Environment news

• 'A really big deal': New York City's fossil fuel divestment could spur global shift

  11-01-2018 20:58 via theguardian.com
  Economists say city’s status as financial and cultural giant means move to sever ties with fossil fuel will catalyze others in US and around the world to follow
  New York City’s decision to sever ties with its fossil fuel investments is set to prove a catalyst to other cities in the face of the Trump administration’s staunch support for coal, oil and gas interests, according to several leading economists.On Wednesday, city officials announced that New York was to divest its pens
  
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• Rising temperatures turning major sea turtle population female

  11-01-2018 20:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  Scientists have used a new research approach to show that warming temperatures are turning one of the world’s largest sea turtle colonies almost entirely female, running the risk that the colony cannot sustain itself in coming decades, newly published research concludes. 
  
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• Adaptation now: River flood risks increase around the globe under future warming

  11-01-2018 20:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  Rainfall changes caused by global warming will increase river flood risks across the globe. Already today, fluvial floods are among the most common and devastating natural disasters.
  
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• UK’s wasted chances to recycle and renew | Letters

  11-01-2018 20:15 via theguardian.com
  Britain should follow China’s example on renewables, writes Feargal Dalton, and Ian Paul urges the UK to step up to the recycling challenge. Neil Sinclair wants a fossil fuel-free February, while Grace Hewson wants a plastic-free newspaperIn view of the appalling revelations that the UK has been shipping vast quantities of plastic to China for many years (Editorial, 8 January), would it not be a good idea to have the UK lead once more in something and have genuine recycling plants set up h
  
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• Trust’s critics can’t see the wood for the trees | Letters

  11-01-2018 20:14 via theguardian.com
  In response to letters about plans for a new northern forest, a defence of the Woodland Trust’s policies from Dr James Paterson, and a prediction of more leaves on the line from Paul BirchallThe response in your letters section to the northern forest raised some useful points (Development for the north? Let them eat wood, 9 January). However, drawing parallels between the Woodland Trust’s native woodland policy and xenophobia demonstrates ignorance of the ecology and the conservation
  
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• New Insight Into Climate Impacts of Deforestation

  11-01-2018 20:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  Deforestation is likely to warm the climate even more than originally thought, scientists warn.
  
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• Blame it on the rain: Study ties phosphorus loading in lakes to extreme precipitation events

  11-01-2018 20:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  While April showers might bring May flowers, they also contribute to toxic algae blooms, dead zones and declining water quality in U.S. lakes, reservoirs and coastal waters, a new study shows.
  
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• Pacific Northwest Salmon Species Has Lost Two-Thirds of Its Genetic Diversity

  11-01-2018 19:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  Chinook salmon, an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that supports a major fishery industry and indigenous traditions, have lost up to two-thirds of their genetic diversity over the past 7,000 years, according to a new study. Scientists warn the loss could make it difficult for the species to cope with warming global temperatures and ocean acidification — environmental changes that are already impacting the fish today.
  
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• How green are the Tories?

  11-01-2018 19:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May's environment policy pledge is the latest step in the party's journey on the issue.
  
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• May’s plastic plan is big on gimmicks, but it won’t cut waste | George Monbiot

  11-01-2018 18:56 via theguardian.com
  The strategy ignores a critical issue: the more our economy grows, the more we’ll inevitably consumeIt’s as if it were written with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. In terms of rhetoric, the 25-year environment plan is in some respects the best government document I’ve ever read. In terms of policy, it ranges from the pallid to the pathetic.Those who wrote it are aware of the multiple crises we face. But, having laid out the depth and breadth of our predicamen
  
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• Priest to chain herself to tree at Euston in protest against HS2 felling plans

  11-01-2018 18:54 via theguardian.com
  Residents say they have been pushed into taking direct action to save the 200 trees around train station in central London A priest is to chain herself to a tree outside Euston station in central London in a protest against the felling of more than 200 trees around the station to make way for the HS2 rail line.Dozens of giant London plane trees in Euston Square Gardens are among those earmarked to be cut down to provide temporary sites for construction vehicles and a taxi rank displaced by work
  
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• It's an environmentalist's dream – but will May's green plan ever be reality?

