Environment news

• Terrawatch: dust is speeding up melting of Himalayan snow

  03-11-2020 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Human activities are increasing wind-blown dust, depleting crucial freshwater supplyHimalayan snow and ice is diminishing fast. Global heating is certainly playing a significant role, but now a recent study in Nature Climate Change reveals that wind-blown dust is worsening the melting effect.Winter snowfall and spring snowmelt provide more than half of the annual freshwater needs of around 700 million people in south Asia, but over the last 30 years the overall snow mass on the high mountains of
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on restoring lost rights of way: in search of beauty | Editorial

  03-11-2020 19:44 via theguardian.com
  
  The huge response to a campaign to put forgotten public footpaths back on the map shows how much we value access to the natural environmentIf Britain decided to choose a patron saint of rambling, Thomas Traherne would be a leading candidate. Few have captured the joy of fresh air, field and wood as beautifully, or with such spiritual intensity, as the 17th-century English writer and clergyman. In the verses of Walking, he offers a poetic celebration of the human capacity to bear witness to &ldqu
  
  Read more

• Animals vote, too: how different species choose – or depose – a leader

  03-11-2020 18:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Honeybees, Indian jumping ants and pigeons are some of the species that have evolved ways of collective decision-makingAmericans are currently deciding who they think will best serve them as leader. While animals don’t emerge from polling places with the “I Voted” sticker, they make collective decisions about who’s going to take charge, too. Related: Bears, whales and wolverines: the species imperiled by Trump's war on the environmentContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• Animal democracy: how different species choose – or depose – a leader

  03-11-2020 18:35 via theguardian.com
  Honeybees, Indian jumping ants and pigeons are some of the species that have evolved ways of collective decision-makingAmericans are currently deciding who they think will best serve them as leader. While animals don’t emerge from polling places with the “I Voted” sticker, they make collective decisions about who’s going to take charge, too. Related: Bears, whales and wolverines: the species imperiled by Trump's war on the environmentContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• We need to talk to our kids about the climate crisis. But courage fails me when I look at my son | Tim Flannery

  03-11-2020 17:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Tim Flannery has been speaking about climate change for decades – but he’s finding it harder and harder to be the bearer of bad newsBeing a bearer of bad news is never easy. I’ve been writing and talking about climate change for decades now. Constant exposure hardens one to even the most horrific reality, and I’ve coped by acting like a jolly hangman – or at least not giving in publicly to the helplessness I sometimes feel as I relate the latest findings.But as the
  
  Read more

• UK's largest battery comes online in South Yorkshire

  03-11-2020 17:15
  
  Gresham House has announced that its 50MW, 75MWh battery storage array in Thurcroft, South Yorkshire, is now live.
  
  Read more

• The Net-Zero election: Will the US continue to swim against the tide on climate change?

  03-11-2020 16:45
  
  It is election night in the US and millions of citizens have already cast their vote on who should be the next president. The divide between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is evident, with one ready to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and the other ready to embrace the net-zero transition. The result of this election will likely shape global climate negotiations moving forward.
  
  Read more

• How are you helping wildlife in your garden? Share your experiences

  03-11-2020 15:19 via theguardian.com
  
  We want to hear how you’ve been helping the animals and insects in your gardenGardens are important habitats for a range of species including small mammals, songbirds and insects. Although it might seem a small contribution, gardening in a wildlife-friendly way can make a massive difference in counteracting biodiversity loss. In the UK, for example, gardens take up more space than all nature reserves combined.We want to see photos of what you’ve been doing to help. Perhaps you’
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Shell’s climate poll on Twitter backfires spectacularly

  03-11-2020 14:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Oil giant accused of gaslighting after asking users: ‘What are you willing to change?’A climate poll on Twitter posted by Shell has backfired spectacularly, with the oil company accused of gaslighting the public.The survey, posted on Tuesday morning, asked: “What are you willing to change to help reduce emissions?” Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Survey: Greenwashing 'is the biggest challenge to sustainable investment'

  03-11-2020 13:08
  
  A survey of 650 institutional investors with more than $25.9trn in assets under management globally has found that investor-corporate engagement on environmental issues is growing - but so is frustration over greenwash.
  
