Environment news

• Mesmerising footage shows lava lake overflow in Hawaii

  25-04-2018 23:55 via bbc.co.uk
  Lava has risen above the crater floor in Hawaii's Kilauea volcano for the first time since 2016.
  
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• Fishy business: Mexico arrests Chinese traveler transporting endangered totoaba

  25-04-2018 20:01
  Mexico City police found 416 totoaba swim bladders, prized for their purported rejuvenating qualities, in passenger’s suitcasesMexican authorities have arrested a Chinese airline passenger after a strong smell emanating from his suitcases led to the discovery that he was transporting body parts from hundreds of endangered fish.Police at the Mexico City international airport “found 416 totoaba swim bladders in [the passenger’s] two suitcases,” the prosecutor general’
  
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• Gorillas are far more numerous than thought, landmark survey reveals

  25-04-2018 20:00
  Larger-than-expected population in Africa gives hope for species survival, scientists say, but animal remains critically endangeredThere are far more gorillas left in the world than previously thought, according to a landmark new survey, with numbers as much as double earlier estimates.However, their populations are continuing to fall fast, down 20% in just eight years, leaving them critically endangered. Furthermore, 80% of the remaining gorilla troops do not live in protected areas, leaving th
  
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• Gorillas are far more numerous than previously thought, survey reveals

  25-04-2018 20:00
  Larger-than-expected population in Africa gives hope for species survival, scientists say, but animal remains critically endangeredThere are far more gorillas left in the world than previously thought, according to a landmark new survey, with numbers as much as double earlier estimates.However, their populations are continuing to fall fast, down 20% in just eight years, leaving them critically endangered. Furthermore, 80% of the remaining gorilla troops do not live in protected areas, leaving th
  
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• Climate change to drive migration from island homes sooner than thought

  25-04-2018 20:00
  Low-lying atolls around the world will be overtaken by sea-level rises within a few decades, according to a new study
  Hundreds of thousands of people will be forced from their homes on low-lying islands in the next few decades by sea-level rises and the contamination of fresh drinking water sources, scientists have warned.A study by researchers at the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Deltares Institute in the Netherlands and Hawaii University has found that many small islands in the Pacific and
  
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• Bin liners to takeaway containers – ideas to solve your plastic conundrums

  25-04-2018 20:00
  Those dedicated to going plastic-free wonder how to dispose of cat litter or buy cleaning products sans packaging. Share your problems – and solutionsGoing plastic-free is as easy as calico bags and reusable coffee cups
  Plastic has become an environmental disaster. Microplastic pollution has been found in our waterways, fish stocks, salt, tap water and even the air we breathe. Reducing our reliance on plastic by refusing it wherever possible has never been more important, especially as Aus
  
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• 'Ground-breaking' galaxy collision detected

  25-04-2018 19:43 via bbc.co.uk
  Fourteen galaxies pile into a small region of space... only one can emerge.
  
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• Gaia telescope's 'book of the heavens' takes shape

  25-04-2018 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  A European space telescope measures the precise positions and distances to over one billion stars.
  
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• Swedish archaeologists reveal 5th Century massacre at Sandby borg

  25-04-2018 18:53 via bbc.co.uk
  A new study says dozens at the Oland island fort were killed and left to rot where they fell.
  
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• Westminster, not the EU, is to blame for the sorry state of UK fishing | Letters

  25-04-2018 18:23
  Roger Mainwood, David Walker and John Byrne respond to claims that Brexit will restore the fortunes of the UK’s fishing fleetsBertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, claims that if Brexit happens we can “take back control of our waters” (Letters, 25 April). He cites the UN convention on the law of the sea (Unclos) as evidence. What the convention says is that “the coastal State, taking into account the best scientific evidence avail
  
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• Macron to US Congress: 'There is no Planet B'

  25-04-2018 18:03 via bbc.co.uk
  The French president received more than one standing ovation in his remarks to Congress on climate change.
  
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• An unusually late start to the season for USA's Tornado Alley

  25-04-2018 18:02 via bbc.co.uk
  Things are unusually quiet in Oklahoma and Kansas this year as 2018 could see the latest start to the tornado season on record.
  
