Environment news

• When is the first day of spring?

  16-03-2018 22:30 via theguardian.com
  Definitions vary depending on whether you speak to a meteorologist, an astronomer or a gardenerAs another icy blast hits the UK from the east, it seems that spring is reluctant to arrive. The daffodils are coming out and some ponds have frogspawn but is it officially spring? Statistics show that a lot of people, perhaps wishing to be cheered up, are turning to the world wide web for information. It seems there are two possible answers, yes or no, depending on whether you are a meteorologist or a
  
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• Offsets for emissions breaches prove Australia has a carbon market, Labor says

  16-03-2018 22:00 via theguardian.com
  Industrial sites have spent millions on carbon credits under Direct Action’s ‘safeguard mechanism’Sixteen Australian industrial sites have breached government-imposed greenhouse gas emissions limits and had to buy millions of dollars in carbon credits to offset the infringement.The breaches came despite big emitters being granted generous carbon limits, in many cases above their highest previous pollution levels. Continue reading...
  
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• Glorious mud

  16-03-2018 19:11 via bbc.co.uk
  Meet the "mudlarkers" looking for archaeological artefacts along the banks of the Thames.
  
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• Global energy giants forced to adapt to rise of renewables

  16-03-2018 17:53 via theguardian.com
  Companies face world where falling cost of solar and wind power pushes down pricesSeven years after an earthquake off Japan’s eastern coast led to three meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, the aftershocks are still being felt across the world. The latest came last Saturday when E.ON and RWE announced a huge shakeup of the German energy industry, following meetings that ran into the early hours.Under a complex asset and shares swap, E.ON will be reshaped to focus on su
  
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• Inaction over clean air zones and bottled water cannot continue | Letters

  16-03-2018 17:36 via theguardian.com
  Holly Smith and Jenny Jones on why the government needs to urgently tackle air pollution. Brian Lowry discusses the threat posed by plastic bottlesThe government needs to step up and provide clear messaging and leadership on charging clean air zones (Car industry should pay for UK’s toxic air, inquiry says, 15 March). About 40,000 premature deaths a year are attributable to air pollution; inaction simply cannot continue. The government’s own evidence identifies charging clean air zon
  
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• Shutting down EU ivory trade is a ‘personal priority’ for Boris Johnson

  16-03-2018 16:48 via theguardian.com
  • An estimated 20-30,000 elephants are killed by poachers each year• UK was world’s largest legal ivory exporter between 2010 and 2015A government minister has promised that the UK will lead a fight to shut down the ivory trade in the EU, describing the issue as “a personal priority” for the foreign secretary Boris Johnson.Speaking at a conservation summit in Botswana, the Africa minister, Harriet Baldwin, said: “The UK will lead by example. We will be shutting
  
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• Telling your sustainability story: edie launches communications handbook

  16-03-2018 16:07
  Sustainability and CSR professionals looking to boost stakeholder engagement through effective communications now have access to a new 'handbook', which provides expert advice and insight into how to tell your sustainability story.
  
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• First polar bear cub born in Britain for 25 years – video

  16-03-2018 15:43 via theguardian.com
  Footage from a documentary about the first polar bear cub to be born in the UK in the past 25 years has been released. The cub was born at the RZSS Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig, Scotland. Before the first sighting this month, the birth – which took place a week before Christmas – had only been confirmed by high-pitched noises from the den• Britain’s Polar Bear Cub airs Sunday at 7pm on Channel 4 Continue reading...
  
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• The Crown Estate deploys London's first air purifying CityTree

  16-03-2018 15:28
  An outdoor "living wall" with an air purifying capability of 275 natural tress that can reduce harmful pollutants by up to 30% had been launched by The Crown Estate near Piccadilly Circus.
  
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• Crown Estate deploys London's first air purifying CityTree

  16-03-2018 15:28
  An outdoor "living wall" with an air purifying capability of 275 natural tress that can reduce harmful pollutants by up to 30% had been launched by the Crown Estate near Piccadilly Circus.
  
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• Plan to cut Glasgow air pollution is a failure, say campaigners

  16-03-2018 15:05 via theguardian.com
  Friends of the Earth criticises ‘unambitious’ blueprint for first Scottish low emissions zone Campaigners have criticised plans for Scotland’s first low emissions zone to combat illegal levels of air pollution in Glasgow city centre.Last October, World Health Organisation testing found that Glasgow was one of the most polluted areas in the UK, with poorer air quality than London, Manchester and Cardiff. Public Health England estimates the equivalent of 300 lives are lost in the
  
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• Is Fukushima doomed to become a dumping ground for toxic waste?

  16-03-2018 14:12 via theguardian.com
  Despite promises of revitalisation from Japan’s government, seven years on from the nuclear disaster the area is still desolateThis month, seven years after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi reactor meltdowns and explosions that blanketed hundreds of square kilometres of northeastern Japan with radioactive debris, government officials and politicians spoke in hopeful terms about Fukushima’s prosperous future. Nevertheless, perhaps the single most important element of Fukushima’s futur
  
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• Earth is my witness: the photography of Art Wolfe – in pictures

  16-03-2018 12:23 via theguardian.com
  The photography of Art Wolfe covers the globe, capturing landscapes, wildlife, and cultures from every continent. Here he talks us through a selection of his favourite imagesWolfe will be at The Photography Show on 17-18 March in Birmingham, UKContinue reading...
  
