Environment news

• Arctic has warmest winter on record: 'Never seen anything like this'

  06-03-2018 23:46 via theguardian.com
  Sea ice has hit record lows for time of year as experts say global warming probably fueled big storms in Europe and north-eastern US The Arctic winter has ended with more news that is worrying even the scientists who watch the effects of climate change closely. The region experienced its warmest winter on record. Sea ice hit record lows for the time of year, new US weather data revealed on Tuesday. Continue reading...
  
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• Arctic has warmest winter on record: 'It's just crazy, crazy stuff'

  06-03-2018 23:46 via theguardian.com
  Sea ice has hit record lows for time of year as experts say global warming probably fueled big storms in Europe and north-eastern US The Arctic winter has ended with more news that is worrying even the scientists who watch the effects of climate change closely.The region experienced its warmest winter on record. Sea ice hit record lows for the time of year, new US weather data revealed on Tuesday. Continue reading...
  
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• Florida woman wins conch-blowing contest – and a marriage proposal

  06-03-2018 21:39 via theguardian.com
  Mary Lou Smith’s yes implied by blast on a large conch shellRick Race dropped to one knee as onlookers cheered in Key West A Florida woman’s acceptance of her partner’s elegant marriage proposal was heard loud and clear by those gathered – and she didn’t need to say a word. Mary Lou Smith’s yes was implied by her joyous, reverberating blast on a large conch shell. Continue reading...
  
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• Australia and Timor-Leste to sign deal on contentious gasfield

  06-03-2018 20:56 via theguardian.com
  New deal replaces previous attempt at treaty torn up after it emerged Timorese negotiators had been buggedAustralia and Timor-Leste are expected to sign a historic maritime border treaty in New York, after decades of talks dogged by acrimonious dealings and accusations of greed and espionage.But negotiations remained bitter until the end, with former Timorese president and chief negotiator, Xanana Gusmao, accusing Australia of collusion and revealing no deal was reached on how to develop the res
  
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• Scorched country: the destruction of Australia's native landscape

  06-03-2018 18:00 via theguardian.com
  Less than 50% of Australia’s original wilderness still exists, thanks to the colonialist view that development of land means eliminating native vegetationKate (not her real name) and her husband have run cattle grazing properties in central Queensland for more than 30 years. On remote and isolated properties like that, communities are close-knit and neighbours rely on each other to survive.But Kate says her neighbours hate her family. Their crime? Not cutting down enough trees. Continue re
  
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• America's horrifying new plan for animals: highspeed slaughterhouses | Scott David

  06-03-2018 17:15 via theguardian.com
  There is still time to stop an imminent program that would allow facilities to increase slaughter speeds, while reducing the number of trained government inspectorsIf you care about animal welfare or food safety, this news will concern you: the nationwide expansion of a risky US Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-speed slaughter program is imminent. But the good news is there is still time to stop it.
  The USDA is now accepting public comments on its proposed rule that it euphemistically dubbe
  
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• Satellite links to optimise European airspace

  06-03-2018 17:02 via bbc.co.uk
  The next phase of the Iris project to streamline European air traffic management is initiated.
  
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• Report: UK overestimates plastics recycling by one-third

  06-03-2018 16:11
  The UK is significantly underestimating the amount of plastics packaging waste produced across the country, according to new research.
  
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• Alzheimer's researchers win brain prize

  06-03-2018 15:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Four dementia scientists share this year's 1m euro prize for their pivotal work.
  
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• Sustainable Business Covered podcast: Sustainable packaging and the plastics problem

  06-03-2018 13:52
  edie travels to the Museum of Brands to discuss solutions to plastic waste and wider resource efficiency issues with business representatives from Iceland, Tetra Pak and James Cropper.
  
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• Last male northern white rhino Sudan's health improves slightly

  06-03-2018 12:48 via bbc.co.uk
  Sudan, whose future was "not looking bright", rallies slightly as his carers treat his wounds.
  
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• Ikea boosts sustainable products and renewable energy sourcing

  06-03-2018 12:27
  The world's biggest furniture retailer has made strides in its mission to deliver sustainable products and transition to renewable energy, Ikea's latest global sustainability report has shown.
  
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• Oldest message in a bottle found on Western Australia beach

  06-03-2018 12:01 via bbc.co.uk
  A family found the message, dropped in 1886 by a German ship, on a remote beach in West Australia.
  
