Environment news

• Supersonic Bloodhound hits cash roadblock

  15-10-2018 23:11 via bbc.co.uk
  The project to race a car at more than 1,000mph runs into a financial roadblock, with the company behind the venture going into administration.
  
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• The big 50: Amazon, PwC and Royal Mail lead wave of Mission Possible Pledges for Green GB Week

  15-10-2018 22:58
  EXCLUSIVE: More than 30 businesses from across the country have today (16 October) announced an array of bold new sustainability commitments on edie's virtual Pledge Wall, taking the number of pledges that have been submitted through the Mission Possible campaign to 50.
  
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• Australia should be 'exporting sunshine, not coal', economist Jeffrey Sachs tells Q&A

  15-10-2018 22:47 via theguardian.com
  US analyst criticises successive governments for defending coal in wake of alarming IPCC report on climate changeEconomist Jeffrey Sachs has criticised successive Australian governments for “defending a 19th or 20th century industry” rather than taking decisive action on climate change, saying Australia should be “exporting sunshine, not coal”.“Make a plan, make a timeline, tell the world how you’re going to decarbonise, and then we’ll all be happy to he
  
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• Humanity is ‘cutting down the tree of life’, warn scientists

  15-10-2018 21:00 via theguardian.com
  More than 300 mammal species have been eradicated by human activities, say researchersHumanity’s ongoing annihilation of wildlife is cutting down the tree of life, including the branch we are sitting on, according to a stark new analysis.More than 300 different mammal species have been eradicated by human activities. The new research calculates the total unique evolutionary history that has been lost as a result at a startling 2.5bn years. Continue reading...
  
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• Grenfell fire survivors demand answers from ministers about toxins

  15-10-2018 19:59 via theguardian.com
  Grenfell United group wants to know why residents were not told of soil contamination fearsSurvivors of the Grenfell fire have demanded urgent meetings with ministers and senior health officials following revelations that significant amounts of toxins were found in soil close to the tower in preliminary findings of a major study.The disclosures have prompted Grenfell United, which represents the families of the 72 people who died, to ask why no one who knew about the early results of the researc
  
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• Anger and blockades as fracking starts in UK for first time since 2011

  15-10-2018 19:42 via theguardian.com
  Operations start at Lancashire site after protesters block entrance and nearby roadFracking has begun in the UK for the first time since 2011 despite an attempt by protesters to blockade the entrance to the Lancashire site.Activists from campaign group Reclaim the Power used a van to block the entrance to a site on Preston New Road near Blackpool for 12 hours from 4.30am on Monday, but the shale gas company Cuadrilla said all the equipment it needed to frack was already there and it had started
  
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• Craig Kelly says Coalition must kill off renewable energy subsidies

  15-10-2018 19:00 via theguardian.com
  Chairman of Coalition’s backbench energy committee says Morrison government should wind up programThe chairman of the Coalition’s backbench energy committee, the outspoken conservative Craig Kelly, says the government needs to axe current subsidies for households and businesses to install renewable energy technology like solar panels.With the Morrison government in the middle of formulating its new energy policy, and with Labor now promising to maintain subsidies for households and b
  
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• Fracking starts at landmark Lancashire site

  15-10-2018 18:41 via bbc.co.uk
  It is first time fracking has occurred in the UK since it was linked to earthquakes in 2011.
  
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• Gatwick accused of making second runway 'by the back door'

  15-10-2018 18:10 via theguardian.com
  Airport said to be planning use of emergency runway to add hundreds more flights dailyGatwick airport has been accused of creating a second runway “by the back door” through plans to put its emergency runway into regular use, adding hundreds of extra flights every day.The airport, the second biggest to serve London, lost out to Heathrow when the government’s Airports Commission recommended where the next full runway should be built in south-east England. Continue reading...
  
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• Fried chicken, chips and global warming | Letters

  15-10-2018 17:57 via theguardian.com
  Readers discuss the rights and wrongs of eating meat when the world faces the challenge of climate changeSome of the last week’s news items paint a grim portrait of our world: a final warning about climate change (Global warming must not exceed 1.5C, landmark UN report warns, 8 October) and our meat consumption (Huge cut in meat eating vital to curb global warming, 11 October). In the meantime, large parts of our country are as malnourished as ever in spite of the glut (UK’s ‘f
  
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• IHG commits to global phase-out of plastic straws

  15-10-2018 17:21
  InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced that it will remove plastic straws from its global estate of more than 5,400 hotels by the end of 2019.
  
