Environment news

• Gulls in Devon and Dorset 'showing signs of drunkenness'

  06-07-2018 19:48 via theguardian.com
  RSPCA has collected a large number of gulls exhibiting signs of disorientation, confusion and loss of balanceGulls in Devon and areas of Dorset have been portraying signs of drunkenness, the RSPCA has said.The animal welfare charity has collected a large number of gulls exhibiting signs of disorientation, confusion and loss of balance. The first incidents were reported on 21 June.Continue reading...
  
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• Andrew Wheeler: 'point man for Trump' focused on undoing Obama's EPA agenda

  06-07-2018 19:20 via theguardian.com
  Scott Pruitt’s replacement may be a more frightening prospect for those dismayed with the Trump administration’s attitude to the environmentScott Pruitt, who on Thursday resigned as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, was a firm favourite of Donald Trump. But Pruitt was plagued by scandal and faltered in carrying out the president’s agenda of peeling back clean air and water regulations. His replacement is likely to be far more adept. Related: Goodbye to the w
  
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• Andrew Wheeler: a better weapon for Trump against the environment

  06-07-2018 19:20 via theguardian.com
  Scott Pruitt’s replacement is a more dangerous prospect for those aghast at the administration’s attitude to the environmentScott Pruitt, who on Thursday resigned as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, was a firm favourite of Donald Trump. But Pruitt was plagued by scandal and faltered in carrying out the president’s agenda of peeling back clean air and water regulations. His replacement is likely to be far more adept. Related: Goodbye to the worst EPA adminis
  
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• 'Drunk' gull stumbles in footage released by RSPCA – video

  06-07-2018 19:19 via theguardian.com
  RSPCA staff have been left scratching their heads after a string of callouts to collect 'drunk' gulls. The animal welfare charity is concerned the birds have been gaining access to waste products from a local brewery or alcohol producer, making them disoriented and confused.Jo Daniel, an RSPCA officer, said 'the birds absolutely stink of alcohol' when they collect them Continue reading...
  
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• The Climate Group launches global initiative to fast-track corporate LED uptake

  06-07-2018 18:12
  The organisation acting as a driving force in the corporate transition to renewables, electric vehicles and energy productivity has today (July 6) called on the private sector to slash energy demand from the built environment by switching to LED lighting.
  
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• To glory in killing a lion or giraffe is disgusting, but it’s not clear that a ban would aid conservation | Editorial

  06-07-2018 17:57 via theguardian.com
  To glory in killing a lion or giraffe is disgusting, but it’s not clear that a ban would aid conservation“How is that fun?” asked US talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel in a segment about trophy hunting aired after Cecil, a well-known lion tagged by researchers, was killed in Zimbabwe by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer in 2015. Kimmel choked up as he asked viewers to donate to Oxford University’s conservation research programme, and his shame and bafflement are widely shared. Kill
  
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• Frustration as single right whale prompts fishing ban at Canadian island

  06-07-2018 17:17 via theguardian.com
  Fishing is temporarily halted at Grand Manan Island after the sighting of an endangered whale, to the dismay of fishermenIn 30 years of fishing for lobster in the Bay of Fundy between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Laurence Cook has been forced off the water by high winds, winter storms and icy conditions.But until this summer, he had never had to stay home because of a whale. Continue reading...
  
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• Pernod Ricard to embed SDGs in sustainability strategy

  06-07-2018 16:51
  EXCLUSIVE: Beverage giant Pernod Ricard is set to align its sustainability strategy, which also applies to its owned brands such as Chivas Brothers, Malibu and Absolut Vodka, with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals "in the near future".
  
