Environment news

• India and Pakistan dominate WHO's air pollution database

  05-11-2020 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The region contains 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities. Historical data sheds light on why At this time of year, agricultural burning adds to the air pollution problems across northern India and Pakistan. The region contains 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the World Health Organization’s global PM2.5 database. But are these the most polluted places ever recorded? Lack of measurements make historic comparisons difficult, but we have some clues.More than 200 years ago, Benj
  
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• Coronavirus: Denmark imposes lockdowns amid mink covid fears

  05-11-2020 21:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Cases of a mutated strain of Covid-19 have been detected that may undermine future vaccines.
  
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• Global food production emissions 'would put Paris agreement out of reach'

  05-11-2020 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Study calls for more focus on farming and food waste, behind a third of greenhouse gas productionOur diets and agricultural production around the world are so carbon-intensive that emissions from the global food system alone would be enough to put the Paris climate goals out of reach, even if all the other major sources of emissions were closed down, research has shown.Farming and food account for about a third of global greenhouse gas production at present. The world’s food systems produc
  
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• Beyond100: Bentley targets carbon-neutrality by 2030 and 'climate positivity' in the long-term

  05-11-2020 18:01
  
  Luxury carmaker Bentley has committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2030 and revealed that it will stop selling petrol cars in 2026.
  
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• Denmark to cull up to 17 million mink amid coronavirus fears

  05-11-2020 17:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Cases of a mutated strain of Covid-19 have been detected that may undermine future vaccines.
  
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• Danish Covid-19 mink variant could spark new pandemic, scientists warn

  05-11-2020 16:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Mutations in mink herds and wildlife such as weasels, badgers, ferrets may pose risk to human health and vaccine development
  Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA Danish vaccine specialist has warned that a new wave of coronavirus could be started by the Covid-19 mink variant.“The worst-case scenario is that we would start off a new pandemic in Denmark. There’s a risk that this mutated virus is so different from the others that we’d have to put new
  
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• US Election 2020: What a Joe Biden win would mean for the global climate emergency

  05-11-2020 16:31
  
  The Democrats remain confident that Joe Biden will edge out Donald Trump in a tense presidential election. With votes in key battleground states still being counted, edie explores how global climate action would change if Biden is elected.
  
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• WRAP: UK food sector 'needs to pick up the pace' on waste

  05-11-2020 13:51
  
  UK businesses diverted £300m worth of food from waste this year, but the sector needs to accelerate action if it is to meet the Courtauld Commitment's environmental targets for 2025.
  
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• Taste the Sun: Sol beer brewed using 100% renewable electricity

  05-11-2020 12:06
  
  Heineken's Sol brand is being brewed using 100% renewable energy, following the installation of more than 9,000 solar panels at a facility in the Netherlands.
  
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• MPs mull stricter legal climate requirements for pension funds

  05-11-2020 11:38
  
  MPs are being presented with a new Bill today which, if implemented, would force pension funds and other investors to align all 'default' funds with the Paris Agreement.
  
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• Absolut Company to go fossil-fuel-free by 2025

  05-11-2020 11:17
  
  The Absolut Company has announced that all production of its Vodka products will be fossil-fuel-free by 2025, as part of a wider ambition to become carbon-neutral by 2030 without relying on offset use.
  
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• Boris Johnson urged to prevent e-waste mountain in Brexit planning

  05-11-2020 11:08
  
  Poorly-made and hard-to-recycle electronics could "flood" the UK market after Brexit, resulting in an e-waste mountain, unless ministers act now to protect standards. That is according to a new report from Green Alliance.
  
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• EU bank mulls ban on cash for airport expansions

  05-11-2020 10:33
  
  The European Investment Bank (EIB) could withdraw support for new airports, according to a draft climate roadmap seen by EURACTIV. However, the bank is set to keep funding motorways, as well as approving investments under the old rules until 2022.
  
