Environment news

• Emmanuel Macron under attack over climate change

  04-09-2018 19:41 via theguardian.com
  French president accused of doing too little, as he appoints new environment ministerFrench environment campaigners have warned Emmanuel Macron is doing too little to combat climate change and must radically rethink his environment policy if he is to honour his promise to “make this planet great again”.Renewed criticism of the centrist French president’s approach to green issues came as Macron replaced his former environment minister, the TV personality Nicolas Hulot, who quit
  
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• France to impose daily cap of 214 climbers on Mont Blanc

  04-09-2018 19:01 via theguardian.com
  Rockfall a growing risk as high temperatures thaw ground at higher altitudesFrance will impose a daily cap of 214 climbers on Mont Blanc next year, one of several measures taken to limit overcrowding on one of Europe’s highest peaks.“It’s a tough decision but a very good one, because Mont Blanc is a climb unlike any other. You have to be prepared,” said Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, the Alpine town where the most popular route to the top of the moun
  
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• Botswana poaching spree sees 90 elephants killed in two months

  04-09-2018 18:21 via theguardian.com
  Charities and ministers voice concern after discovery of carcasses with tusks hacked offNinety elephant carcasses have been found in Botswana with their tusks hacked off, in what is believed to be one of Africa’s worst mass poaching sprees.Most of the animals killed were large bulls carrying heavy tusks, Elephants Without Borders said on Tuesday. Continue reading...
  
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• New Natural History Museum room honours Mary Anning

  04-09-2018 17:35 via bbc.co.uk
  The room has been transformed in honour of pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning.
  
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• 'Farming the desert'

  04-09-2018 17:34 via bbc.co.uk
  The nation is united behind drought-hit farmers, but some query the merits of "special treatment".
  
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• Green Party appoints Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry as co-leaders

  04-09-2018 17:30
  The Green Party has appointed Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry as its co-leaders, after former co-leader Caroline Lucas stepped down earlier this year.
  
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• The life of a shark scientist

  04-09-2018 16:17 via bbc.co.uk
  Marine biologist Melissa Marquez shares a dive on the Great Barrier Reef, and tips for swimming with sharks.
  
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• Life of a shark scientist

  04-09-2018 16:17 via bbc.co.uk
  Marine biologist Melissa Marquez shares a dive on the Great Barrier Reef, and tips for swimming with sharks.
  
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• 'Scallop wars': UK offers olive branch as French navy threatens to act

  04-09-2018 16:05 via theguardian.com
  No 10 hopes for ‘amicable outcome’ to dispute between UK and French fishing boatsDowning Street has attempted to defuse tensions between British and French fishing industry workers harvesting scallops in the Channel after the French navy said it would intervene to prevent further clashes.Theresa May’s official spokesman said both sides were hoping for a cordial solution from talks in London on Wednesday designed to resolve the dispute, suggesting there was were no plans for Bri
  
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• Campaigners celebrate as oil drilling at Surrey Hills site is blocked

  04-09-2018 16:01 via theguardian.com
  Defra’s decision not to renew Europa’s licence marks victory after 1o-year legal battleMichael Gove has blocked drilling of a controversial exploratory oil well in the south of England, causing campaigners to celebrate but sparking an angry response from one of the firms involved.Concerns over the impact on ancient woodland led the environment secretary to decide against renewing the lease at the site near Holmwood in the Surrey Hills, which is on Forestry Commission land. Continue r
  
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• Eight bird species are first confirmed avian extinctions this decade

  04-09-2018 14:50 via theguardian.com
  Most of the extinctions were caused by deforestation in South America, a new study of endangered birds showsSpix’s macaw, a brilliant blue species of Brazilian parrot that starred in the children’s animation Rio, has become extinct this century, according to a new assessment of endangered birds.The macaw is one of eight species, including the poo-uli, the Pernambuco pygmy-owl and the cryptic treehunter, that can be added to the growing list of confirmed or highly likely extinctions,
  
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• Mercedes-Benz unveils first all-electric show car

  04-09-2018 14:25
  Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has revealed the concept for its first fully electric show car in a step towards its goal of bringing 10 all-electric vehicles (EVs) to the market by 2022.
  
