Environment news

• Plantwatch: phosphate leading to widespread pollution

  17-07-2018 22:30 via theguardian.com
  Phosphate fertilisers are causing dangerous levels of pollution in waterways that harm aquatic plants and animalsMuch of the environment is awash with fertilisers, boosting thuggish weeds such as stinging nettles that swamp other wild plants. Nitrate is a big villain in this onslaught, but far less notice is taken of phosphate.Phosphate is crucial for plant growth and development, and it is estimated that half the world’s food supplies rely on phosphate fertilisers, but this is a dwindling
  
  Read more

• Coalition's national energy guarantee described as having 'no benefit' to emissions

  17-07-2018 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Former head of Clean Energy Finance Corporation says governments should not support Neg in current state Oliver Yates, the former head of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, says state and territory governments should not sign on to the Turnbull government’s national energy guarantee until such time as it contains meaningful emissions reductions.Yates, a respected industry player now active in the renewables sector, and a board member of the Smart Energy Council – a solar group cri
  
  Read more

• The new sharks coming to UK waters

  17-07-2018 18:58 via bbc.co.uk
  Research suggests new kinds of shark could migrate to UK waters as the oceans warm.
  
  Read more

• Having all the fin

  17-07-2018 18:58 via bbc.co.uk
  Research suggests new kinds of shark could migrate to UK waters as the oceans warm.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• A different sort of car for Trump’s motorcade | Brief letters

  17-07-2018 18:42 via theguardian.com
  Morris Travellers | Birthdays column | Children’s books | ‘Gordon Bennett’ | BadgersNext time: the presidential motorcade to be Morris Minor Travellers (Letters, passim).
  Jonathan Stanley
  Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire• After the terrible visit of the misogynistic President Trump it was pleasant to see the Guardian celebrating the birthdays of 20 women out of a total of 33 people (14 July).
  Ann Lynch
  Skipton, North Yorkshire Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• EPA proposal to limit role of science in decision-making met with alarm

  17-07-2018 18:29 via theguardian.com
  Democratic lawmakers and scientists denounced proposal to allow administrators to reject study results if research isn’t public
  Democratic lawmakers joined scientists, health and environmental officials and activists on Tuesday in denouncing a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), backed by industry, that could limit dramatically what kind of science the agency considers when making regulations.Related: Andrew Wheeler: 'point man for Trump' focused on undoing Obama's EPA a
  
  Read more

• Does Wales hold the key for saving the puffin from extinction?

  17-07-2018 18:07 via bbc.co.uk
  While the bird is dying out in parts of Europe, the population on one Welsh island is thriving.
  
  Read more

• Hosepipe ban firm loses 133 litres of water in leaks per house a day

  17-07-2018 16:11 via theguardian.com
  United Utilities, imposing ban on 7m households, is second worst for leaking pipesThe water company ordering a hosepipe ban on 7m households in the north-west of England has the second-worst record for leaking pipes of any supplier, industry data shows.The temporary use ban being imposed by United Utilities from 5 August has led to calls for water firms to do more to tackle leakage on their networks. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• The UK's history in space

  17-07-2018 16:08 via bbc.co.uk
  The UK is set to get its first space port in Sutherland, Scotland. But it already has a long history in space.
  
  Read more

• Prehistoric bake-off: Scientists discover oldest evidence of bread

  17-07-2018 13:28 via bbc.co.uk
  Charred crumbs found in the Jordanian desert show that bread-making dates back 14,000 years.
  
  Read more

• How Trump’s wildlife board is rebranding trophy hunting as good for animals

  17-07-2018 12:58 via theguardian.com
  As hunters hold immense clout in the Trump administration and most of the council’s members are advocates of the sport, critics worry the board will protect their hobby, not the animals Donald Trump has called big-game trophy hunting a “horror show”, despite his own sons’ participation in elephant and leopard hunts, and in 2017 he formed an advisory board to steer US policy on the issue. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Economy-wide carbon tax would create 'level playing field' for UK businesses

  17-07-2018 12:47
  An economy-wide carbon tax is needed to reduce the cost of decarbonisation and level the playing field for the UK's heavy industry, according to a new report from think-tank Policy Exchange.
  
  Read more

• Aldi exploring emissions reduction goal aligned to Paris Agreement

  17-07-2018 12:37
  The UK's fastest growing supermarket Aldi will align its future sustainability strategy "well below" the 2C target set by the Paris Agreement, the company's international managing director of corporate responsibility, Sven van den Boomen, has claimed.
  
