Environment news

• Hydrogen-powered transport key to climate targets, says Shell

  26-03-2018 19:39
  Oil firm says gas could account for 10% of global energy consumption by end of century Planes and trucks powered by hydrogen will be a crucial part of efforts to cut carbon emissions to safe levels, according to oil giant Shell.For the first time, the Anglo Dutch firm, which is facing calls by activist shareholders to take stronger action on global warming, has mapped out how the world could hit the Paris climate deal’s target of keeping temperature rises below 2C. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Renewables generated more electricity than brown coal over summer, report finds

  26-03-2018 19:00
  Renewable energy also produced 40% more than gas and was exceeded only by black coalRenewable energy generated more electricity than brown coal during Australia’s summer for the first time in 2017-18, according to a new report by Green Energy Markets. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Greggs builds appetite for water efficiency with service switch

  26-03-2018 18:18
  On-the-go food retailer Greggs has chosen water retail company Business Stream to supply services to all of its managed outlets and major production sites across the UK as it looks to drive efficiency improvements.
  
  Read more

• Jeremy Corbyn puts new focus on inequality but the old challenges loom

  26-03-2018 17:18
  Labour’s vision to reshape the world order will require political will to end tax evasion and create a fairer global economyIn the foreword to Labour’s new policy paper, Jeremy Corbyn characterises the party’s vision for development as “a progressive, outward-looking, global view, driven by social justice and human rights”. So far, so expected.For those who remember the Blair-Brown era of Make Poverty History, the most exciting shift is the plan to tackle rising ine
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Stephen Hawking's final interview: A beautiful Universe

  26-03-2018 16:27 via bbc.co.uk
  The Cambridge physicist's last broadcast interview covered gravitational waves from neutron star mergers.
  
  Read more

• European Space Agency teams with ICEYE Finnish start-up

  26-03-2018 15:37 via bbc.co.uk
  The European Space Agency will work with Finland's ICEYE on ways to exploit its novel radar satellites.
  
  Read more

• Land degradation threatens human wellbeing, major report warns

  26-03-2018 15:30
  More than 3.2bn people are already affected and the problem will worsen without rapid action, driving migration and conflictLand degradation is undermining the wellbeing of two-fifths of humanity, raising the risks of migration and conflict, according to the most comprehensive global assessment of the problem to date.The UN-backed report underscores the urgent need for consumers, companies and governments to rein in excessive consumption – particularly of beef – and for farmers to dr
  
  Read more

• Sheffield council pauses tree-felling scheme after criticism

  26-03-2018 14:53
  Council’s £2bn project to cut down thousands of dead, dying or dangerous trees put on holdSheffield city council has announced an immediate pause of its controversial tree-felling scheme after a barrage of criticism.Thousands of trees assessed as dead, dying, dangerous or diseased have been cut down under a £2bn project to improve the condition of the streets. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Starbucks pledges £7m to develop coffee cup solutions

  26-03-2018 13:53
  Starbucks has declared a "moon shot for sustainability" by unveiling a £7m funding challenge to develop recyclable and compostable coffee cups, as well as agreeing to new "bean to cup" traceability technology to improve sourcing practices.
  
  Read more

• UK Government launches £220m Clean Air Fund

  26-03-2018 12:44
  The UK Government has unveiled a £220m fund to improve air quality across the most polluted areas in the country, alongside a £40m support scheme for local authorities to combat air pollution.
  
  Read more

• What to do if you hit a pothole while cycling

  26-03-2018 12:28
  The UK’s pothole problem is getting worse and cyclists risk serious injury if they hit one. Here’s what to do if you find one and how to claim compensation if neededThe UK’s pothole problem is bad and getting worse, with a recent report by Alarm revealing 24,000 miles of road will need essential maintenance in the next year. While hitting one in a car may mean a trip to the garage, if you are cycling the outcome can be far worse.A BBC 5 Live questionnaire found half of almost 5
  
  Read more

• Yosemite's secretive Starbucks: cafe opens in park, to delight and dismay

  26-03-2018 12:00
  A new Starbucks provides convenience and caffeine to visitors, but to many it represents a trend of commercialism and 25,000 people petitioned to stop it from opening Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Study: wind and solar can power most of the United States | John Abraham