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• Bristol University discovers how wingless spiders fly

  06-07-2018 16:10 via bbc.co.uk
  Bristol University has discovered how spiders fly thousands of miles
  
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• This heatwave is just the start. Britain has to adapt to climate change, fast | Simon Lewis

  06-07-2018 15:31 via theguardian.com
  Water, housing, farming … almost every aspect of public life needs to change. Why isn’t this top of the political agenda?Much of the world is in the grip of a heatwave. Britain is so hot and dry that we have Indonesia-style peat fires raging across our moorlands. Montreal posted its highest temperature ever, with the deaths of 33 people in Quebec attributed to the scorching heat. And if you think that’s hot and dangerous, the town of Quriyat in Oman never went below a frighten
  
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• 'I don’t want ships to kill me': Marseille fights cruise liner pollution

  06-07-2018 14:06 via theguardian.com
  Shipping is estimated to account for 10% of city’s air pollution, and campaigners are targeting cruise industry in particularFrom his balcony above Marseille’s port, Jean-Pierre Eyraud has a prime view of the giant, luxury cruise liners that dock in the city bringing 1.5 million passengers a year. But since Eyraud was diagnosed four years ago with throat cancer – a diagnosis several others in his neighbourhood by the port have also had – he watches with a sense of dread a
  
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• Japan's appetite for eel could see it share fate of bluefin tuna

  06-07-2018 13:38 via theguardian.com
  Diners eat eel to take the edge off the summer heat, but its huge popularity has depleted stocksOversized inflatable plastic eels dangle from the ceiling of a supermarket in Tokyo as late afternoon shoppers inspect the real thing – beautifully packaged and prominently displayed – on the shelves below.In specialist restaurants run by generations of the same families, diners eat sweetened broiled eel to take the edge off the heat and humidity of a Japanese summer. Continue reading...
  
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• The moon also rises – as a solution to our energy crisis

  06-07-2018 12:58 via theguardian.com
  This week’s Upside looks at the energy potential of our oceans and a coding academy in GazaWe’re unlikely to find fixes to our global problems if we’re battling against our planet’s natural resources rather than making use of them. This week, some tales of harnessing the power of nature as we tackle man-made crises: climate change and our insatiable need for energy. Move aside, the sun – could the moon be the solution to our clean energy crisis? The power of our oce
  
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• UK raises public sector greenhouse gas target

  06-07-2018 12:51
  After the public sector met its 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets three years early, the UK Government has this week increased the aim by 10% in a bid to green the sector while saving more than £300m.
  
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• Foam pollution kills fish in River Great Ouse

  06-07-2018 12:09 via bbc.co.uk
  The pollution has now "diluted" and is no longer causing problems, says the Environment Agency.
  
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• Construction Sector Deal: Government sets course for halving building energy use and emissions

  06-07-2018 12:05
  The Government has launched its much-anticipated £420m construction sector deal, which provides a framework for the built environment sector to halve the energy use of new buildings by 2030.
  
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• UK fishing fleets unlikely to gain from Brexit despite Gove's claims, say experts

  06-07-2018 12:02 via theguardian.com
  New government white paper states that Britain is planing no major changes to catch quotasBritish fishing fleets will face a tough struggle to wring a substantial advantage from Brexit, despite the prime minister’s promises, owing to key concessions in the government’s fishing proposals and the difficulty of persuading other EU member states to give up their current rights in British and shared waters, the Guardian has found.Michael Gove, the environment secretary, published a white
  
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• 'This is unprecedented': right whale forces Canadian island to ban fishing

  06-07-2018 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Grand Manan Island temporarily halted fishing after the sighting of a single endangered whale, to the surprise of fishermen thereIn 30 years of fishing for lobster in the Bay of Fundy between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Laurence Cook has been forced off the water by high winds, winter storms and icy conditions.But until this summer, he had never had to stay home because of a whale. Continue reading...
  
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• Frustration as single right whale prompts fishing ban around Canadian island

  06-07-2018 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Grand Manan Island temporarily halted fishing after the sighting of a single endangered whale, to the surprise of fishermen thereIn 30 years of fishing for lobster in the Bay of Fundy between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Laurence Cook has been forced off the water by high winds, winter storms and icy conditions.But until this summer, he had never had to stay home because of a whale. Continue reading...
  