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• World Penguin Day quiz: test your knowledge of our flightless friends

  25-04-2018 15:42
  Everybody loves penguins – but how much do you know about them?It is World Penguin Day, so what better way to celebrate than to test your knowledge of penguins, and their appearances in history and popular culture, while also looking at pictures of penguins? You might even learn something along the way. Continue reading...
  
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• UK failing to address 'dangerous' F-gas emissions, MPs say

  25-04-2018 15:31
  MPs have today (25 April) called on policymakers and businesses to ramp up efforts to remove fluorinated gases (F-gases) from the atmosphere to bend the curve of global temperature rises.
  
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• Sustainability leadership, in action: One week left to register for edie's Mission Possible webinar

  25-04-2018 15:10
  Sustainability figureheads from home improvement retailer Kingfisher and food manufacturer William Jackson Food Group will discuss how they are scaling-up effort and innovation to achieve their 'Mission Possible' in edie's next live webinar, taking place on Thursday 3 May.
  
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• Unilever joins On-Pack Recycling Label scheme to boost plastics recycling

  25-04-2018 15:06
  Unilever has joined the On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) scheme to promote the recyclability of its products to consumers, while a six-month trial of clean-cold technology in the company's ice cream transportation trucks has delivered cost-effective environmental benefits.
  
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• National Grid: Charging providers must fine-tune efforts to meet EV demand

  25-04-2018 14:30
  EXCLUSIVE: National Grid has called on businesses looking to provide charging infrastructure for the electric vehicle (EV) agenda to consider sizing and location in order to best capture their audience.
  
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• National Grid: Whole systems approach to charging needed for EV revolution

  25-04-2018 13:26
  EXCLUSIVE: National Grid has called for networks, policymakers and businesses to work together to ensure that sufficient charging infrastructure is ready to meet the demands of the imminent electric vehicle (EV) boom.
  
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• Galileo: UK plan to launch rival to EU sat-nav system

  25-04-2018 12:57 via bbc.co.uk
  The UK is looking at its own sat-nav system if the EU locks it out of Galileo because of Brexit.
  
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• Ørsted lines up first major UK battery story project

  25-04-2018 12:53
  Energy firm Ørsted has announced its first venture into large-scale energy storage systems, after announcing plans to build and operate a 20MW battery storage project near Liverpool.
  
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• Ørsted lines up first major UK battery storage project

  25-04-2018 12:53
  Energy firm Ørsted has announced its first venture into large-scale energy storage systems, after announcing plans to build and operate a 20MW battery storage project near Liverpool.
  
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• Canada may swap 50-year-old flame for LED lights in quest to cut carbon

  25-04-2018 12:10
  The centennial flame is a popular attraction in Ottawa, but it could be replaced with an ‘alternative sustainable approach’
  The Canadian government’s efforts to cut the country’s carbon emissions have found a new target: a small flame that has burned on Parliament Hill for more than 50 years.
  The centennial flame in Ottawa was first unveiled during celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Canadian confederation. Initially envisioned as a temporary installation, t
  
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• Flint crisis, four years on: what little trust is left continues to wash away

  25-04-2018 12:00
  Since 2014, Flint has received millions of dollars in aid, and the state of the water is improving – but residents are still left with physical ailments and lifelong fearsLeeAnne Walters was one of the activists who brought Flint’s brown, lead-laden water to the world’s attention, thrusting plastic bottles of dingy liquid into camera lenses and the national consciousness.Four years later, you might think things have improved in the Michigan city. But Walters is still bathing he
  
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• America's best scientists stood up to the Trump administration | John Abraham

  25-04-2018 12:00
  Over 600 NAS members called out ‘the Trump Administration’s denigration of scientific expertise’
  Anyone who has read this column over the past five years knows that I tend to be unfettered in my criticism of people who lie and distort climate science to further their political ideologies. At the same time, I believe that the majority of climate sceptics are not willfully wishing to damage this precious Earth that we call home. I believe that there are common areas we can all ag
  
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• Investors and energy giants call for close UK EU climate ties after Brexit

  25-04-2018 11:09
  Aviva, E.ON, RWE, EDF and NPower are among a coalition of 21 energy giants and top investors who have called on Britain and the EU to maintain close links on energy and climate policy after the UK leaves the bloc.
  
