Environment news

• Subsidy cuts slow growth of independent renewables, report finds

  03-05-2018 19:37
  Investment in new, independent renewable energy projects in the UK totalled £227m in 2017, down by almost 20% from 2016 figures, according to a new report published this week.
  
  Read more

• Clean energy for all: Seven reasons why the world is falling short on SDG 7

  03-05-2018 17:50
  As a new report warns that the global economy is not on track to deliver on the clean energy targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), edie rounds up some of the headline trends that are shaping the transition to renewable energy and offer a glimmer of hope that targets can still be reached.
  
  Read more

• Ancestral remains 'people not objects'

  03-05-2018 16:48 via bbc.co.uk
  A collective of scientists recommends that human ancestors be respected as individuals.
  
  Read more

• Seal avoids 'slow and painful death' by air vent filter

  03-05-2018 16:06 via bbc.co.uk
  Vets who treated the seal, which had a deep neck wound, had "never seen anything as severe".
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Kew Gardens' Temperate House restored - in pictures

  03-05-2018 15:18 via theguardian.com
  After five years, 10,000 plants uprooted and replanted, 15,000 panes of glass replaced, 69,000 sections of metal, stone and timber repaired or replaced, enough scaffolding to stretch the length of the M25, and £41m spent, the largest Victorian glasshouse in the world is ready to open its doors again. The Temperate House in Kew Gardens is once again, as Sir David Attenborough describes it, ‘a breathtakingly beautiful space’ Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Future sailors: what will ships look like in 30 years?

  03-05-2018 15:00 via theguardian.com
  With a target to halve its huge carbon footprint, the race is on to find new technologies to green the world’s shipping fleet Watch out for the return of the sailing ship.
  After a commitment last month to cut greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by at least 50% by 2050, the race is on to find new technologies that can green the 50,000-strong global shipping fleet. Wind power is one of the options being discussed. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Hawaii becomes first US state to ban sunscreens harmful to coral reefs

  03-05-2018 14:45 via theguardian.com
  In a bid to protect its marine environment, Hawaii has passed a bill banning sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, chemicals that have ‘significant harmful impacts’ on ecosystemsCoral reefs and sunshine keep tourists flocking to Hawaii but add sunscreen to that holiday mix and the result can be serious damage to the marine environment that makes the islands so attractive to visitors in the first place. This week Hawaii took action on the issue, passing a bill that will mak
  
  Read more

• Green Tomato Cars scales up Toyota Mirai fuel cell fleet

  03-05-2018 13:51
  London-based green private hire firm Green Tomato Cars has taken up 50 new Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric saloons.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Most countries failing on Paris Agreement pledges, report warns

  03-05-2018 12:01
  Many governments are not on course to meet their Paris Agreement commitments, according to a damning new report which shows a host of countries across the globe are not yet willing or able to phase-out coal.
  
  Read more

• Curlew Moon by Mary Colwell review – a pilgrimage for the wading bird

  03-05-2018 11:00 via theguardian.com
  An account of a walk of 500 miles from the west of Ireland to the east coast of England to raise awareness of the bird’s endangered statusThe bubbling call of the curlew, heard across the fields at dusk, has long been a vital part of a traditional English landscape. Poets from WB Yeats to Dylan Thomas have immortalised this greyish brown wading bird in verse. Once a common sight across the UK and Ireland, the native nesting bird is now under threat from intensive agricultural practices and
  
  Read more

• EU proposes 25% 'climate quota' in new long-term budget

  03-05-2018 10:59
  The clean energy transition and other initiatives to decarbonise Europe's economy will represent 25% of EU spending under a seven-year EU budget plan put forward by the European Commission on Wednesday (2 May).
  
  Read more

• Nespresso offers new gender equality training in SDG drive

  03-05-2018 10:05
  Coffee brand Nespresso has announced it will offer new training programmes to hundreds of workers in its supply chain in a bid to educate them on how to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality.
  
  Read more

• 'Breathtakingly beautiful': Kew's Temperate House reopens after revamp

  03-05-2018 09:45 via theguardian.com
  Five-year project involved moving 10,000 plants and replacing 15,000 panes of glassAfter five years, 10,000 plants uprooted and replanted, 15,000 panes of glass replaced, 69,000 sections of metal, stone and timber repaired or replaced, enough scaffolding to stretch the length of the M25, and £41m spent, the largest Victorian glasshouse in the world is ready to open its doors again. The Temperate House in Kew Gardens is once again, as the naturalist Sir David Attenborough describes it, &ldq
  
  Read more

• Country diary: lapwings do their courting to the tune of creaky doors

  03-05-2018 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Salter’s Gate, Weardale: Having performed her provocative display, the female seems to ignore the suitor with his bandit eye-stripeThe sky above this open hillside, overlooking Tunstall reservoir in the valley below, was filled with skylark song, but lapwings, Vanellus vanellus, commanded attention with reckless display flights and calls reminiscent of rusty hinges. Thirty years ago, when we came here to watch them with our children, they christened them “creaky doors”. Related
  
  Read more

• Kew Gardens: World's largest glasshouse reopens

  03-05-2018 04:11 via bbc.co.uk
  Kew Gardens' largest glasshouse - the Temperate House - reopens after an ambitious five-year restoration.
  
  Read more

• Shift to renewables would save Australians $20bn a year – report

  03-05-2018 02:59 via theguardian.com
  Study says 40% of transport could be emissions-free by 2035 and neighbours could trade clean electricitySign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon A total shift to renewable energy would pay for itself through cost savings within two decades, and ultimately save Australians $20bn a year in combined fuel and power costs, a new report says.The report, released on Thursday morning, outlines a path to powering homes and businesses from renewable sources by 2030. By 2035, 40% o
  
  Read more

• Kew Gardens will reopen the world's largest Victorian glasshouse

  03-05-2018 01:04 via bbc.co.uk
  The Temperate House at Kew Gardens, which was built in 1863, is home to some of the world's rarest plants.
  
  Read more

• Climate change aid to poor nations lags behind Paris pledges

  03-05-2018 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Donor nations’ 2020 target of $100bn annual fund for adapting economies falls short by near 50% says OxfamFinance for poor countries to help them reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and deal with climate change is lagging behind the promises of rich countries, an Oxfam report finds.While taxpayer-funded finance has increased, and the private sector has stepped up with some initiatives, the amount raised could still fall short of the goal of providing $100bn a year to the developing world
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!