  11-01-2018 18:35 via theguardian.com
  The PM has finally made the environment a priority. But past double-dealing damages confidence in the government’s eco plan proposalsThe government’s new 25-year plan conjures up an environmentalist’s dream, from huge new nature reserves to protecting our long-neglected but life-giving soils. The nation’s beleaguered wildlife, toxic urban air and polluted waters certainly need it.The question is whether turning the plan into reality will become a political nightmare when
  
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• Government indecision leaves £1.3bn Swansea tidal lagoon project in limbo

  11-01-2018 18:19 via theguardian.com
  Fresh offer of ‘substantial investment’ from Welsh first minister raises hope for clean energy plan getting a green light from WestminsterPlans for a £1.3bn tidal power lagoon in Swansea could still be backed by ministers despite government indecision on whether to support it, according to the author of an independent review on the project.Charles Hendry, a Conservative politician and former energy minister, enthusiastically supported the scheme a year ago as a source of clean
  
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• UK retailers see rise in sales of reusable coffee cups

  11-01-2018 17:22 via theguardian.com
  Home and kitchenware shops report growth in sales of portable mugs as government hints at a tax on disposable cupsSales of reusable coffee cups are soaring in the UK, retailers are reporting, as the government hints at a tax on disposable cups.Argos, which is part of the Sainsbury’s Group, said it had sold 537% more portable cups in December 2017 than the same month the previous year. Meanwhile, kitchenware chain Lakeland reported an increase in sales of more than 100% month-on-month, home
  
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• Study Shows Stressed Urban Insects are More Resilient in Extreme Weather

  11-01-2018 17:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  A study led by Amy Savage, a Rutgers University–Camden assistant professor of biology, will help researchers understand how to make predictions and conservation decisions about how organisms living in cities will respond to catastrophic weather events.
  
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• EU to hold Britain to fishing quotas during Brexit transition

  11-01-2018 16:59 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: EU’s plan means UK would essentially be leaving common fisheries policy in name only after BrexitThe EU will resist any renegotiation of fishing quotas in the seas around the UK for the proposed two-year transition period after Brexit, the Guardian has learned.Brussels diplomats are agreed Britain should effectively remain governed by the EU’s common fisheries policy during the transition but should not have a role in deciding the size of catches elsewhere in Europe. Conti
  
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• Theresa May defends 'long-term' plastic waste plan

  11-01-2018 16:35 via bbc.co.uk
  Campaigners say "emergency" action is needed now as the PM unveils a 25-year plastics crackdown.
  
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• Hiding from a warmer climate in the forest

  11-01-2018 16:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  When studying the effect of climate change on biodiversity, it is important to consider the climate near the ground (microclimate) which a plant or an animal actually experiences. Deep shady depressions, dense old forests or places close to water for example are always considerably cooler than their surroundings.
  
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• Conservatives' 25-year green plan: main points at a glance

  11-01-2018 16:29 via theguardian.com
  Moves to cut plastic, create a new environmental watchdog and boost wildlife habitats are among the new measuresTheresa May defends green plan amid criticism it’s too vagueOne of the most heavily trailed announcements is the end of an exemption for small shops from England’s 5p plastic bag charge. The loophole was an anomaly compared with similar schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was also imposed against the wishes of corner shop owners at the time, with three small
  
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• 25-year Environment Plan: Green business reaction

  11-01-2018 16:29
  The Government has set out set out how it intends to enhance the environment over a generation by creating richer habitats for wildlife, improving air and water quality and "curbing the scourge of plastic" in the world's oceans. But how have members of the green community reacted?
  
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• After an Uncertain Start, U.S. Offshore Wind Is Powering Up

  11-01-2018 15:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  This summer, the Norwegian energy company, Statoil, will send a vessel to survey a triangular slice of federal waters about 15 miles south of Long Island, where the company is planning to construct a wind farm that could generate up to 1.5 gigawatts of electricity for New York City and Long Island — enough to power roughly 1 million homes. Construction on the “Empire Wind” project, with scores of wind turbines generating electricity across 79,000 acres of leased
  
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• Snow squall warnings to begin this winter

  11-01-2018 14:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  Imagine driving down a busy highway in winter: The weather is clear and you are going the speed limit.Suddenly, traffic is enveloped by white-out conditions with little to no visibility and strong, gusty winds. As you slow down, you see a chain-reaction of vehicles swerving, colliding into each other in the distance like amusement park bumper cars.Lucky for you, you just survived a snow squall.
  
