Environment news

• Birdwatch: a pair of barn owls make our midsummer's evening

  07-07-2020 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  We were searching for quail in the Polden Hills but this sight was an unexpected treat We came in search of quail – surely one of Britain’s most elusive birds – and, although we failed to see, or even hear our quarry, we did enjoy a midsummer’s evening to remember.My companions and I had ventured south of the Polden Hills, that long, low ridge that passes for the highlands above the flatlands of the Somerset Levels. On the broad, open moor, we were serenaded by the chaoti
  
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• No business need at all now for a Chinese nuclear plant in the UK

  07-07-2020 20:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Halting Huawei hurts 5G rollout and Sino-British ties, but stopping a Chinese nuclear power plant in Essex has no fallout at allGet ready for the “new Huawei”, says the word from Westminster, meaning another flare-up in UK-China business and political relations, this time over Chinese involvement in our nuclear power programme.Ditching state-owned China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) would indeed be a political development on a political par with a Huawei exclusion. The 2016 agree
  
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• The Guardian view on a post-Covid recovery: not much building back greener | Editorial

  07-07-2020 20:12 via theguardian.com
  
  If Boris Johnson wants to permanently shift the UK on to a trajectory to meet its climate targets, he must deliver a new zero-carbon infrastructure. There’s no sign of that yetBoris Johnson does not want a crisis to go to waste. The coronavirus-induced recession is widely accepted as an opportunity to reset and rebuild the economy to take the environmental challenge seriously. Radical green policies that once seemed impossible – such as shutting down airports and closing off roads &n
  
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• Scientists put forward plan to create universal species list

  07-07-2020 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Single classification system could end centuries of disagreement and improve global efforts to tackle biodiversity loss A plan to create the first universally recognised list of species on Earth has prompted hopes of an end to centuries of disagreement and confusion over how to classify the world’s library of life.The 10-point plan aims to finally bring order with an authoritative list of the world’s species and a governance mechanism responsible for its quality. Researchers hope a s
  
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• Esa and Nasa line up satellites to measure Antarctic sea-ice

  07-07-2020 18:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Aligning polar satellites will enable the first ever reliable maps of Antarctic sea-ice thickness.
  
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• VW to remove petrol and diesel vehicle manufacturing lines from key factory

  07-07-2020 18:42
  
  Volkswagen (VW) is set to remove production lines for all internal combustion engine vehicles from one of its key factories this year, replacing them with electric vehicle (EV) production capacity.
  
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• Siberian Arctic 'up to 10 degrees warmer' in June

  07-07-2020 16:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The average temperature in the region reached a record high in some area, EU data shows.
  
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• Legal action threatened over Boris Johnson's 'unlawful' green recovery plans

  07-07-2020 16:17 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Campaigners say £3bn scheme fails to comply with Paris accord and is just ‘a fig-leaf for polluters’Boris Johnson’s much-vaunted green recovery plans are inadequate and “clearly unlawful” as they do not match up to the government’s legal obligations under the Paris climate agreement and the UK’s own net zero emissions target, green campaigners have said.On Tuesday, a letter threatening court action was sent to the prime minister and the
  
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• Fast fashion creates misery, and that's a bad look | Bidisha

  07-07-2020 16:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Cheap, throwaway clothing was past its sell-by date even before the Leicester garment factory reports. Brands like Boohoo need to change their act – and so do consumersDuring lockdown, everyone’s id has been allowed to float untethered. Obsessions, manias, strange desires and perverse fantasies have risen to the surface as the conventions of normal life melted into a free-floating miasma of Netflix and pasta bakes.Judging by the spike in sales of fast fashion, many people across the
  
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• Sunak to unveil £2bn home insulation scheme

  07-07-2020 14:06 via bbc.co.uk
  The chancellor will announce some households could get grants up to £10,000 for energy-saving projects.
  
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• WBA: Less than 10% of electric utilities are taking Paris-Agreement-aligned climate action

  07-07-2020 13:36
  
  Analysis of the decarbonisation ambitions and actions of 50 of the world's largest electric utilities companies has revealed that less than one in ten have fully aligned their business models with the Paris Agreement, despite the fact that the sector must 'enable' the global low-carbon transition.
  
