Environment news

• Colombia: tens of thousands ordered to evacuate after floods at dam

  16-05-2018 22:30
  600 people already left homeless after heavy floods at hydroelectric dam project, with another wave of flooding fearedTens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes in western Colombia after heavy floods at Colombia’s largest hydroelectric dam project, which had already displaced hundreds over the weekend. Continue reading...
  
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• Mysterious rise in emissions of ozone-damaging chemical

  16-05-2018 20:38 via bbc.co.uk
  Researchers discover an unexplained rise in a compound that is highly destructive to the ozone layer.
  
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• Water shortages to be key environmental challenge of the century, Nasa warns

  16-05-2018 19:00
  Freshwater supplies have already seriously declined in 19 global hotspots – from China to the Caspian Sea – due to overuse, groundbreaking study showsWater shortages are likely to be the key environmental challenge of this century, scientists from Nasa have warned, as new data has revealed a drying-out of swaths of the globe between the tropics and the high latitudes, with 19 hotspots where water depletion has been dramatic.Areas in northern and eastern India, the Middle East, Califo
  
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• Mysterious rise in banned ozone-destroying chemical shocks scientists

  16-05-2018 19:00
  CFCs have been outlawed for years but researchers have detected new production somewhere in east AsiaA sharp and mysterious rise in emissions of a key ozone-destroying chemical has been detected by scientists, despite its production being banned around the world.
  Unless the culprit is found and stopped, the recovery of the ozone layer, which protects life on Earth from damaging UV radiation, could be delayed by a decade. The source of the new emissions has been tracked to east Asia, but finding
  
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• Big-name clothing brands team up to 'Make Fashion Circular'

  16-05-2018 18:34
  Gap, H&M, Nike and Burberry are among the major brands which will lead a new Ellen MacArthur Foundation initiative that aims to help drive a circular fashion industry.
  
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• London law school set to reap rewards from rainwater harvesting

  16-05-2018 17:32
  City, University of London is set to install a rainwater harvesting system at its new £42m law school, in a move which could reduce its water costs by more than £4,500 each year.
  
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• Copy of BepiColombo Mercury mission goes on display

  16-05-2018 15:42 via bbc.co.uk
  London's Science Museum unveils a replica of the probe Europe will send to the inner-most planet.
  
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• Switzerland to vote on pesticide ban 'in 3 years'

  16-05-2018 15:36 via bbc.co.uk
  Campaigners force a referendum on the future use of synthetic pesticides in Switzerland.
  
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• edie Live 2018: Less than a week until show doors open

  16-05-2018 14:53
  The countdown is on: edie Live 2018 opens its doors at 9.30am on Tuesday 22 May - and there's still time to get your free two-day ticket to the show.
  
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• Stephen Hawking thanksgiving service public ballot closes

  16-05-2018 14:47 via bbc.co.uk
  More than 27,000 people applied for 1,000 public places at the scientist's Westminster Abbey service.
  
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• Banking industry one of UK's 'most unethical sectors'

  16-05-2018 14:01
  The UK's big five high street banks are hindering the sector's efforts to tackle climate change by continuing to profit from some of the world's dirtiest fossil fuel projects.
  
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• GDT nature photographer of the year 2018 – in pictures

  16-05-2018 13:30
  Winning images from the prestigious annual competition held by the Society of German Wildlife Photographers (Gesellschaft Deutscher Tierfotografen – GDT) which showcases talent from within the EU. This year’s winner is German photographer Maximilian Hornisch with his image of a golden eagle Continue reading...
  
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• edie makes new sustainability commitments for 'Mission Possible Pledge Wall' at edie Live

  16-05-2018 13:13
  Sustainability, energy and resource professionals are being called upon to make bold new commitments for our 'Mission Possible Pledge Wall' being built at the edie Live exhibition next week (22-23 May) - and we are going to be leading by example, announcing two new sustainability pledges of our own.
  
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• UK missing deadlines for post-Brexit nuclear safeguards, leak shows

  16-05-2018 13:03
  Failure to put safeguards in place could disrupt flow of materials needed to fabricate nuclear fuel after BrexitBrexit deadlines have put the supply of nuclear raw material for power stations and medical purposes at risk, a leaked government document has suggested.The document, obtained by Sky News, shows that the UK is already missing critical deadlines to put full safeguards in place to keep the flow of components and raw material needed to fabricate nuclear fuel after Brexit.Continue reading.
  
