Environment news

• Orca mother grieving for dead calf inspires push to save dying pods

  08-08-2018 21:18 via theguardian.com
  Headlines on mother who carried baby for days fuel concern over Seattle population that is stressed and starvingSeattle’s orcas are dying. That they are dying publicly and painfully may save them.First was Tahlequah’s calf. Born on 24 July, she died minutes later. Tahlequah buoyed her for a week before mother and calf disappeared. Continue reading...
  
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• Online dating: Aim high, keep it brief, and be patient

  08-08-2018 20:07 via bbc.co.uk
  Researchers say that contacting people "out of your league", can be a successful online dating strategy.
  
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• With the world on fire, we must act now to tackle climate change | Letters

  08-08-2018 19:08 via theguardian.com
  Kim and Nick Hoare fear for their son’s future after his farm was destroyed by wildfires, and Prof Tom Spencer calls for a much deeper debate about how to deal with rising sea levelsOn Monday we received the distressing news that the agro-forestry farm where our son and his partner live in Portugal has been destroyed by wildfires. Thankfully no lives were lost. This is one of a host of wildfires that have broken out this year around the world. Excessive temperatures and high wind speeds we
  
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• Reflecting sun's rays would cause crops to fail, scientists warn

  08-08-2018 19:00 via theguardian.com
  Research shows geoengineering method intended to combat climate change would have adverse effect on agricultureProposals to combat climate change by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space would cause widespread crop failure, cancelling out any benefits to farming from the reduction in warming, according to new research.By examining the effects of volcanic eruptions on agriculture – which has a similar effect to proposed artificial methods of scattering solar radiation through aero
  
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• Why stealthy viruses are making you ill

  08-08-2018 17:31 via bbc.co.uk
  Newly discovered trick used by viruses makes them more dangerous.
  
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• Jimmy Kimmel on climate change: 'Somebody needs to get through to Trump'

  08-08-2018 16:06 via theguardian.com
  Comics, including Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah and Kimmel, discussed Paul Manafort’s trial and the threat of climate changeLate-night hosts on Tuesday discussed the trial of former Donald Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and Trump’s approach to climate change. Related: Trevor Noah: 'Trump gets a vacation, but we don't get a vacation from him'Continue reading...
  
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• Upgrade home electricity supply systems to unlock low-carbon technologies, says REA

  08-08-2018 16:05
  The single "phase" electricity supply system, which has been the norm in UK homes since before the Second World War, should be scrapped for new homes, a report has urged.
  
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• Co-op partners with The Real Junk Food Project to cut food waste

  08-08-2018 14:31
  The Co-op has announced that it has started a new partnership with food redistribution scheme The Real Junk Food Project, in a bid to reduce its food waste output while tackling hunger in Leeds.
  
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• Washington's last chance to save the endangered orcas – but is it too late?

  08-08-2018 14:03 via theguardian.com
  Tragic event of grieving mother carrying dead calf for days sparks renewed effort to save killer whales as they fight for survivalSeattle’s orcas are dying. That they are dying publicly and painfully may save them.First was Tahlequah’s calf. Born on 24 July, she died minutes later. Tahlequah buoyed her for a week before mother and calf disappeared. Continue reading...
  
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• Sustainable Business Covered podcast: HP, Kingfisher, Surfdome and a 20th birthday party!

  08-08-2018 12:55
  Episode 46 of the Sustainable Business Covered podcast sees a host of special guests join the edie team to discuss the latest developments in the world of sustainable business - including a live chat with Surfdome's head of sustainability Adam Hall.
  
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• Dairy giant to power cheese plant with 100% renewable energy

  08-08-2018 12:52
  Northern Ireland-based dairy manufacturer Dale Farm has announced that it is now running one of its cheese manufacturing plants with 100% renewable energy after bringing a self-consumption solar farm online earlier this month.
  
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• Landsec partners with big-name retailers on shopping centre refill scheme

  08-08-2018 12:14
  Property developer Landsec has launched a new water bottle refill scheme in its shopping centres, partnering up with a host of big-name retailers and food and beverage brands in a bid to drive customers away from single-use plastic bottles.
  
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• 'Firenado' spotted in Leicestershire by firefighters – video

  08-08-2018 11:40 via theguardian.com
  Leicestershire fire and rescue service have captured spectacular footage of an unusual occurrence while tackling a plastic pallet blaze in Albert Village, near Swadlincote. Fire tornadoes – also known as fire whirls – happen when cool air combines with hot air above to create a swirling effect Continue reading...
  
