Environment news

• The Green Recovery: how Australia can clean up its act on energy – video

  05-08-2020 19:30 via theguardian.com
  
  One third of Australia's carbon emissions come from electricity – and that's in large part due to coal-fired power. So why aren't we moving faster to renewable sources? Experts say renewables could be providing the vast majority of our energy by 2035 if the government offers incentives for rapid investment. Coronavirus shutdowns have sent many countries into recession but the pandemic also provides a unique opportunity to build our way out of economic disaster using renewable energy as the
  
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• City growth favours animals 'more likely to carry disease'

  05-08-2020 18:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Turning wild spaces into farmland or cities creates opportunities for diseases to cross into humans.
  
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• New Guinea has greatest plant diversity of any island in the world, study reveals

  05-08-2020 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The tropical island edges out Madagascar as botanists estimate that 4,000 new species could be discovered in the next 50 yearsNew Guinea is home to more than 13,500 species of plant, two-thirds of which are endemic, according to a new study that suggests it has the greatest plant diversity of any island in the world – 19% more than Madagascar, which previously held the record.Ninety-nine botanists from 56 institutions in 19 countries trawled through samples, the earliest of which were coll
  
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• Deadly diseases from wildlife thrive when nature is destroyed, study finds

  05-08-2020 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Rats and bats that host pandemic pathogens like Covid-19 increase in damaged ecosystems, analysis showsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe human destruction of natural ecosystems increases the numbers of rats, bats and other animals that harbour diseases that can lead to pandemics such as Covid-19, a comprehensive analysis has found.The research assessed nearly 7,000 animal communities on six continents and found that the conversion of wild places into farmland
  
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• SpaceX: Musk's 'Mars ship' prototype aces 150m test flight

  05-08-2020 15:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A prototype of the engine for SpaceX's next-generation Starship vehicle has made a 150m test "hop".
  
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• Beirut explosion: What is ammonium nitrate and how dangerous is it?

  05-08-2020 15:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ammonium nitrate has been blamed for a deadly explosion in Beirut, but what exactly is the chemical?
  
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• Analysts to help align economic recovery plans with net-zero

  05-08-2020 13:24
  
  Many world leaders and businesses have given their verbal support for a 'green' economic recovery from Covid-19. Now, a group of analysts have begun work to develop data-driven digital tools which will help deliver on these commitments.
  
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• Analysts to help businesses, investors and policymakers align economic recovery plans with net-zero

  05-08-2020 12:42
  
  Many world leaders and businesses have given their verbal support for a 'green' economic recovery from Covid-19. Now, a group of analysts have begun work to develop data-driven digital tools which will help deliver on these commitments.
  
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• Dropbox targets carbon neutrality and 100% renewable electricity within a decade

  05-08-2020 12:03
  
  File hosting firm Dropbox has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality for direct, power-related and business-travel-related emissions by 2030, as part of a sweeping new sustainability strategy.
  
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• Microsoft vows to become a 'zero-waste' business by 2030

  05-08-2020 11:33
  
  Microsoft has pledged to bring its direct waste footprint to zero within a decade, as part of a new resources strategy which will boost the recyclability of its devices and see plastic packaging phased out entirely.
  
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• Earth Overshoot Day: edie's next webinar to focus on the circular economy

  05-08-2020 10:50
  
  The continuing challenge of creating one-planet-compatible business models which foster a circular economy and halt nature degradation will form the discussion for edie's next free webinar, being held on 21 August to mark Earth Overshoot Day.
  
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• ITV commits to 46% reduction in emissions through 1.5C science-based targets

  05-08-2020 09:58
  
  Broadcaster ITV has outlined new sustainability targets to reduce emissions by more than 46%, reach 100% renewables and certify its studios and programmes to sustainability standards.
  
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• Major investors to pilot new net-zero framework on $1.3trn of assets

  05-08-2020 09:51
  
  Standard Life and the Church of England Pensions Board are among a coalition of investors trialling what has been described as the world's first blueprint for aligning investment portfolios with the Paris Agreement on climate.
  
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• Tesco urged to ditch meat company over alleged links to Amazon deforestation

  05-08-2020 08:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Responding to Greenpeace campaign to cut links to Brazilian meat giant JBS, supermarket calls on government to ensure all UK food is deforestation-freeTesco has called on the UK government to order food companies to ensure all food sold in the UK is deforestation-free. The move comes in response to a new Greenpeace campaign calling on the supermarket to cut links to JBS, the world’s biggest meat company, over its alleged links to farms involved in Amazon deforestation.The supermarket says
  
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• China poised to power huge growth in global offshore wind energy

  05-08-2020 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Report finds the offshore industry could create 900,000 jobs globally over next decadeThe world’s offshore windfarm capacity could grow eightfold by the end of the decade powered by a clean energy surge led by China, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).A new industry report has revealed stronger than expected growth for the offshore wind industry, which could reach 234GW by 2030, from a global tally of just over 29GW at the end of last year. Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: life flourishes among the skeletons of scuttled steamships

  05-08-2020 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Glimps Holm, Orkney: Sunken anti-submarine defences are now home to sunstars and sea anemones, crabs and lobstersThe wrecks protrude from the water on both sides of the causeway: the ruins of steamships, intentionally sunk in the narrow straits between small islands during the first and second world wars, to protect the naval fleet from German submarines. These “blockships”, which rise like a rusted tiara from the waves, can be easily reached from the shore at low tide.We wade out fr
  
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• Climate change: Satellites find new colonies of Emperor penguins

  05-08-2020 02:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A search from space discovers new colonies of the Antarctic bird that has an uncertain future.
  
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• Don't demolish old buildings, urge architects

  05-08-2020 01:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Knocking down defunct structures sends a wrecking ball through carbon targets, architects say.
  
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• Is noise pollution killing whales and dolphins?

  05-08-2020 01:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dr Maria Morell studies their ears to discover if hearing damage led to their death.
  
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• Throng of new penguin colonies in Antarctica spotted from space

  05-08-2020 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Satellite images reveal guano patches, boosting known emperor penguin colonies by 20%Satellite images have revealed 11 previously unknown emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica, boosting the number of known colonies of the imperilled birds by 20%.The discoveries were made by spotting the distinctive red-brown guano patches the birds leave on the ice. The finds were made possible by higher-resolution images from a new satellite, as previous scans were unable to pick up smaller colonies. Continue
  
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• SpaceX: Nasa crew describe rumbles and jolts of return to Earth

  05-08-2020 00:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley describe returning to Earth from the ISS in SpaceX's vehicle.
  
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