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• May says flu outbreak partly to blame for A&E departments missing waiting targets - Politics live

  11-01-2018 13:59 via theguardian.com
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Theresa May’s speech on plastics and the environment 12.59pm GMT Jeremy Corbyn told Sky News the Labour would put more money into the NHS now. Commenting on the A&E figures, he said:We would put more resources, money, into the NHS straight away, but also look at the wider question of why those figures are so high, and in part it’s a symptom of lots of other things. Some of those people going into
  
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• Theresa May defends green plan as critics say it is too slow and vague

  11-01-2018 13:56 via theguardian.com
  Environmental groups welcome ambition but say 25-year promises must be backed by force of law, money and new watchdogTheresa May has said her government is serious about improving the environment after pressure groups gave a lukewarm response to a new 25-year green plan, praising its ambition but warning that it lacked sufficient plans for immediate action. Unveiling the plan at a nature centre in south-west London, May argued that preserving the environment was natural for Conservatives, and re
  
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• May defends 'inspiring' green plan as critics call for immediate action

  11-01-2018 13:56 via theguardian.com
  Environmentalists welcome PM’s ambition but say commitments must be backed by force of law, money and new watchdogTheresa May has said her government is serious about improving the environment after pressure groups gave a lukewarm response to a new 25-year green plan, praising its ambition but warning that it lacked sufficient plans for immediate action. Unveiling the plan at a nature centre in south-west London, May argued that preserving the environment was natural for Conservatives, and
  
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• Kitchen welfare

  11-01-2018 13:53 via bbc.co.uk
  In Switzerland, lobsters must now be stunned before being boiled - but do they really feel pain?
  
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• New York City just declared war on the oil industry | Bill McKibben

  11-01-2018 13:24 via theguardian.com
  The home of Wall Street announced on Wednesday that it will be divesting its massive pension fund from fossil fuels. That hits fossil fuel giants where it hurtsOver the years, the capital of the fight against climate change has been Kyoto, or Paris – that’s where the symbolic political agreements to try and curb the earth’s greenhouse gas emissions have been negotiated and signed. But now, New York City vaulted to leadership in the battle.On Wednesday, its leaders, at a press c
  
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• Environment strategy aims to stop needless plastic waste

  11-01-2018 12:58 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May launches a 25-year environmental plan, but green groups say it has no legal force.
  
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• Polar explorer Ben Saunders shares his top tips

  11-01-2018 12:52 via bbc.co.uk
  Ben Saunders has led 13 expeditions since 2001 and has walked around 4,000 miles in skies.
  
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• Nasa rover Curiosity visits 'Scotland' on Mars

  11-01-2018 12:45 via bbc.co.uk
  Curiosity has reached a part of the Red Planet with geology named after places across Scotland.
  
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• Scotland to become first UK country to ban plastic cotton buds

  11-01-2018 11:14 via theguardian.com
  Crackdown on manufacture and sale of product will cut Scotland’s contribution to marine plastic pollution by half, says expertThe Scottish government plans to ban the manufacture and sale of plastic-stemmed cotton buds in a move that will cut the country’s marine plastic pollution by half, according to campaigners.Related: Plastic microbeads ban enters force in UKContinue reading...
  
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• California in revolt: how the progressive state plans to foil the Trump agenda

  11-01-2018 11:00 via theguardian.com
  From immigration to the environment and recreational cannabis, state leaders and activists are finding paths to circumvent the administration. Will it work? California prides itself on being first with progressive laws on climate change, labor rights and marijuana. In 2018, the Golden State’s “firsts” are defensive – bold proposals and legal maneuvers to protect citizens from Donald Trump. Related: Federal court blocks Trump plan to end Daca program for immigrantsContinue
  
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• Wild boar bites off man's fingertip in Forest of Dean

  11-01-2018 10:44 via theguardian.com
  Public advised to steer clear of wild boar after Clive Lilley, 53, was attacked in Gloucestershire while walking his dogWalkers in south-west England have been advised to steer clear of wild boar after a man reported that the tip of his finger was bitten off by a large hog.Clive Lilley, 53, said he was attacked by the animal as he took a morning stroll with his labrador down a woodland track in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. He said the boar burst out of undergrowth and ripped off the top
  
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• Amazon completes lucrative solar roof installation

  11-01-2018 10:33
  Online retailer Amazon has had a 964 kWp rooftop solar system installed at a new logistics centre in central Italy, as the company continues its transition to source 100% renewable electricity.
  