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• 'Firenado' spotted in Derbyshire by firefighters – video

  08-08-2018 11:40 via theguardian.com
  Firefighters captured spectacular footage of an unusual occurrence while tackling a plastic pallet blaze at the Ravensbourn plastics factory in Woodville, near Swadlincote. Fire tornadoes – also known as fire whirls – happen when cool air combines with hot air above to create a swirling effect Continue reading...
  
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• Fresh legal action taken against Heathrow Airport expansion

  08-08-2018 11:27
  Climate change charity Plan B has initiated legal action against Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, in a challenge to the proposed Heathrow expansion.
  
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• 'Bad policy': Tony Abbott contradicts PM on national energy guarantee

  08-08-2018 11:23 via theguardian.com
  Former prime minister says it’s not true that the Coalition party room has given the policy the green lightTony Abbott has fired a significant broadside ahead of the resumption of federal parliament next week, declaring the party room has not agreed to the national energy guarantee, and should not be forced to “rubber stamp Labor’s policy”.As the energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, attempts to coax his reluctant state counterparts into a deal on the policy, Abbott has throw
  
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• First UK-grown chia seeds to go on sale this week

  08-08-2018 07:30 via theguardian.com
  The popularity of plant-based diets has created huge demand for the oil-rich seeds, prompting a farm in Essex to plant a cropThe first UK-grown chia seeds go on sale this week, as demand for the plant native to the Americas is fuelled by the explosion in the popularity of plant-based diets.The company Hodmedod, pioneers of British-grown pulses, grains and seeds, has been working with farmers Peter and Andrew Fairs, of Great Tey in Essex, to bring the new British crop to market. Continue reading.
  
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• The era of megafires: the crisis facing California and what will happen next

  08-08-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Three scientists explain the unprecedented danger facing the western US and call for new solutions to a growing threatCalifornia is no stranger to fire. The temperate winters and reliably dry summers that make the Golden state such an attractive place to live are the same conditions that make this region among the most flammable places on Earth.But even for a region accustomed to fire, the continuing wildfire siege has proven unprecedented. Although it is only early August, numerous very large,
  
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• Andrzej Krauze on the European heatwave – cartoon

  08-08-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Temperatures have soared across much of Europe, with wildfires breaking out in Portugal. However, the European record of 48C (Athens, 1977) was not broken Continue reading...
  
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• Air pollution is a lethal blight that shames our politicians | John Vidal

  08-08-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  New studies linking heart disease to supposedly ‘safe’ levels of pollution lay bare the human cost of using fossil fuelsThree years ago I had a heart operation that will have cost the NHS tens of thousands of pounds, and which made me rethink how we lived and how I had got into this mess. I had always kept pretty fit, I thought: I ate well, loved exercise and had long stopped smoking. I thought I was active and healthy. So what else was there that could have contributed to my heart d
  
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• Victoria asks Frydenberg to get emissions target passed before energy deal

  08-08-2018 06:55 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Lily D’Ambrosio tells federal environment counterpart getting target legislated will help states sign upVictoria has suggested the federal energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, delay a final state sign-off on the national energy guarantee until after parliament has legislated the scheme’s emissions target.Guardian Australia understands the Victorian energy minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, put her case to Frydenberg after the state’s cabinet resolved to toughen its negoti
  
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• Country diary: this toad is a familiar and fearless presence

  08-08-2018 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Wenlock Edge, Shropshire: After every revelatory sighting, it disappeared, as if it had hopped off into another dimension, to materialise here again a year laterA toad, grown fat on slugs and solitude, appeared from under a plant pot as if by a conjuror’s trick. It looked big, not inflated in the toady intimidating pose but solidly rotund – what a market trader might call a “fat handful”. It had been under an upturned plant pot that had a hole in its roof, but there was a
  
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• 'It stinks': $444m grant to reef foundation is a scandal, Greens say

  08-08-2018 01:00 via theguardian.com
  Richard Di Natale joins Labor in calling for money to be handed backThe awarding of $444m in taxpayers’ money by the prime minister to the small Great Barrier Reef Foundation without consultation “stinks” and the money should be handed back, the Greens have demanded.The party leader, Richard Di Natale, joined Labor in demanding the return of the huge sum given to the private foundation – which had just six full-time staff – and called for the whole process to be put
  
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