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• Trouble brewing: climate change to cause 'dramatic' beer shortages

  15-10-2018 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Extreme weather damage to the global barley crop will mean price spikes and supply problems, according to new researchTrouble is brewing for the world’s beer drinkers, with climate change set to cause “dramatic” price spikes and supply shortages, according to new research.Extreme heatwaves and droughts will increasingly damage the global barley crop, meaning a common ingredient of the world’s favourite alcoholic beverage will become scarcer. Key brewing nations are foreca
  
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• Fracking in the UK: what is it and why is it controversial?

  15-10-2018 16:34 via theguardian.com
  As Cuadrilla starts operations in Lancashire, we examine the main argumentsFracking protesters blockade Lancashire site as work beginsFracking restarted in the UK on Monday – the first such operation since 2011. The oil and gas firm Cuadrilla commenced work at a well in Lancashire after seeing off a last-minute legal challenge on Friday.The aim is to extract shale gas to contribute to the country’s energy supply but environmental campaigners fiercely oppose it. Continue reading...
  
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• The sand diggers of Mali – in pictures

  15-10-2018 16:27 via theguardian.com
  A building boom in the capital, Bamako, has sparked a surge in demand for bricks made from high-quality sand dug by hand from the bed of the Niger River. The diggers’ work is poorly paid and carries many dangers, from the treacherous river currents to powerful storms that threaten their fragile craftContinue reading...
  
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• What do small birds eat when no seed or grain is available?

  15-10-2018 15:12 via theguardian.com
  The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsMany small birds – finches, for example – specialise in eating seeds and grain. Apart from in bird feeders, seeds and grain are only available for a relatively short part of the year, so what do these birds eat the rest of the time?Chris Evans, Earby, Lancashire Continue reading...
  
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• Banks will not be forced to reveal climate change risks they face

  15-10-2018 15:11 via theguardian.com
  Critics demand tougher action as Bank of England stops short of call for mandatory reportsThe Bank of England has stopped short of forcing financial companies to disclose the potential risks they face from climate change, despite growing calls from campaigners for such action.In a warning to finance firms to vastly improve their planning to safeguard against the financial risks posed by global warming, Threadneedle Street asked companies to “consider the relevance” of disclosing thei
  
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• Invest in farming to stop youth migrating to cities, urges UN

  15-10-2018 15:08 via theguardian.com
  Strengthening rural economy in developing nations should be priority for those concerned with international migration, report saysStrengthening the development of the rural economy in developing countries should be a priority for those concerned with international migration, a new UN report says.Agriculture, the main focus of rural development, receives inadequate resources and attention, the report says. Modernising agriculture in poor areas could yield substantial benefits, it says, raising pr
  
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• Earth Science in Our Lives: photography competition winners 2018 – in pictures

  15-10-2018 13:47 via theguardian.com
  The Geological Society of London has announced the results of its 2018 Earth Science Week photography competition. Entrants were asked to submit images of geological sites in the UK and Ireland that meant something in their lives. These 12 winning images will feature in a calendar and be displayed at the Geological Society during Earth Science Week 2018 (13-21 October). Continue reading...
  
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• BT pledges to become a net-zero-carbon business by 2045

  15-10-2018 13:05
  As the UK Government announces plans to discuss a potential net-zero emissions strategy, technology giant BT has pledged to become a net-zero-carbon business by 2045.
  
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• Selfridges is selling Iceland own-brand mince pies – and proud of it

  15-10-2018 12:49 via theguardian.com
  Unusual collaboration between upmarket department store and frozen food specialist is because both have committed to going palm-oil-freeBoxes of Iceland mince pies have made a low-key debut in Selfridges’ food halls this year, sharing the aisles with £1,450 tins of beluga caviar and £5,000 Christmas hampers.The unusual collaboration between the upmarket department store and the frozen food specialist is on sustainability grounds, as both retailers seek to boost their environmen
  
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• Investors urged to act on natural capital to help halt climate change

  15-10-2018 12:32
  The investment sector has been urged to assess their impacts and dependencies on natural capital resources - such as clean air, oceans and forests - in the wake of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) landmark report on global warming.
  
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• There’s one key takeaway from last week’s IPCC report | Dana Nuccitelli

  15-10-2018 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Cut carbon pollution as much as possible, as fast as possibleThe Paris climate agreement set a target of no more than 2°C global warming above pre-industrial temperatures, but also an aspirational target of no more than 1.5°C.  That’s because many participating countries – especially island nations particularly vulnerable to sea level rise – felt that even 2°C global warming is too dangerous.  But there hadn’t been a lot of research into the climate
  
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• Buckethead the bear cub's head freed from jar after three days

  15-10-2018 12:00 via bbc.co.uk
  Rangers in Maryland help "Buckethead", three days after it is spotted with a plastic jar on its head.
  