  26-03-2018 12:00
  Wind, solar, and storage could meet 90–100% of America’s electricity needs
  In order to combat climate change, we need to rapidly move from fossil fuel energy to clean, renewable energy. The two energy sources I am most interested in are wind and solar power; however, there are other sources that have great potential.Some people doubt how much wind and solar can supply to a country’s electricity grid. This is a particularly challenging question to answer in part because both sol
  
  Read more

• Poem of the week: The Opposite of Confidential by Claudine Toutoungi

  26-03-2018 12:00
  A chorus of birds takes on the leading role in a poem exploring creativity and freedom of expressionThe Opposite of ConfidentialNobody questions the birds.
  Their trills are never subject to inspection or
  forced to satisfy requirements. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Onshore wind and solar could compete for subsidies in CfDs

  26-03-2018 11:22
  Claire Perry has signalled that onshore wind and solar projects will be allowed to compete for subsidies in a future Contract for Difference (CfD) auction.
  
  Read more

• Sadiq Khan accuses ministers of stalling over post-Brexit environment watchdog

  26-03-2018 11:02
  Mayor of London and green groups call for swift action after new research suggests government cuts are putting wildlife protections under threatSadiq Khan has accused ministers of stalling over the setting up of a new tough environmental watchdog body post Brexit.
  The mayor of London spoke out as research by the country’s leading environmental bodies suggested protections to wildlife, water and air quality are under threat because of budget cuts of more than 55% over the last eight years.
  
  Read more

• Ocado publishes near-zero food waste figures

  26-03-2018 09:16
  Online supermarket Ocado has published near-zero food waste figures, believed to be the lowest in the industry.
  
  Read more

• Smart meters: customers say they can’t get firms to install them

  26-03-2018 09:00
  Each month energy suppliers are putting 400,000 smart meters into UK homes. But 1m are needed to hit the 2020 target‘Get smart” urges the website of EDF, one of the UK’s largest utilities firms. It tells customers that a free smart meter will help them manage their gas and electricity bills “the hassle-free way” and promises those who book an installation that “we’ll help you get smart about the energy”. The deal is part of a government target to o
  
  Read more

• Dairy’s ‘dirty secret’: it's still cheaper to kill male calves than to rear them

  26-03-2018 09:00
  Dairy farms need female cows to produce milk but with little demand for male calves many farmers can’t afford to keep them beyond birthThe number of male calves being killed straight after birth is on the rise again, despite efforts by the dairy industry to end the practice known as ‘the dirty secret’.A Guardian analysis shows that it can cost a farmer up to £30 per calf to sell it on for beef or veal, while early disposal costs just £9. A growing number of farmers
  
  Read more

• We’ve lost half our wildlife. Now’s the time to shout about it | Michael McCarthy

  26-03-2018 07:00
  Modern farming has wiped out billions of insects and birds. Plans to restore them will only work with public pressureEver been on a protest march for the environment? If you’re young and you care about things – if you’re old, for that matter – you may well have been, and I bet I can guess the theme of the demo. It was probably about climate change, and quite right too, global warming being an unparalleled threat to our very existence. It might have been about nuclear
  
  Read more

• Britain has lost half its wildlife. Now’s the time to shout about it | Michael McCarthy

  26-03-2018 07:00
  Modern farming has wiped out billions of insects and birds. Plans to restore them will only work with public pressureEver been on a protest march for the environment? If you’re young and you care about things – if you’re old, for that matter – you may well have been, and I bet I can guess the theme of the demo. It was probably about climate change, and quite right too, global warming being an unparalleled threat to our very existence. It might have been about nuclear
  
  Read more

• Country diary: the unexpected effects of road-builders' changes to landscape

  26-03-2018 06:30
  Carpenter’s Lodge, Lincolnshire: Why was a kestrel so interested in the rising corner of a small rural overpass?The climbing bend of an overpass, in a frigid easterly wind, early. I’ve come because of an eye-hook bird I’ve often seen hovering here. A kestrel – static in the air as if on a pole, above this corner in precisely the same place. More recently, I’ve seen a red kite showing interest too, wheeling and listing and riding the wind like its namesake. If it was
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!