Environment news

• Close to my heart: Christine Milne's butter pats

  23-05-2018 23:36
  A pair of wooden paddles reminds the former Greens leader Christine Milne of her childhood spent on a Tasmanian dairy farm. As she revisits the farm for our new series about precious family objects, she reflects on how it shaped her commitment to the environment and social equality  Continue reading...
  
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• Decarbonising UK's heating system could cost £450 billion

  23-05-2018 22:53
  The cumulative additional cost of decarbonising the UK's heating system by 2050 could be as high as £450 billion, research for the government's infrastructure advisory body has concluded.
  
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• How the circular economy is fuelling sustainable growth at IKEA

  23-05-2018 22:43
  EXCLUSIVE: IKEA's aim of doubling sales by 2020 are not at odds with an embedded ambition to become more circular, according to the company's UK sustainability manager for the Hege Sæbjørnsen, who believes closed-loop solutions will be fundamental to future growth.
  
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• How circular economy is fuelling business growth for Ikea

  23-05-2018 22:43
  EXCLUSIVE: Ikea's aim of doubling its sales by 2020 are not at odds with an embedded ambition to become more circular, with the company's sustainability manager for UK and Ireland Hege Sæbjørnsen claiming that closed-loop solutions will help drive growth.
  
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• New York city to consider banning plastic straws

  23-05-2018 21:18
  If the bill becomes law, restaurants that continue to use plastic straws would be warned, then face fines between $100 and $400A New York city council member announced on Wednesday his plan to ban plastic straws from the city of 8.5 million people, amid a growing effort across the globe to cut back on plastics.“We depend on plastic, and that is a trend we have to reverse immediately,” said city council member Rafael Espinal, who discussed his proposed ban at a press conference on the
  
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• Climate change 'will make rice less nutritious'

  23-05-2018 20:00
  When scientists exposed the crop to higher levels of carbon dioxide vitamin levels fell significantly
  Rice will become less nutritious as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, potentially jeopardising the health of the billions of people who rely on the crop as their main source of food, new research suggests.Scientists have found that exposing rice to the levels of carbon dioxide that are expected in the atmosphere before the end of the century results in the grain containing lower leve
  
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• Australia completes world's largest cat-proof fence to protect endangered marsupials

  23-05-2018 20:00
  Feral cats kill a million native birds every night and have caused extinction of 20 native species since introductionThe world’s largest cat-proof fence has been completed in central Australia, creating a 94 square kilometre sanctuary for endangered marsupials.The 44km fence – made of 85,000 pickets, 400km of wire and 130km of netting – surrounds the Newhaven wildlife sanctuary, a former cattle station that has been bought by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.Continue reading
  
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• Hitting toughest climate target will save world $30tn in damages, analysis shows

  23-05-2018 19:00
  Almost all nations would benefit economically from keeping global warming to 1.5C, a new study indicates
  Achieving the toughest climate change target set in the global Paris agreement will save the world about $30tn in damages, far more than the costs of cutting carbon emissions, according to a new economic analysis.
  Most nations, representing 90% of global population, would benefit economically from keeping global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the research indicates. This include
  
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• RSPCA to investigate Lincolnshire farm after 'workers filmed kicking pigs'

  23-05-2018 17:58
  Undercover footage recorded more than 100 incidents over 10 days, with workers apparently kicking pigs in their heads and stomachs
  The RSPCA has launched an investigation after the release of footage that appears to show farm workers brutally kicking and punching pigs at a farm in Lincolnshire. Continue reading...
  
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• A 30-year drought may be coming: here’s how you can save water

  23-05-2018 17:34
  Water shortages could stretch into the 2050s, according to the Environment Agency. It’s time to do your bitThe sun is shining and we are due a hot bank holiday Monday, so it must be time for a drought story. And not just any old drought, but one stretching into the 2050s and beyond, according to the Environment Agency, which warns that our use of water is unsustainable. While the agency puts much of its focus on the need for companies to change their behaviour, especially by reducing leaka
  
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• Plastic bag-swallowing sperm whales - victims of our remorseless progress

