Environment news

• Job cuts loom at scandal-hit chicken supplier 2 Sisters

  08-02-2018 23:53 via theguardian.com
  Poultry group which sold out-of-date meat to supermarkets may close three factories
  Nine hundred jobs are under threat at three poultry plants belonging to 2 Sisters Food Group, the UK’s largest supplier of supermarket chicken, which has been dogged by a controversy over food standards.The potential closure of two of the firm’s West Midlands factories in Smethwick and Wolverhampton, plus a third in Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, follow a nightmare year for the company, which has in
  
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• I travelled 11 hours with my two-year-old to tell our leaders: stop Adani | Marnie Cotton

  08-02-2018 23:47 via theguardian.com
  Having children made me realise the urgency of climate change action. Why can’t politicians see it?My little girl was born over seven years ago. Two weeks into her life the Brisbane floods arrived. It was a gut-wrenching slap in the face for me. Not because we were terribly affected but because it was the compounding evidence I needed to understand what climate change would mean for my beautiful fragile newborn. Before having her, I understood that climate change was real and extreme weath
  
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• Australia’s east coast home to 5,500 great white sharks

  08-02-2018 23:26 via theguardian.com
  CSIRO researchers use world-first genetic analysis to estimate population, but believe numbers could be as high as 12,800About 5,500 great white sharks are cruising in the waters off Australia’s east coast, new research has revealed.For the first time, the CSIRO has been able to put a number on the size of the white shark population using world-first genetic analysis.It estimates there are about 750 adults living in waters east off Victoria’s southern coast, up to central Queensland
  
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• Secrets of solar flares are unlocked

  08-02-2018 20:56 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists may finally understand the mechanism behind solar flares., which can play havoc with technology on Earth.
  
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• Coalminers given approval to clear nearly 10% of endangered forest, commission told

  08-02-2018 18:00 via theguardian.com
  Lock the Gate says previous decisions not factored in to recommendation allowing 250ha of endangered area to be clearedCoalmining companies were given approval to clear nearly 10% of what is now a critically endangered forest in the New South Wales Hunter Valley over the past decade, according to evidence before a government commission.It has prompted calls for politicians and bureaucrats to place greater weight on cumulative damage before giving developments the green light. Continue reading...
  
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• DNA story of when life first gave us lemons

  08-02-2018 17:33 via bbc.co.uk
  From sweet oranges to bitter lemons, all citrus fruit came from the Himalayas millions of years ago, say scientists.
  
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• Part of monster sewer fatberg goes on display at London museum

  08-02-2018 17:25 via theguardian.com
  Museum of London opens putrid exhibit that ‘reflects the dark side of ourselves’Its aroma was once a mix of rotting meat and a toddler’s nappy that had been left out for months, but it has now, mercifully, calmed down.“At the moment it smells like dirty toilets,” said Sharon Robinson-Calver, who has led the conservation team at the Museum of London for one of its most challenging and unusual projects.Continue reading...
  
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• 'Let us not wait for the government': Nigerian man leads cleanup in world's most polluted city

  08-02-2018 16:54 via theguardian.com
  Chris Junior Anaekwe, a self-appointed ‘ambassador’ for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, drew praise on Twitter after he persuaded local teens to tackle rubbish in OnitshaA Nigerian man living in one of the world’s most polluted cities has been hailed for “leading by example” and cleaning up his community in the face of government inaction.Chris Junior Anaekwe, 28, drew the applause of the internet for leading a group of local teenagers in tackling rubb
  
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• Cranswick vows to become 'zero food waste' business by 2030

  08-02-2018 16:01
  Major premium food supplier Cranswick has announced plans to move to 100% renewables from next month and remove all food waste from its operations by 2030.
  
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• Plastic waste 'building up' in Arctic

  08-02-2018 13:52 via bbc.co.uk
  Plastic waste is building up in the supposedly pristine wilderness of the Norwegian Arctic, scientists say.
  