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• UK must secure billions in investment to meet climate targets, MPs warn

  16-05-2018 12:47
  Influential committee says collapse in low-carbon investment is endangering jobs and threatening climate commitments Investment in the UK’s low-carbon economy has fallen dramatically, endangering jobs and putting in doubt the government’s commitments on climate change, an influential committee of MPs has warned.
  Funds going into renewable energy, the mainstay of the low-carbon economy, fell more than 50% in 2017, having dropped by 10% in 2016, bringing annual investment in the sector
  
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• MPs criticise government clean energy policies

  16-05-2018 12:26 via bbc.co.uk
  Two parliamentary committees say ill-thought out policies have driven down clean energy investment.
  
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• One man's race to capture the Rocky Mountains glaciers before they vanish

  16-05-2018 12:00
  Garrett Fisher spent much of his summer in 2015 flying over places like Yellowstone taking stunning pictures of retreating glaciersAfter hearing that the glaciers of the Rocky Mountains are rapidly vanishing, financial consultant Garrett Fisher took a novel course of action – he flew a light aircraft, built in 1949, low and alone over the mountains in order to photograph them.Fisher spent much of his summer in 2015 flying over places such as Yellowstone, Glacier National Park and Grand Tet
  
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• New labelling helps UK shoppers avoid plastic packaging

  16-05-2018 11:17
  Iceland is among the first supermarkets to introduce the new ‘trust mark’ that shows shoppers which food packaging has no hidden plastic in itA new plastic-free “trust mark” is being introduced today, allowing shoppers to see at a glance whether products use plastic in their packaging.The label will be prominently displayed on food and drink products, making it easier for consumers to choose greener alternatives. Continue reading...
  
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• Glyphosate shown to disrupt microbiome 'at safe levels', study claims

  16-05-2018 10:30
  Study on rats said to show that the chemical, found in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller, poses ‘a significant public health concern’A chemical found in the world’s most widely used weedkiller can have disrupting effects on sexual development, genes and beneficial gut bacteria at doses considered safe, according to a wide-ranging pilot study in rats.
  Glyphosate is the core ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide and levels found in the human bloodstream have spiked b
  
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• Delay for Bloodhound supersonic car's high-speed trials

  16-05-2018 09:55 via bbc.co.uk
  Testing of the 1,000mph car is pushed back ahead of next year's attempt on the land speed record.
  
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• Leaked report warns Cambodia's biggest dam could 'literally kill' Mekong river

  16-05-2018 08:00
  Government-commissioned report says proposed site at Sambor reach is the ‘worst possible place’ for hydropower due to impact on wildlifeA Chinese-backed plan to build Cambodia’s biggest dam could “literally kill” the Mekong river, according to a confidential assessment seen by the Guardian which says that the proposed site at Sambor is the “worst possible place” for hydropower.
  The report, which was commissioned by the government in Phnom Penh, has been
  
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• Wind power overtakes nuclear for first time in UK across a quarter

  16-05-2018 07:01
  News of milestone comes as MPs say policy changes have caused collapse in investment in renewablesBritain’s windfarms provided more electricity than its eight nuclear power stations in the first three months of 2018, marking the first time wind has overtaken nuclear across a quarter.The renewable energy industry hailed the milestone as a sign the UK was well on its way to an electricity system powered by cheap, domestic green energy. Continue reading...
  
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• 1,600 IT workers and engineers denied UK visas

  16-05-2018 06:59 via bbc.co.uk
  More than 1,600 IT specialists and engineers offered jobs in the UK were denied visas between last December and March, BBC News has learned.
  
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• Country diary: cool weather has prolonged flowering in the orchard

  16-05-2018 06:30
  Kit Hill and Metherell, Tamar Valley: This pear tree remains spectacular, with creamy blossom on wide-spreading branchesAt dawn, birdsong floats up from shrubby undergrowth towards the cold summit of Kit Hill. Mist lies in the lowest valleys and, like the scattered enclaves of yellow oilseed rape and plastic-covered maize plantings, appears luminous among the pale greens and blues of the expansive patchwork of fields and woods.The first cuckoo call of the season impels a brief runabout in honour
  
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• Dinosaur parenting: How the 'chickens from hell' nested

  16-05-2018 02:48 via bbc.co.uk
  Dinosaurs may have used a unique nesting strategy to prevent their eggs from being crushed.
  
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• South Koreans more worried about air pollution than Kim's nukes

  16-05-2018 01:45
  Environmental issues beat nuclear annihilation as the source of most concern among South Koreans in a study conducted by the governmentLiving next to an erratic, nuclear-armed North Korea is apparently not the most distressing aspect of life in South Korea, according to a new study. That distinction goes to air pollution, ranked number one in a national survey.The spectre of North Korea’s nuclear programme ranked fifth, after economic stagnation, the South’s ageing population and wat
  
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