  23-05-2018 16:34
  The news that Mediterranean whales have died after ingesting our plastic waste comes as no surprise – but seems to be an omen for fallout from our disruption of the natural worldPlastic bags have been blamed for the deaths of sperm whales in the Mediterranean. The Athens-based Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute found that more than a third of the sperm whales found dead in Greek waters had stomachs blocked by plastic waste. But this comes as no surprise to whale watchers.In a plangent 201
  
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• Hamburg becomes first German city to ban older diesel cars

  23-05-2018 16:13
  Ban will stop 214,000 vehicles from using two key roads as part of pollution crackdownHamburg is to become the first German city to ban some diesel cars to improve air quality, setting a template for other urban centres in the country.The ban will affect about 214,000 cars, more than two-thirds of the diesel vehicles registered in Germany’s second-largest city. Continue reading...
  
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• Police in south India accused of mass murder after shooting dead protesters

  23-05-2018 15:02
  Eleven people protesting over pollution from a copper plant have been killed by police in Tamil Nadu in south IndiaAnother person has been shot dead during violent protests in south India against a copper plant operated by a British mining giant residents say is polluting the local environment.Opposition politicians in the state of Tamil Nadu have accused the police of committing mass murder against protesters opposed to the expansion of a copper smelting facility in the port city of Thoothukudi
  
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• Loch Ness Monster: DNA tests may offer new clue

  23-05-2018 13:24 via bbc.co.uk
  DNA research team say sampling of Loch Ness could uncover evidence of new creatures.
  
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• Policy needed to solve the 'Rubik's cube' of energy storage

  23-05-2018 13:03
  EXCLUSIVE: Regulatory frameworks need to act as a "steady hand" to grow the business case for energy storage solutions, with expert delegates from UK Power Networks (UKPN) and energy not-for-profit Regen SW likening the market to a Rubik's cube that was almost aligned.
  
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• Risk of water shortages for England warns Environment Agency

  23-05-2018 12:53 via bbc.co.uk
  Enough water to meet the needs of 20 million people is lost through leakage every day, the report says.
  
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• Is help finally at hand for suicide crisis on America’s farms?

  23-05-2018 12:00
  Farmers take their lives at a rate higher than any other occupation, and at twice the rate of military veterans. Two bills to help farmers were included in the federal farm billIn early May, Kansas farmer John Blaske is waiting for the rain to stop so he can begin planting. From the front door of his farmhouse, a green yard decorated with bird feeders slopes down to a series of fields where the corn will be planted. Beyond the fields, there’s a tree line and a small bridge with a creek run
  
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• Global warming made Hurricane Harvey more destructive | John Abraham

  23-05-2018 12:00
  Hot oceans fueled Hurricane Harvey, generating more intense rainfall
  Last summer, the United states was pummeled with three severe hurricanes in rapid succession. It was a truly awesome display of the power of weather and the country is still reeling from the effects. In the climate community, there has been years of research into the effect that human-caused global warming has on these storms – both their frequency and their power.The prevailing view is that in a warming world, there will
  
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• VIDEO: On the Mission Possible sofa with Surfdome's Adam Hall and A Plastic Planet's Henri Allen

  23-05-2018 11:00
  The first of a brand new sustainable business chat show devised by edie sees outdoor wear retailer Surfdome's head of sustainability Adam Hall joined by campaign group A Plastic Planet's head of operations Henri Allen to discuss how businesses can collectively solve the plastics problem.
  
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• The cruel truth about the brumbies | First Dog on the Moon

  23-05-2018 09:42
  Horses get shot and killed in abattoirs every day but not these horsesSign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...
  
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• UK to host world's first battery and rapid EV charging network

  23-05-2018 09:35
  The world's first 2GW network of grid-scale batteries and rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging stations is set to be installed in the UK at a cost of £1.6bn, as the result of a partnership announced today by the National Grid and Pivot Power.
  
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• Iceland becomes first supermarket to trial in-store deposit return system

  23-05-2018 09:20
  Iceland has become the first UK supermarket to trial an in-store deposit return scheme in support of the Government's recently announced intention to launch a nationwide rollout of the scheme.
  