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• 'Show me the scientists': Trump reiterates his climate change doubts – video

  15-10-2018 11:51 via theguardian.com
  The US president has reaffirmed his doubts about climate change, claiming scientists are politically motivated. In an interview with the CBS programme 60 Minutes, Trump said he no longer believed climate change was a hoax but he thought its impacts would not be lasting'It'll change back': Trump says climate change not a hoax, but denies lasting impact Continue reading...
  
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• Bloodhound supersonic car hits financial roadblock

  15-10-2018 11:29 via bbc.co.uk
  The UK-led supersonic car project goes into administration. There are just weeks to save the venture.
  
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• Co-op: Fair pay for supply chain workers 'could be the next plastics'

  15-10-2018 11:23
  As more companies begin to emphasise the importance of human rights across global supply chains, the Co-op's chief commercial officer Michael Fletcher has noted that supply chain worker treatment could have a "David Attenborough moment" and become the next big sustainability issue for consumers.
  
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• UK Government seeks advice from Committee on Climate Change on net-zero emissions goal

  15-10-2018 11:21
  The UK Government has confirmed that it is seeking advice from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) on how best to bolster its carbon reduction targets and create a net-zero economy.
  
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• Fracking protesters blockade site where UK work due to restart

  15-10-2018 10:19 via theguardian.com
  Activists park at Preston New Road site near Blackpool hope to stop Cuadrilla operation Activists have blockaded a fracking site in Lancashire on the day operations were due to begin for the first time for seven years in the UK. Related: Cuadrilla is to start fracking in Lancashire. But we will not give in | Caroline LucasContinue reading...
  
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• Would you eat insects to save the planet from global warming? | Jessica Brown

  15-10-2018 10:10 via theguardian.com
  More people would give up meat for edible bugs if they believed they were tasty and trendyThe thought of rising sea levels and more intense heatwaves are enough to keep you up at night. But while we all know the situation is getting more serious, most of us are preoccupied with work, doctor’s appointments and paying bills – and these immediate, visceral worries win every time.There isn’t much time left to figure out how to bring global warming closer to the forefront of people&
  
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• New Zealand votes tipsy pigeon bird of the year

  15-10-2018 10:06 via bbc.co.uk
  A love for fermented fruit means the kereru can get tipsy at times, falling out of trees.
  
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• 'It'll change back': Trump says climate change not a hoax, but denies lasting impact

  15-10-2018 07:48 via theguardian.com
  Climate scientists have political agendas, US president says in interview with 60 MinutesDonald Trump is doubling down on his doubts about climate change, suggesting that the climate could “change back again,” and that climate scientists are politically motivated.The US president has long questioned man-made global warming. In an interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night, he said that he no longer believes climate change is a hoax, as he tweeted in 2012. Continu
  
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• We need to talk about...Extinction

  15-10-2018 07:30 via theguardian.com
  This episode of our monthly podcast focuses on the increasingly devastating impacts of human behaviour on fauna and flora, and what can be done to protect species, locally and globallyIn this monthly podcast, Guardian supporters share their experiences and put questions to a panel of journalists and industry experts. This episode focuses on the demise of many aspects of the natural world.How can conservation be rebalanced with development? With finite resources available, who decides which speci
  
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• Trump: Climate change scientists have 'political agenda'

  15-10-2018 06:53 via bbc.co.uk
  The US president says he accepts the climate is changing, but does not want to "lose millions of jobs".
  
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• Green GB Week: Government's week of clean growth begins, with edie at the heart of the action

  15-10-2018 02:01
  The Government's landmark Green GB Week, designed to raise awareness of the benefits of clean growth, starts today (15 October). Here, edie highlights some of the stand-out events that will showcase how UK businesses can seize the opportunities of sustainable business.
  
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• UK steps towards zero-carbon economy

  15-10-2018 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  Ministers are responding to scientists' climate challenge. But are they doing enough so far?
  
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• New Zealand bird of the year: 'drunk, gluttonous' kererū pigeon wins

  15-10-2018 00:56 via theguardian.com
  Often heard before it is seen, the kererū has been known to fall out of the odd tree after too much fermented fruitA native green and bronze wood pigeon with a taste for fermented fruit has been named the 2019 bird of the year in New Zealand.The kererū is endemic to the country and can be found in both the North and South islands, living in cities as well as rural areas. Although quiet and reclusive by nature, kererū have earned a reputation as the drunkest bird in New Zealand, an
  
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