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• I’ve seen the hidden horrors of high-speed slaughterhouses

  06-03-2018 12:00 via theguardian.com
  There is still time to stop an imminent program that would allow facilities to increase slaughter speeds, while reducing the number of trained government inspectorsIf you care about animal welfare or food safety, this news will concern you: the nationwide expansion of a risky US Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-speed slaughter program is imminent. But the good news is there is still time to stop it.
  The USDA is now accepting public comments on its proposed rule that it euphemistically dubbe
  
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• Environmental racism case: EPA rejects Alabama town's claim over toxic landfill

  06-03-2018 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Agency reports ‘insufficient evidence’ that Civil Rights Act was breached in case of huge landfill near mostly African American townThe US Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a civil rights case brought by residents of a small, overwhelmingly African American town in Alabama who have spent much of the past decade battling a toxic landfill they blame for causing a myriad of physical and mental illnesses.In a 28-page letter, the EPA said there was “insufficient evidence
  
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• 'So much plastic!': British diver films deluge of waste off Bali – video

  06-03-2018 11:30 via theguardian.com
  Diver Rich Horner has captured video of himself swimming through water densely strewn with plastic waste and yellowing food wrappers, with the occasional tropical fish darting around.
  The footage was shot at a dive site called Manta Point, a cleaning station for the large rays on the island of Nusa Penida, about 20km from the popular Indonesian holiday island of Bali.'Plastic, plastic, plastic': British diver films sea of rubbish off Bali Continue reading...
  
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• Ofwat accuses water firms of being ill-prepared for adverse weather

  06-03-2018 10:45
  Several water companies have "fallen well short" on their forward planning to ensure the recent adverse weather did not impact water supplies, Ofwat has said.
  
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• USS Lexington: Lost WW2 aircraft carrier found after 76 years

  06-03-2018 10:13 via bbc.co.uk
  The aircraft carrier USS Lexington went down in the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea, with 216 lives lost.
  
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• For the birds … an RSPB volunteering break in Northumberland

  06-03-2018 07:30 via theguardian.com
  Seeking sanctuary among terns and puffins, our writer volunteers for two weeks of manual work on a remote island run by the RSPBPlus: more rural volunteering opportunities
  At lunchtime on the second Sunday, the terns came to dance. A dozen sandwich terns – with long yellow-tipped beaks and punky black crests – among the hundreds of noisy, manic black-headed gulls on the beach. Their pre-mating bop involved a slow strut, legs bent and raised, and the hooking of wings in order to set o
  
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• 'Plastic, plastic, plastic': British diver films sea of rubbish off Bali

  06-03-2018 07:21 via theguardian.com
  Video posted on YouTube shows water densely strewn with food wrappers, cups and sachets as tropical fish dart in and outA British diver has captured shocking images of himself swimming through a sea of plastic rubbish off the coast of the Indonesian tourist resort of Bali. A short video posted by diver Rich Horner on his social media account and on YouTube shows the water densely strewn with plastic waste and yellowing food wrappers, the occasional tropical fish darting through the deluge. Conti
  
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• Country diary: the beck is a reservoir of molten gold

  06-03-2018 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Claxton, Norfolk: All the elements have come together to create a moment of seasonal delightIt is one of the more subtle attractions of our parish but its seasonal window is brief and upon us right now. It is composed of four very commonplace elements, but their convergence is as special and unpredictable as the arrival of a rare migrant.Continue reading...
  
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• Australia's solar future bright as households install record 3.5m panels

  06-03-2018 03:55 via theguardian.com
  2017’s energy output equivalent to a medium-sized coal-fired power stationThe future of Australia’s solar industry is looking bright after a record 3.5m panels were installed on rooftops last year, giving the equivalent output of a medium-sized coal-fired power station.The record 1,057 megawatts of capacity in small-scale systems installed across the country smashed the previous record set in 2012, figures from the Clean Energy Regulator showed on Tuesday. It equated to 9,500 install
  
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• Industry 'exaggerates plastics recycling success'

  06-03-2018 02:30 via bbc.co.uk
  Waste consultancy Eunomia claims English packaging firms need to step up on recycling rates.
  
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• Land clearing in Australia: see how cleared areas compare with your home town

  06-03-2018 02:00 via theguardian.com
  This map shows the scale of land clearing in Australia by visualising the extent of clearing in states where data is availableAustralia is in the midst of a land clearing crisis. Some estimate that 3m hectares of woodland will be cleared between 2010 and 2030.This is having a huge impact on the environment. Loss of habitat is one of the main threats to about three-quarters of Australia’s 1,640 plants and animals listed by the government as at risk. Land clearing, and land-use changes that
  
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• Recycling gum

  06-03-2018 01:39 via bbc.co.uk
  A British designer wants used gum recycled into useful objects - also leading to cleaner streets.
  
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• Water stress

  06-03-2018 01:26 via bbc.co.uk
  A report has said the south Indian city is likely to run out of water - but is this really the case?
  
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• Fast charge

  06-03-2018 01:15 via bbc.co.uk
  A breakthrough in materials technology could see fast-charging supercapacitors rival lithium-ion batteries.
  
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