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• 25-year Environment Plan: UK unveils long-term strategy for 'greener future'

  11-01-2018 10:28
  Theresa May has today outlined a vision for a "cleaner, greener Britain", unveiling the long-awaited 25-year Environment Plan which pledges to eliminate all "avoidable" plastic waste by the end of 2042.
  
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• 'Serious gap' in cosmic expansion rate hints at new physics

  11-01-2018 09:45 via bbc.co.uk
  A discrepancy in measurements of the Universe's expansion rate has now become "pretty serious".
  
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• Giant bat: Remains of extinct burrowing bat found in New Zealand

  11-01-2018 09:33 via bbc.co.uk
  The newly found bat is said to be three times the size of an average bat today.
  
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• Plastic tax and ETS tinkering could plug Brexit hole, suggests EU budget chief

  11-01-2018 09:27
  EU Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger has revealed that the European Commission will propose taxing plastic and shifting emissions trading income to EU level, in an attempt to balance the bloc's coffers once the United Kingdom leaves the EU.
  
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• The Birmingham high street that cut air pollution

  11-01-2018 09:00 via bbc.co.uk
  Local residents take part in a day-long experiment to cut traffic and improve air quality.
  
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• Dell targets e-waste with recycled gold initiative

  11-01-2018 08:25
  Fresh from incorporating ocean plastics into products, technology firm Dell has announced an industry pilot aimed at using recycled gold from discarded electronics in new computer motherboards.
  
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• Insect declines: new alarm over mayfly is ‘tip of iceberg’, warn experts

  11-01-2018 07:30 via theguardian.com
  Modest pollution in many English rivers is enough to kill 80% of eggs, increasing concerns over insects which are vital to all ecosystemsModest levels of pollution found in many English rivers are having a devastating impact on mayflies, new research suggests, killing about 80% of all eggs.
  Clouds of emerging mayflies were once a regular sight on English summer evenings and they are a key part of the food chain that supports fish, birds and mammals. The finding that even pollution well below gui
  
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• Big new renewable projects planned across Australia as Tesla effect hits

  11-01-2018 07:20 via theguardian.com
  Following the success of Elon Musk’s 100-megawatt battery in South Australia, another battery and renewable power plant are in the worksAustralia’s renewable energy sector responds to the success of South Australia’s Tesla lithium ion battery. South Australia will build the world’s largest solar thermal plant, and a Queensland wind farm may be the site of a new record-breaking battery.The Aurora solar plant in Port Augusta, SA, will begin construction this year, and is sl
  
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• Beak fitness: New Zealand develops roadside gym for endangered keas

  11-01-2018 03:05 via theguardian.com
  Conservationists want to stop the birds – dubbed the world’s smartest parrot – from wandering onto roads and begging humans for foodBird experts in New Zealand have designed a special gym for the country’s playful alpine parrot to keep them away from some of the nation’s most dangerous roads. For the last couple of years contractors working on the road to Milford Sound in the South Island have captured footage of keas moving their road cones and equipment into the m
  
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• Meet the butterflies from 200 million years ago

  11-01-2018 01:59 via bbc.co.uk
  Newly discovered fossils in Germany shed light on the emergence of butterflies and moths.
  
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• BBC follows Blue Planet II with hard-hitting nature documentaries

  11-01-2018 01:01 via theguardian.com
  David Attenborough’s landmark series inspires programmes exploring the impact of plastics and textiles on environmentThe BBC is to show two major documentaries about challenges facing the environment, and a landmark series in which animals are followed for more than two years, as it looks to build on the extraordinary success of Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II.Drowning in Plastic will air on BBC1 and explore the damage that plastic is doing to the environment – an issue
  
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• Theresa May aims to eradicate plastic litter by 2042

  11-01-2018 00:43 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May will launch a 25-year plan to improve the environment but green groups say it has no legal force.
  
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