Environment news

• Pollutionwatch: red sky spells warning when the cause is fire and wood burning

  24-09-2020 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Smoke absorbs purple and blue light, raising alert for air pollution and climate emergencyRed sky at dawn and dusk is part of weather lore and apparently a cause for delight or warning among shepherds and sailors. But, as huge areas of forest burn, the crimson colour of skies over the western US is a red alert for our air pollution and climate emergency. Even in New York and Washington DC the sun turned orange. This is because smoke from wood burning strongly absorbs purple and blue light. Longe
  
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• How lockdown birds sang to a different tune

  24-09-2020 21:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It's official, bird song did sound different during lockdown, according to a scientific study.
  
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• UK can be 'Saudi Arabia of wind power' - PM

  24-09-2020 18:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK prime minister says the UK holds extraordinary potential for wind power.
  
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• Future Homes Task Force to ensure housebuilding is aligned to UK's net-zero target

  24-09-2020 17:50
  
  A new cross-sector Future Homes Task Force is set to establish a multi-million-pound Delivery Hub to assist the built environment sector in improving the environmental footprint of new housebuilding.
  
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• As Boris Johnson unveils COP26 'launchpad' event, is the world on track for a green recovery?

  24-09-2020 17:50
  
  In a speech to world leaders today, Boris Johnson confirmed that the UK will co-host a climate event with the UN in December and will spend the coming months urging other nations to update their emissions targets. But is the UK keeping its own promises for a green recovery? And are world leaders walking the talk on their own commitments?
  
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• Mysterious beaked whale smashes mammal diving record

  24-09-2020 17:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Cuvier's beaked whale stays under water for almost four hours, leaving scientists puzzled.
  
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• Tesco and Cranswick surpass food waste reduction targets

  24-09-2020 16:58
  
  Supermarket Tesco and major premium food supplier Cranswick have both published new food waste data this week, revealing that they have exceeded their 2030 reduction targets ahead of schedule.
  
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• Green recovery: 'Retrofit revolution' could create half a million UK jobs

  24-09-2020 13:50
  
  More than 455,000 'white van' jobs could be created across the UK's property and construction sectors if the government increases funding for retrofit projects and green skills as part of its Covid-19 recovery package.
  
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• Sustainable MacFries Fund: McDonald's to invest in climate-friendly farming practices

  24-09-2020 12:10
  
  McDonald's has launched a "Sustainable MacFries Fund" in partnership with McCain to improve the resilience of British potato farmers, while also collaborating with the Walmart Foundation, WWF and Cargill in the US to improve land use practices.
  
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• Climate technology investments growing five times faster than average market rates

  24-09-2020 11:21
  
  Venture capital investment into climate-related technology is growing five times faster than the average rate of all other industry investments, with new analysis from PwC finding that corporate and investor demands for low-carbon innovation led to $16bn being invested in 2019.
  
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• Chad halts lake's world heritage status request over oil exploration

  24-09-2020 11:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: African state says it has agreements with oil companies in Lake Chad areaChad has asked to suspend an application for world heritage site status for Lake Chad to explore oil and mining opportunities in the region, it can be revealed.In a letter leaked to the Guardian, Chad’s tourism and culture minister wrote to Unesco, the body which awards the world heritage designation, asking to “postpone the process of registering Lake Chad on the world heritage list”. Continue
  
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• University of Exeter launches sustainability behaviour change scheme in drive towards net-zero

  24-09-2020 10:31
  
  The University of Exeter has launched sustainable behaviour change scheme Green Rewards for its staff and students, as part of its vision to become a net-zero organisation by 2040.
  
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• Crisps, chocolate and cheese worst offenders for recycling, report says

  24-09-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Which? singles out big brands for lack of environmentally conscious packagingCrisps, chocolate and cheese are among the worst foods for packaging recyclability, with big brands such as Pringles, KitKat and Babybel singled out for failing to do more to help the environment, a new investigation has claimed.The consumer group Which? analysed 89 of the UK’s best-selling branded groceries and found only a third (34%) had packaging that was fully recyclable in household collections. About four i
  
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• What is carbon capture, usage and storage – and can it trap emissions?

  24-09-2020 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Experts look to technologies that inject factories’ carbon dioxide deep undergroundCarbon storage technologies critical for climate targets – IEATechnology that can keep carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere and stoking global heating will be essential to tackle the growing climate crisis, experts say. But how does it work, and why will it make a difference in fighting climate breakdown? Continue reading...
  
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• It's time to get serious about food waste in fight against global heating | Dave Lewis

  24-09-2020 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  It is responsible for 8% of emissions, yet food waste is not mentioned in any country’s Paris climate action plan
  Tesco boss calls on firms and countries to tackle food wasteAs a society, we are converting more and more land to food production, with massive consequences for wildlife, water and forests. Yet one third of all food produced is thrown away and food waste is responsible for a staggering 8% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, more than any country in the world bar the US and
  
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• Country diary: rich purple heather marks a year on the island

  24-09-2020 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Stromness, Orkney: New floral familiars – devil’s bit scabious, grass of Parnassus, eyebright – make me feel less of a stranger Just as the low-lying pastures of the west mainland are starting to look a little tired and washed out, Orkney’s upland moors have been intensifying to a glorious technicolour. Amid dry grasses glow the sunshine-yellow embers of summer – tormentil and hawkbit – as hawkmoth caterpillars of livid, almost radioactive green hump between s
  
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• Scientists take temperatures of butterflies to uncover climate threat

  24-09-2020 06:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Study finds some species are less able to control their body heat and are more vulnerableCatching nearly 4,000 wild butterflies with handheld nets and taking the temperature of each tiny insect must rank among the more arduous of scientific endeavours.However, researchers have discovered significant differences in the ability of British butterflies to maintain a suitable temperature, raising fears that global heating will threaten the populations of some species. Continue reading...
  
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• Seventy whales stranded in Tasmania released, but only 20 remain well enough for rescue

  24-09-2020 02:58 via theguardian.com
  
  At least 380 whales are dead in one of the largest mass strandings on record globally and the biggest in Australia’s historyWhale rescuers at one of the world’s largest stranding events on Tasmania’s west coast have now released 88 of the 470 marine mammals into the ocean, with about 20 of those remaining now well enough to be rescued.Vets at the scene in Macquarie Harbour recommended four of the long-finned pilot whales be euthanised. The task was carried out on Thursday morni
  
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• Low tax on heating is bad for climate, report says

  24-09-2020 02:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The rich benefit most from a de facto subsidy for home heating, a report says.
  
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