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• Sport broadcasters form new sustainability consortium

  07-07-2020 13:16
  
  BBC, ITV, BT Sport and Sky Sports are some of the key broadcasters that have joined the BAFTA Sports Consortium, a new group set up to reduce the impact that sports broadcasting has on the environment.
  
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• Coronavirus: Spanish study casts doubt on herd immunity feasibility

  07-07-2020 12:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Lancet study estimates that around just 5% of the Spanish population has developed antibodies.
  
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• Dinosaur ancestors 'may have been tiny'

  07-07-2020 12:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dinosaurs are thought of as giant creatures, but new work adds to evidence they started out small.
  
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• Tesla Megapacks to provide grid flexibility in Dorset

  07-07-2020 12:18
  
  A new energy storage project located in Poole will feature six Tesla Megapack batteries that will store and transfer green energy to and from the National Grid.
  
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• Dakota Access Pipeline: Judge suspends use of key oil link

  07-07-2020 12:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The pipeline, which protesters fought against, is ordered to conduct a fresh environmental review.
  
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• UK among nations calling for low-carbon industrial transition to spur job growth

  07-07-2020 11:59
  
  The UK has joined seven other nations in calling for industrial transitions to be delivered in a way that delivers new jobs and is in alignment with ongoing efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
  
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• Treasury's 'green recovery' not enough, say campaigners

  07-07-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Proposed £3bn environmental funding for UK contrasts with Germany’s £36bn investmentEnvironmental groups have reacted with disappointment to details of the government’s Covid-19 economic rescue package released by the Treasury.On Monday night the government announced some details of the announcement expected on Wednesday, including a £1bn energy efficiency upgrade for public buildings and insulation for some social tenants, who could save up to £200 a year on
  
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• Mya-Rose Craig: ‘Young people need to see someone like them who is into nature’

  07-07-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The 18-year-old birder and environmentalist on improving diversity in her field and how the pandemic has affected the natural worldThe young birder and environmental campaigner Mya-Rose Craig believes the coronavirus lockdown has had a positive impact on the environment. “Wildlife has been doing much better, as it is less disturbed by people, traffic and dogs. We are listening, noticing and looking much more,” she says. “Hopefully, people will continue to do these things now lo
  
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• Indonesia's shark fishermen: 24 went out, 20 came back. What happened on the boat? - video

  07-07-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Crew from rural Indonesian villages, recruited by suspected traffickers, endured horrendous conditions aboard an illegal Chinese-run sharking operation in the western Pacific. Four men never came home and at least three were dumped overboard on the high seas, leaving their families seeking justice and answers. Guardian analysis of exclusive survivors’ footage reveals their final days Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Hold on brother’: final days of doomed crew on Chinese shark finning boat

  07-07-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Accounts from Indonesian crew on illegal fishing operation reveal ‘inhumane’ conditions including bodies dumped at seaWhen Sepri and Ari boarded a Chinese tuna fishing vessel in February 2019, the 24-year-old best friends were excited at the prospect of working together and having adventures at sea. Lured by the promise of high wages after being jobless back in their village in Indonesia, they told their families they would bring home “a lot of money” and make them proud.
  
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• Translating targets into temperature: CDP launches new ratings system for climate crisis

  07-07-2020 02:01
  
  CDP has today (7 July) launched a new set of ratings gauging the temperature pathway of investment portfolios, funds and stock indices in order to outline future climate-related risks to investors.
  
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• Street traders losing 'right to shade' under trees

  07-07-2020 01:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Traders in India are being denied the "right to shade" under trees, threatening food security.
  
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• Amazon's Jeff Bezos: The richest person in the world

  07-07-2020 01:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  His wealth is now estimated to be $171bn (£137bn), having made billions during the pandemic.
  
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• Green Recovery: Treasury unveils £3bn package spotlighting energy efficiency and reskilling

  07-07-2020 00:30
  
  BREAKING: Chancellor Rishi Sunak has outlined the key details of a £3bn plan intended to create thousands of "green-collar" jobs, improve energy efficiency and conserve natural resources.
  
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