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• The quest for bike-friendly children's books in a world where cars rule

  16-03-2018 11:25 via theguardian.com
  From cute cars to smiley emergency vehicles, kids’ culture is awash with rosy images of driving, so a new Mr Men book about cycling is a welcome read. What are your favourite cycling-friendly children’s books?“Give me the child until he is seven and I will show you the man,” is a maxim usually attributed to the Jesuits, but it’s not only religious institutions that use early years training to hook people for life. There’s a mainstream indoctrination that is co
  
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• Which items can't be recycled?

  16-03-2018 10:47 via theguardian.com
  Many people think items such as plastic bags and coffee cups can be recycled when they can’t. Here are the do’s and don’tsBritish consumers are increasingly willing to recycle their household waste but are failing to grasp the basics, according to the latest research by the British Science Association. Failure to get it right means that a lot of recyclable waste is going to landfill, the BSA says.The issue is further complicated by inconsistency among councils, which make their
  
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• 5G to deliver £6bn opportunity for smart, resource-efficient UK cities, says O2

  16-03-2018 10:27
  The next generation of mobile connectivity, or 5G, will enable councils to generate £2.8bn annually through smart lighting and refuse collection, according to a new report from O2 outlining a £6bn opportunity of the UK economy.
  
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• Smart lamppost 'revolution' could save Europe €2.1bn a year

  16-03-2018 09:55
  Switching Europe's aging streetlight network with smart lampposts could slash electricity bills by up to €2.1bn a year and deliver energy savings of between 50-70%.
  
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• Equinor: Statoil to change name in recognition of energy transition

  16-03-2018 09:29
  Norwegian energy giant Statoil is proposing a name change to stakeholders, in recognition of the company's diverse energy strategy that aims to increase investments into renewables and new energy solutions.
  
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• Footage of first polar bear cub born in UK in 25 years

  16-03-2018 09:25 via bbc.co.uk
  The "confident and curious" cub was born at Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig, Scotland.
  
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• Pollution, illness, threats and murder: is this Amazon factory the link?

  16-03-2018 08:30 via theguardian.com
  The death of a Brazilian community leader followed concerns about contaminated water around the aluminium plant but its Norwegian owners deny responsibilityFor years, the small communities near an industrial park in Barcarena, in the Brazilian Amazon state of Pará, complained that a Norwegian-owned aluminium plant and other factories were contaminating their water, causing diarrhoea and vomiting and poisoning fish and local produce.In November they launched a $154m legal claim for environ
  
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• Kitchen roll among things Britons wrongly think they can recycle

  16-03-2018 07:01 via theguardian.com
  Others include plastic soap dispenser tops and wrapping paper, study showsBritish consumers are in the dark about exactly what household waste they can recycle, a new poll has revealed, with plastic soap dispenser tops, kitchen roll and wrapping paper topping the list of things they wrongly consider recyclable.Research shows that Britons are more aware than ever of how recycling can help the environment. However, the majority are putting out contaminated recycling due to common misunderstandings
  
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• Dirty kitchen roll among things Britons wrongly think they can recycle

  16-03-2018 07:01 via theguardian.com
  Others include plastic soap dispenser tops and wrapping paper, study showsBritish consumers are in the dark about exactly what household waste they can recycle, a new poll has revealed, with plastic soap dispenser tops, dirty kitchen roll and wrapping paper topping the list of things they wrongly consider recyclable.Research shows that Britons are more aware than ever of how recycling can help the environment. However, the majority are putting out contaminated recycling due to common misundersta
  
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• Country diary: it clung like a stilt walker to its wavering perches

  16-03-2018 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Farlington Marshes, Hampshire Gazing into the reedbeds, scanning for bearded tits, felt a lot like looking at a magic eye puzzle
  Spotting reedbed-dwelling birds is tricky at the best of times, but more so in winter as only one songbird is resident year-round – the bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus). Their common name is somewhat of a misnomer as they are neither bearded nor tits, though with their “ping pong ball on a lolly stick” body shape, they do bear a passing resemblance to
  
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• No longer 'alternative', mainstream renewables are pushing prices down | Simon Holmes à Court

  16-03-2018 03:40 via theguardian.com
  While the government insists that renewables have made our grid unreliable, lights have stayed on and prices are droppingOn the first day of autumn tens of thousands of Victorians received a welcome surprise from their power company — their electricity bills were going down. Prices were cut 5% because the retailer increased their investment in renewable energy.
  This will likely come as a surprise to many. Since the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the energy minister, Josh Frydenberg,
  
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• Energy sector must use new tech to ensure the vulnerable aren't left behind

  16-03-2018 02:45 via theguardian.com
  With the arrival of energy optimisation technologies, governments and industry must find a way to deliver efficient energy to everyoneA Choice survey revealed last year that electricity bills have become the biggest worry for Australian households. According to the report, more than 80% of Australians are concerned with rising costs, with South Australians and West Australians most concerned about the price of their energy. The report followed the March 2017 announcement of an ACCC inquiry into
  
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• Rotten ideas

  16-03-2018 01:21 via bbc.co.uk
  As the fight against plastic pollution gains momentum, firms are tackling the issue in different ways.
  
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• Egg white hydrogen and chewing gum coffee cups: the best green innovations of the week

  16-03-2018 01:01
  From reducing chewing gum waste to increasing the performance of solar panels, the past week has showcased how innovation can impact across all areas of sustainability. edie brings them all together under one innovation round-up.
  
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• Adapt or die

  16-03-2018 01:01 via bbc.co.uk
  In the first of our Future of Work series, we look at how new tech could change our working lives.
  
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