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• UN staff pension fund mired in 'dirty profits' from firms guilty of rights abuses

  25-04-2018 08:00
  Guardian investigation reveals $64bn fund includes investments in companies involved in bribery and major environmental damageThe United Nations is facing calls for a full review of its staff pension fund after the Guardian uncovered that it has around a billion dollars invested in companies whose activities are or have been incompatible with core UN principles and programmes.Established in 1948 by the UN general assembly, the fund provides retirement, death and disability benefits to employees.
  
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• Hey millennials, don’t fall for Shell’s pop star PR | Graham Readfearn

  25-04-2018 07:28
  Royal Dutch Shell wants to cut its own climate emissions in half by 2050 - a target wiped out by burning one month’s worth of their fossil fuelsIf you’re a millennial, the global oil and gas company Shell will have been most pleased if you’d seen one their #makethefuture music videos.Twice now Shell have lined up superstars including Jennifer Hudson, Pixie Lott and Yemi Alade to sing about solar panels, hydrogen cars, clean cooking stoves and lights powered by a bag of rocks an
  
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• UK needs 6,000 shale gas wells to fill 50% of imports, study says

  25-04-2018 07:01
  Friends of the Earth says countryside would be industrialised with a new well fracked daily until 2035More than 6,000 shale gas wells would be needed to replace half the UK’s gas imports over a 15-year period, according to a new report.The nascent UK fracking industry has argued that growing reliance on gas from Norway and Qatar necessitates developing home-produced supplies in addition to North Sea output.Continue reading...
  
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• Foreign Office climate staff cut by 25% under Boris Johnson

  25-04-2018 07:00
  Exclusive: The prime minister says the UK leads the world on climate action, but Foreign Office officials dedicated to the issue have plunged since 2016The number of full-time officials dedicated to climate change in the Foreign Office has dropped by almost 25% in the two years since Boris Johnson became foreign secretary, according to data released under freedom of information (FoI) rules.
  Johnson has also failed to mention climate change in any official speech since he took the office, in mark
  
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• Country diary: a toad dressed to a-wooing go

  25-04-2018 06:30
  Wenlock Edge, Shropshire: Toads can control their skin tone and this soft yellowishness showed it was ready to ‘a-wooing go’“How could a purse / squeeze under the rickety door and sit, / full of satisfaction, in a man’s house?” wrote the poet Norman MacCaig in Toad. This toad, a soft yellow-brown and ornamentally purse-like, had come through the back door somehow and was squatting defiantly on quarry tiles. It was seeking asylum from an extraordinarily brilliant mor
  
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• Eight months on, is the world's most drastic plastic bag ban working?

  25-04-2018 06:00
  Kenya’s ban comes with the world’s stiffest fines and some businesses are struggling to find affordable alternatives, but in Nairobi’s shanty towns the clean-up is changing livesWaterways are clearer, the food chain is less contaminated with plastic – and there are fewer “flying toilets”.A year after Kenya announced the world’s toughest ban on plastic bags, and eight months after it was introduced, the authorities are claiming victory – so much so
  
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• Eight months on, is Kenya's plastic bag ban working?

  25-04-2018 06:00
  The ban comes with the world’s stiffest fines and some businesses are struggling to find affordable alternatives, but in Nairobi’s shanty towns the clean-up is changing livesWaterways are clearer, the food chain is less contaminated with plastic – and there are fewer “flying toilets”.A year after Kenya announced the world’s toughest ban on plastic bags, and eight months after it was introduce, the authorities are claiming victory – so much so that other
  
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• 'Mountains and mountains of plastic': life on Cambodia's polluted coast

  25-04-2018 00:19
  Photographs from Sihanouk in the country’s south west reveal locals living amid a staggering tide of plastic pollutionLooking down into the water that lies beneath the ramshackle houses of Sihanouk, Cambodia, it is hard to imagine that the sea is there at all. Instead, there is dense layer upon layer of plastic waste clogging the water, piling up around poles that support the wooden homes, carpeting the beach. Continue reading...
  
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