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• DVSA begins national crackdown on lorry emissions cheat devices

  04-09-2018 13:01
  Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) examiners will begin routinely checking the lorries they stop at the roadside for emissions gaming devices in a bid to combat air pollution.
  
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• Why are councils investing in the fracking industry they oppose? | Matthew Brown

  04-09-2018 12:49 via theguardian.com
  Local authorities should be investing in a greener future – not using pensions to fund the very companies they are battling• Matthew Brown is Preston city council leaderIt has been revealed that UK councils are investing more than £9bn of public money in fracking companies through their pension funds. Despite many councils voting against fracking developments in their own areas, they have failed to pull investment funds out of the industry. Related: Fracking is back in England &
  
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• 40% of solar installers 'set to leave UK amid subsidy cuts'

  04-09-2018 12:19
  Companies accounting for more than 40% of the UK's solar installation industry could leave the national market if the Government does not extend the export tariff and provide a replacement for the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme.
  
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• Business giants urge UK, EU to continue energy and climate cooperation after Brexit

  04-09-2018 11:32
  A top-level business alliance has called on UK and EU leaders to ensure Brexit includes a comprehensive Climate and Energy Chapter, amid worries about the UK's commitment to international climate policies after the country leaves the European Union.
  
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• 'Art can play a valuable role': climate change installations appear in New York

  04-09-2018 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Solar-powered highway signs have been placed in the city’s five boroughs as part of the Climate Signals installationThe existential threat of climate change is being spelled out to New Yorkers via a selection of flashing highway signs that have been placed around the city.The 10 large solar-powered signs have been placed in locations in each of New York’s five boroughs, including areas deemed particularly vulnerable to the sea level rise and powerful storms associated with climate ch
  
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• Supermarket sales of organic food and drink continue to rise

  04-09-2018 07:30 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: organic fresh produce and dairy are now worth a record £2.2bn a yearSupermarket sales of organic food and drink in the UK have risen by 4% this year, new figures reveal, marking seven consecutive years of growth.Despite an exceptionally cold winter and a hot, dry summer which have played havoc with crops, organic fresh produce and dairy sales remain the main drivers fuelling growth of the overall market, now worth a record £2.2bn. Continue reading...
  
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• Government faces court action over 'illegal' planning policy

  04-09-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Friends of the Earth says revised national planning policy makes it ‘virtually impossible’ for councils to refuse fracking schemesThe government is facing a legal challenge over its new planning policy, which campaigners say was illegally adopted because the government failed to assess its environmental impact.The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July, informs local policies across England, from planning permission to town and country planning and l
  
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• Brazil museum fire: Funding sought to rebuild collection

  04-09-2018 06:30 via bbc.co.uk
  National Museum officials in Rio de Janeiro say almost 90% of the collection was destroyed by fire.
  
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• UN treaty would protect high seas from over exploitation

  04-09-2018 02:53 via bbc.co.uk
  Over the next two years, the UN hopes to secure a treaty to protect two-thirds of the world's oceans.
  
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• What really happens to 'recycling' plastic?

  04-09-2018 01:19 via bbc.co.uk
  Many Japanese people who recycle their household plastic would be shocked to know where it ends up.
  
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• Japan killed 50 whales in Antarctic protected area, data shows

  04-09-2018 01:01 via theguardian.com
  The disclosure of the cull, conducted under a legal loophole, comes as Japan seeks to further weaken a global ban on commercial huntsJapanese whalers have killed more than 50 minke whales in an Antarctic marine protection area this year, WWF has revealed.The disclosure comes on the opening day of the International Whaling Commission’s annual meeting in Brazil, which Japan is chairing as it seeks to restart commercial whaling. Killing whales for profit was banned in 1986, but nations includ
  
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