  Read more

• Country diary: metamorphosis in a museum tower

  17-07-2018 10:59 via theguardian.com
  Oxford University Museum: For 70 years, researchers have been watching ‘particularly hideous’ young swifts turn into long-winged angels This glorious structure is a place rich in history. As we walked through the galleries our guide paused to show us the great oak door behind which Bishop Wilberforce confronted “Darwin’s bulldog”, Thomas Huxley, in their famous debate on evolution. We, however, were intent on a more modest fraction of the building’s past. For
  
  Read more

• China, EU reaffirm Paris climate commitment, vow more cooperation

  17-07-2018 10:31
  China and the European Union on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris climate change pact and called other signatories to do the same, saying action against rising global temperatures had become more important than ever.
  
  Read more

• One billion people without access to efficient cooling technology, says report

  17-07-2018 10:18
  With the global heatwaves setting record high temperatures around the world in recent weeks, a new report warns that more than 1.1 billion people globally don't have access to some form of cooling.
  
  Read more

• UK to champion green aviation through £343m Sector Deal

  17-07-2018 09:42
  Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark has vowed that the UK will "lead the world" on an electric and hybrid aircraft revolution, after announcing the £343m Aerospace Sector Deal as part of the UK Government's Industrial Strategy.
  
  Read more

• Only 2% of lithium-ion batteries in Australia are recycled, report says

  17-07-2018 09:18 via theguardian.com
  CSIRO says lack of consumer awareness is ‘number one issue’ affecting recyclingAustralians have to boost their recycling of lithium-ion batteries, a new CSIRO report has found.Consumers only recycle 2% of our lithium-ion batteries, and an estimated $813m to $3bn worth of valuable components is in landfill. The commonly-used rechargeable batteries are used in mobile phones, laptops, household appliances and, increasingly, electric vehicles.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• IEA warns of 'worrying trend' as global investment in renewables falls

  17-07-2018 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Fossil fuels increased share of energy supply investment last year – the first time since 2014The world’s energy watchdog has sounded the alarm over a “worrying” pause in the shift to clean energy after global investment in renewables fell 7% to $318bn (£240bn) last year.The International Energy Agency said the decline is set to continue into 2018, threatening energy security, climate change and air pollution goals. Fossil fuels increased their share of energy suppl
  
  Read more

• Swan upping on the Thames: counting the Queen's birds – in pictures

  17-07-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  This week marks the annual stocktake of the crown’s swans on the River Thames, known as swan upping. The process of counting the swans on the river and identifying them as belonging to the Queen or one of the two City livery companies that also have rights to them – has been carried out since the 12th century, when the birds were so prized for their meat that all wild swans in England were appropriated as property of the crown. The pomp, finery and techniques of swan upping would be
  
  Read more

• Common cranes 'here to stay' after recolonising eastern England

  17-07-2018 07:01 via theguardian.com
  Model predicts population of UK’s tallest bird could double within 50 years after its return to the east of England following a 400-year absenceCommon cranes which recolonised eastern England less than 40 years ago after a 400-year absence are now here to stay, research has found. There could be as many as 275 breeding pairs of the UK’s tallest bird within 50 years, scientists at the University of Exeter, the RSPB and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) predict.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Our phones and gadgets are now endangering the planet | John Harris

  17-07-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  The energy used in our digital consumption is set to have a bigger impact on global warming than the entire aviation industryIt was just another moment in this long, increasingly strange summer. I was on a train home from Paddington station, and the carriage’s air-conditioning was just about fighting off the heat outside. Most people seemed to be staring at their phones – in many cases, they were trying to stream a World Cup match, as the 4G signal came and went, and Great Western Ra
  
  Read more

• Endangered bandicoot 'should never have been brought to South Australia'

  17-07-2018 02:43 via theguardian.com
  Researchers say the western barred bandicoot was actually five species and those ‘reintroduced’ would never have lived in SAAn endangered Australian bandicoot that was reintroduced to the Australian mainland is now believed to be one of five distinct species, and researchers say it may have been a mistake to introduce it to South Australia.Scientists working for the Western Australian Museum have published research that concludes that what has been known as the western barred bandico
  
  Read more

• Prehistoric bake-off: Recipe for oldest bread revealed

  17-07-2018 01:31 via bbc.co.uk
  Charred crumbs found in a middle-eastern desert show that bread-making dates back 14,000 years.
  
  Read more

• Heatwave to bring hosepipe ban to north-west England

  17-07-2018 01:01 via theguardian.com
  United Utilities says 7 million customers will be affected by first ban since 2012Millions of households in the north-west of England will face the first hosepipe ban in the country since 2012 after the UK’s longest heatwave in more than 40 years.The water company United Utilities said 7 million customers would be affected by the ban, which is due to come into force on 5 August. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Heatwave to bring hosepipe ban to north-east England

  17-07-2018 01:01 via theguardian.com
  United Utilities says 7 million customers will be affected by first ban since 2012Millions of households in the north-west of England will face the first hosepipe ban in the country since 2012 after the UK’s longest heatwave in more than 40 years.The water company United Utilities said 7 million customers would be affected by the ban, which is due to come into force on 5 August. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!