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• 15 of the best easy rural escapes from UK cities

  23-05-2018 07:30
  These UK nature sites, from a new book, Wild and Free, offer abundant wildlife within an hour’s drive of a city or town, making them perfect for a day trip • Share your favourite wild UK escape in the commentsThese locations have been chosen with several criteria in mind. They are all free to enter, they all have good wildlife for at least part of the year, and are all within an hour’s drive of a large town or city. Many are off the beaten track, or at least low profile, without
  
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• 10 of the best easy rural escapes from UK cities

  23-05-2018 07:30
  These UK nature sites, from a new book, Wild and Free, offer abundant wildlife within an hour’s drive of a city or town, making them perfect for a day trip • Share your favourite wild UK escape in the commentsThese locations have been chosen with several criteria in mind. They are all free to enter, they all have good wildlife for at least part of the year, and are all within an hour’s drive of a large town or city. Many are off the beaten track, or at least low profile, without
  
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• England at risk of water shortages due to overuse and leaks, report warns

  23-05-2018 07:01
  Wasted water from leaking pipes and overuse in homes is causing damage to rivers and wildlife and putting increasing pressure on overstretched supplies, warns the Environment AgencyPeople need to use less water and companies must curb leaks to prevent future water shortages and damage to rivers and wildlife, the Environment Agency (EA) has warned.Many sources of water supplies are already overstretched and, with climate change and a growing population, much of England could see significant suppl
  
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• Our laws make slaves of nature. It’s not just humans who need rights | Marina Margil

  23-05-2018 07:00
  For decades our laws have been a death sentence for the environment. Now, from the Amazon to Australia, the tide is turningThe Amazon rainforest is often called the earth’s lungs, and generates 20% of the world’s oxygen. Yet in the past half-century nearly a fifth of it has been cut down. The felling and burning of millions of trees is releasing massive amounts of carbon, in turn depleting the Amazon’s capacity to be one of the world’s largest carbon sinks – the nat
  
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• Country diary: a Welsh garden at its psychedelic best

  23-05-2018 06:30
  Bodnant Garden, Gwynedd: Rhododendrons and azaleas flash white, pink, red, orange and blue as the oaks awaken from a long winter dream
  These oak leaves open like bloody beef. Not the “rich brown-umber hue the oaks unfold/ When Spring’s young sunshine bathes their trunks in gold” that John Clare described in his poem Wood Pictures in Spring. These are the emerging leaves of a Quercus robur “Atropurpurea” (they will mature to a deep red-purple), a form of English or c
  
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• Illegal online sales of endangered wildlife rife in Europe

  23-05-2018 06:01
  Exclusive: Study finds 12,000 items worth $4m, including ivory, live orangutans and a huge number of reptiles and birds for the pet tradeThe online sale of endangered and threatened wildlife is rife across Europe, a new investigation has revealed, ranging from live cheetahs, orangutans and bears to ivory, polar bear skins and many live reptiles and birds.Researchers from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) spent six weeks tracking adverts on 100 online marketplaces in four countries
  
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• Insight, inspiration and innovation continues into final day of edie Live 2018

  23-05-2018 02:01
  The sustainability and energy management community descended upon the NEC Birmingham in their droves with sessions at full capacity throughout the first day of edie Live 2017 - and the action is set continue into the second and final day (23 May).
  
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• Specieswatch: fighting pollen beetles in the margins

  23-05-2018 02:00
  With insect numbers falling because of pesticides, natural controls are being sought for a pest threatening valuable oilseed rape crops One of the pests that troubles British farmers is the pollen beetle, Meligethes aeneus, which is particularly fond of yellow flowers and is a menace to oil seed rape. On some plants it is a beneficial pollinator, but on oilseed rape it destroys the plant’s ability to produce the all-important seed.Related: Our wildlife can be saved – but only with po
  
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• Environment Agency warns of serious water deficits for England

  23-05-2018 01:40 via bbc.co.uk
  "Unsustainable" levels of extraction plus climate change could see water supply deficits across England by 2050.
  
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• How to speak volcano like a pro

  23-05-2018 01:34 via bbc.co.uk
  Making sense of terms like vog, laze and pahoehoe with the help of volcanologist Evgenia Ilyinskaya.
  
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• Hawaiian volcano: What are vog and laze?

  23-05-2018 01:34 via bbc.co.uk
  Making sense of the Hawaiian volcano with the help of volcanologist Evgenia Ilyinskaya.
  
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