerous can also be thrilling. Many liberal democracies are engaged in something dangerous, as questions of identity, community and nationhood are being asked with a fresh urgency, with some of the answers turning out to be deeply disturbing. But is there also something thrilling going on? The capacity for democracy to throw up su
  
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• Shark hunt: Sea Shepherd activists bring Timor-Leste police to Chinese-owned boat

  14-09-2017 07:49 via theguardian.com
  Environmental activist group says it is detaining vessels for Timorese police after Chinese-owned fleet allegedly targeted sharks The ocean activist group Sea Shepherd says it has delivered armed Timor-Leste police on to a Chinese-owned fishing vessel in a dawn raid and is detaining the vessels for the police after it was found targeting sharks.Following a two-week hunt for the Pingtan Marine Enterprises fleet, the Sea Shepherd boat M/Y Ocean Warrior found the vessels 150km south of Timor-Leste,
  
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• Labor labels Xenophon 'the great pretender' after he supports media reforms – politics live

  14-09-2017 07:03 via theguardian.com
  Coalition agrees to investigate Google and Facebook as part of media deal but energy still looms large and questions remain over former ABCC boss6.03am BSTLooks like most MPs heeded the call to attend Malcolm Turnbull’s pre-Question Time briefing.5.58am BSTIan Goodenough has been handed a dixer for Peter Dutton: Will the Minister forImmigration and Border Protection update the House on the important of protecting the Australian community from dangerous non-citizens? What action has the Gov
  
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• Exodus begins as swifts muster for migration

  14-09-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Sandy, Bedfordshire A leave-taking of Britain is playing out in the skies as swifts and martins fuel up for their epic journeyThrough these last weeks of summer, the autumn migration has played out in the skies, though it goes largely unnoticed by most below. A trickle of an exodus began over the bank holiday with three dark specks, way, way up in the blue. Specks, yes, but you could see, from the wings curved like taut bows, that they were unmistakably swifts. Hatched on northern ledges they ha
  
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• Rare white giraffes spotted in Kenya conservation area

  14-09-2017 05:09 via theguardian.com
  A pair of giraffes with leucism, a condition that inhibits pigmentation in skin cells, have been filmed by conservationists for the first time A pair of rare white giraffes have been spotted in Kenya, to the delight of local residents and conservationists.The reticulated giraffes, a mother and child, suffer from a genetic condition called leucism, which inhibits pigmentation in skin cells. Unlike albinism, animals with leucism continue to produce dark pigment in their soft tissue, which explains
  
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• Rare white giraffes sighted in Kenya conservation area

  14-09-2017 05:09 via theguardian.com
  A pair of giraffes with leucism, a condition that inhibits pigmentation in skin cells, have been filmed by conservationists for the first time A pair of rare white giraffes have been spotted in Kenya, to the delight of local residents and conservationists.The reticulated giraffes, a mother and child, suffer from a genetic condition called leucism, which inhibits pigmentation in skin cells. Unlike albinism, animals with leucism continue to produce dark pigment in their soft tissue, which explains
  
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• Cassini conducts last picture show

  14-09-2017 03:09 via bbc.co.uk
  The Saturn probe takes some final images ahead of its mission-ending dive into the ringed planet.
  
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• Coalition agrees to investigate Google and Facebook in media reform package – politics live

  14-09-2017 02:53 via theguardian.com
  The government secures media deal after a night of wheeling and dealing, but energy still looms large and questions remain over the former ABCC boss1.48am BSTPauline Hanson has spoken on her private members’ bill to ban the burqa and asks “are we that pathetic as a nation that we are giving up our values and who we truly are because we are worried about hurting someone’s feelings?”Hanson says she has the support of the broader Australian community, including those who hav
  
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• Asia's glaciers to shrink by a third by 2100, threatening water supply of millions

  14-09-2017 02:45 via theguardian.com
  High mountains of Asia hold biggest store of frozen water outside the poles and feed many of the world’s great rivers, including the GangesAsia’s mountain glaciers will lose at least a third of their mass through global warming by the century’s end, with dire consequences for millions of people who rely on them for fresh water, researchers have said.
  This is a best-case scenario, based on the assumption that the world manages to limit average global warming to 1.5C (2.7F) over
  
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• Google and Facebook to be investigated in exchange for media reforms - politics live

  14-09-2017 01:34 via theguardian.com
  The government secures media deal after a night of wheeling and dealing, but energy still looms large and questions remain over the former ABCC boss12.34am BSTThe bells have just rung, signalling the start of the day, and Speaker Tony Smith has just given the go-ahead to table the Lionel Murphy documents.Speaker Smith has jus handed thousands of pages to the Clerk - which means, it is done.12.22am BSTThe Coalition MP and former minister Stuart Robert is still refusing to answer questions over wh
  
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