  Read more

• ‘Embarrassing’: Denmark forced to U-turn on meat ban for state canteens

  03-11-2020 12:45 via theguardian.com
  
  The initiative had been part of the government’s aim to achieve a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030The Danish government has reversed its ban on state canteens serving meat for two days every week after a backlash from employees.Officials had proposed to introduce two vegetarian days a week in the canteens, as well as limiting beef or lamb to once a week. However, trade union objections forced a U-turn on the policy after barely a week.
  The government has now said it would
  
  Read more

• This election isn't about the next four years. It's about the next four millennia | Bill McKibben

  03-11-2020 11:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Time is running out to act on global heating. Electing Donald Trump the first time cost us dearly; a second term would be catastrophic
  All American elections determine the character of the country for the next four years. And they have a lot to say about what the world will feel like too – that’s what it means to be a superpower.
  But this election may determine the flavor of the next four millennia – maybe the next 40.
  That’s because time is the one thing we can’t r
  
  Read more

• Sustainability Leaders Awards: The entry deadline is THIS FRIDAY

  03-11-2020 11:20
  
  The deadline for entering the UK's largest and most prestigious sustainable business awards scheme - edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2021 - has been extended by one week to this Friday, 6 November.
  
  Read more

• Equinor sets 2050 net-zero target, says 'peak oil' is likely in 2030

  03-11-2020 11:13
  
  Norwegian energy major Equinor has set a 2050 net-zero target, going beyond its previous commitment to reach 'near-zero' emissions for North Sea operations.
  
  Read more

• Google launches phones and thermostats with recycled plastics

  03-11-2020 10:43
  
  Google has achieved one of its plastics targets ahead of schedule, revealing that all new Pixel phones and Nest thermostats include recycled content.
  
  Read more

• Sri Lanka rescues 120 whales after biggest mass stranding

  03-11-2020 08:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Gruelling rescue involved navy and volunteers pulling the pilot whales back into deeper waters Sri Lanka’s navy and volunteers have rescued 120 pilot whales stranded in the country’s worst mass beaching, but at least two injured animals were found dead, officials said.Sailors from the navy and the coastguard along with local volunteers had pulled back at least 120 whales by dawn on Tuesday after a gruelling overnight rescue operation, navy spokesman Indika de Silva said. Continue rea
  
  Read more

• Stop blowing up bombs on sea floor, say whale campaigners

  03-11-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Wartime relics need to be cleared for wind farms but explosions can kill cetaceansThe detonation of wartime bombs left on the seafloor around the UK must end to stop the deaths of whales and dolphins, campaigners say.The offshore wind industry is expanding rapidly and this may lead to a sharp rise in such explosions as the seafloor is cleared before construction. A quieter “burning” technique is already available, say the campaigners. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• ‘Mind-boggling variety’: the food crusaders preserving India’s heritage

  03-11-2020 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A rich range of native crops and seeds is being nurtured in an effort to halt the country’s rapidly vanishing food diversityA small army of botanical heritage enthusiasts is spearheading a movement in India for the revival and preservation of the country’s rapidly vanishing food biodiversity by bringing back the rich crop varieties that thrived in the past, but are now on the verge of extinction.Babita Bhatt, a 43-year-old former software professional, is just one of these crusaders,
  
  Read more

• Country diary: a bonfire of colour burns brightly

  03-11-2020 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Buxton, Derbyshire: Beeches, limes and sycamores are producing an astonishing array of shades. This is nature’s fireworks displayIf there has been a more spectacular show of autumn trees in Britain this century I cannot recall it. And from my own travels from Inverness to Cornwall, it appears to be universal across the country. Here in Buxton, the beeches, limes and sycamores that line many streets have presented an astonishing bonfire of colour. We have taken to doing the rounds most afte
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!