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• Scatological science: how poo analysis could help save endangered species

  05-11-2020 08:45 via theguardian.com
  
  Three separate species of banded langur have been identified after DNA analysis of their faeces, paving the way for targeted conservation strategiesAcross the world, conservationists, scientists and volunteers are racing to save thousands of endangered species. And for some, their efforts have not been wasted. A recent report found that conservation programmes have saved several bird and mammal species from extinction in recent decades.But the numbers of many data deficient species and sub-speci
  
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• Scatalogical science: how poo analysis could help save endangered species

  05-11-2020 08:45 via theguardian.com
  
  Three separate species of banded langur have been identified after faecal analysis of their DNA, paving the way for targeted conservation strategiesAcross the world, conservationists, scientists and volunteers are racing to save thousands of endangered species. And for some, their efforts have not been wasted. A recent report found that conservation programmes have saved several bird and mammal species from extinction in recent decades.But the numbers of many data deficient species and sub-speci
  
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• UK campaigners set out plan to meet Paris agreement and beat Covid recession

  05-11-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Plan includes home insulation and replacing gas boilers to ensure country reaches its climate targetsA decade-long rollout of home insulation and heat pumps to replace gas boilers is urgently needed to enable the UK to meet its climate obligations and recover from the Covid-19 recession, campaigners say.A government scheme to insulate homes, requiring households to apply for green grants, began in September and is due to finish next March. That will leave tens of millions of homes still leaking
  
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• Prints for Nature: buy a photo to help protect people and wildlife

  05-11-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Prints for Nature sale features some of the world’s finest photographers working to protect people, wildlife and the environment. This is a chance to collect inspiring images while supporting conservation work.One hundred per cent of net proceeds will support core Conservation International initiatives Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: watching a still from a gargantuan motion picture

  05-11-2020 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Eigg, West Highlands: The view beneath my feet, of paper-thin exoskeletons of a type of sea urchin, is also captivating At Laig beach on the island of Eigg, the tide has withdrawn to reveal a vast intertidal zone where black basalt and white shell sands plait together, weaving and interweaving to produce a neat and monochrome twill.Here and there, the delicate, skull-like structures of sea potatoes protrude through this smooth and glossed surface; pierced through with tiny holes tracing a star-s
  
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• Gentoo penguins are four species, not one

  05-11-2020 01:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Counting the birds as four species will help conservation efforts, and threats from climate change.
  
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• Extend scheme for cosy homes, green groups say

  05-11-2020 01:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A coalition of environmentalists want a scheme offering home insulation grants extended to 2030.
  
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• Charities call for investment boost as Defra reveals its Green Recovery Fund is hugely oversubscribed

  05-11-2020 01:09
  
  More than 20 of the UK's biggest environmental charities are calling for additional funding for nature in Covid-19 stimulus planning, after Environment Minister Rebecca Pow revealed that the Green Recovery Fund is almost seven times oversubscribed.
  
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• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Refillable packaging still accounts for just 2% of the market

  05-11-2020 01:02
  
  Despite a swathe of successful pilot projects for plastic-free, refillable products, just 2% of the products sold by the world's biggest consumer goods firms this year came in reusable packaging.
  
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• 'Prevent, discourage, confront': South American states tackle Chinese trawlers

  05-11-2020 00:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Huge fleets’ intrusions into Pacific fishing territory prompt Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to join forces Related: 'It's terrifying': can anyone stop China's vast armada of fishing boats? Four South American countries have joined forces in a bid to combat illegal fishing by huge Chinese fleets off their coasts. Continue reading...
  
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• 'Prevent, discourage, confront': South American states tackle Chinese fishing boats

  05-11-2020 00:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru join forces over fleets’ Pacific territory intrusionsFour South American countries have joined forces in a bid to combat illegal fishing by huge Chinese fleets off their coasts.Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have threatened measures “to prevent, discourage and jointly confront” illegal fishing near their exclusive economic zones in the Pacific. Continue reading...
  
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