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• Public service announcement: slow down when driving at Hoppy Hour! | First Dog on the Moon

  06-07-2018 09:07 via theguardian.com
  In Tasmania, there are marsupials everywhere! Unfortunately, most of them are stupidSign 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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• Scott Pruitt, Trump's embattled EPA chief, resigns amid ethics scandals

  06-07-2018 08:32 via theguardian.com
  Donald Trump announces Pruitt’s departure on Twitter and praises him for doing an ‘outstanding job’The biggest Trump resignations and firings – so farScott Pruitt, the hugely controversial administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has resigned. Related: A scandal for all seasons: Scott Pruitt's ethics violations in fullContinue reading...
  
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• Syrian seeds could save US wheat from climate menace

  06-07-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Ancient Syrian grass rescued from Aleppo is resistant to pests devastating American farms This article was originally published by the Yale school of forestry
  Inside a Kansas greenhouse, a buzzing horde of flies set about laying waste to 20,000 seedlings. But as researchers watched, there was one species of growth that remained untouched – an ancient Syrian grass known as Aegilops tauschii. Now those Syrian seeds, once stored in a vault outside of Aleppo, could end up saving US wheat from
  
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• Suspected rhino poachers eaten by lions at South African reserve

  06-07-2018 04:44 via theguardian.com
  Remains of two or three people found near pride with an axe – commonly used to remove horn At least two rhino poachers were eaten by lions on a South African game farm, according to the reserve’s owner. A ranger taking guests on a safari drive at the Sibuya game reserve in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday afternoon discovered human remains near a pride of lions. Continue reading...
  
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• Whale charms locals in Wellington harbour – video

  06-07-2018 02:58 via theguardian.com
  A southern right whale has made a rare appearance in New Zealand's Wellington harbour.Local media reported it was the first time in eight years that this species of whale has been spotted in New Zealand's capital.Continue reading...
  
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• UK engineers to design new Mars rover

  06-07-2018 02:14 via bbc.co.uk
  The robot vehicle would retrieve rocks that could be brought to Earth for detailed study.
  
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• Fetch rover! Robot to retrieve Mars rocks

  06-07-2018 02:14 via bbc.co.uk
  UK engineers will design a robot in an audacious plan to bring home Mars rocks to study for signs of life.
  
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• Precious 'Gollum's toad' on brink of extinction

  06-07-2018 02:10 via bbc.co.uk
  A toad named after the character in Lord in the Rings joins a new list of species at risk of extinction.
  
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• Lord of the Rings toad on brink of extinction

  06-07-2018 02:10 via bbc.co.uk
  A toad named after the Lord of the Rings character, Gollum, joins the list of species at risk of extinction.
  
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• Ammonia storage plants and vertical farms: The best green innovations of the week

  06-07-2018 02:01
  A number of eye-catching and potentially transformational innovations have emerged that could help businesses and nations deliver on resource efficiency, low-carbon transitions and combat climate change. Here, edie rounds-up six of the best.
  
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• Scott Pruitt quits as head of US environment agency

  06-07-2018 00:58 via bbc.co.uk
  The EPA administrator has been embroiled in allegations of ethics violations for months.
  
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• Trump's promise to 'drain the swamp' proves false even with Scott Pruitt out

  06-07-2018 00:35 via theguardian.com
  Pruitt seemed indestructible as the administration cycled through resignations, with Trump standing by him even at the endTowards the end of his 2016 presidential election campaign, Donald Trump discovered a new slogan: “Drain the swamp!” He admitted being surprised at how well it went down with crowds at his rallies and kept repeating it. Continue reading...
  
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• Scott Pruitt, Trump's embattled EPA chief, resigns after ethics scandals

  06-07-2018 00:18 via theguardian.com
  Donald Trump announces Pruitt’s departure on Twitter and praises him for doing an ‘outstanding job’The biggest Trump resignations and firings – so farScott Pruitt, the hugely controversial administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has resigned. Related: A scandal for all seasons: Scott Pruitt's ethics violations in fullContinue reading...
  
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