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• Plastic pollution reaching record levels in once pristine Arctic

  08-02-2018 13:17 via bbc.co.uk
  Here's why the Arctic is no longer what you see in the pictures.
  
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• Climate change is increasing flood risks in Europe | John Abraham

  08-02-2018 12:00 via theguardian.com
  A new study finds strong agreement that flood risks in central and western Europe are rising due to global warming.
  As humans continue to emit greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, the world continues to warm. We see that warming everywhere – in the atmosphere, in the oceans, with rising sea levels, and melting ice. But while we know conclusively that humans are causing the warming, an equally important question is, “so what?” Really, we want to know the consequences of warming
  
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• Eurostar to set science-based target and halve use of plastic

  08-02-2018 11:49
  High-speed rail service Eurostar has pledged to halve the amount of plastic it uses over the next three years, with the organisation's energy and environment lead Rebecca Cranshaw revealing that a science-based target to reduce emissions should be in place later this year.
  
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• Dunkin' Donuts to stop using foam cups by 2020

  08-02-2018 11:39
  Dunkin' Donuts has committed to stop using polystyrene foam cups by 2020, a move which the company claims could remove nearly one billion foam cups from the waste stream each year.
  
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• Auto giants launch EV-sharing platform in China

  08-02-2018 10:48
  Chinese ride-sharing firm Didi Chuxing (Didi) has partnered with 12 automakers, including Geely Auto and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, to launch a new app-based, electric-vehicle-sharing platform.
  
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• Scotland's red squirrel numbers stabilise

  08-02-2018 09:19 via bbc.co.uk
  Researchers find that the population has increased in the north east and stopped shrinking nationwide.
  
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• Aviva under fire for pouring £370m into Polish coal industry

  08-02-2018 07:01 via theguardian.com
  UK insurer accused of undermining international efforts to fight climate changeUK insurer Aviva is the second-biggest investor in the Polish coal industry, the most polluting in Europe, according to a report that looks at insurance firms’ involvement in the sector.Aviva is among a number of major European insurers that are backing the expansion of Poland’s coal industry, undermining international efforts to battle climate change, according to research from Unfriend Coal, a global net
  
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• Country diary: a peacock butterfly wakes into living room summer

  08-02-2018 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Sandy, Bedfordshire: It should have been hibernating, but there it was, bashing its head against a cold window. Something had to be doneIt is a curious fact that the most beautiful parts of a butterfly are also the least palatable. When I lifted a log from the woodpile, the eye of a peacock in an insect wing beneath looked back. It was a sail without a ship, a cover without a book. The wing was still fired with fresh colours, as lustrous as a birthday balloon and just as nutritious. The thick bo
  
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• Huge levels of antibiotic use in US farming revealed

  08-02-2018 06:01 via theguardian.com
  Concerns raised over weakened regulations on imports in potential post-Brexit trade dealsLivestock raised for food in the US are dosed with five times as much antibiotic medicine as farm animals in the UK, new data has shown, raising questions about rules on meat imports under post-Brexit trade deals.The difference in rates of dosage rises to at least nine times as much in the case of cattle raised for beef, and may be as high as 16 times the rate of dosage per cow in the UK. There is currently
  
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• Fake nests fight real threat of extinction for the shy albatross – video

  08-02-2018 03:56 via theguardian.com
  Tasmanian scientists are trialling  a new tactic to help the shy albatross fight extinction: constructing artificial nests. Over one hundred specially built mudbrick and aerated concrete artificial nests were airlifted on to Bass Strait’s Albatross Island in July 2017 as a trial program. So far the results are looking promising with the breeding success of pairs on artificial nests 20% higher than those on natural nests. Conservationists hope the nests will boost the population o
  
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• What's going on in a toddler's brain?

  08-02-2018 01:39 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists want to find out more about how very young children develop a sense of self.
  
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