Environment news

• Bottom trawling ban for key UK fishing sites

  01-02-2021 20:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two of the UK’s most sensitive fishing sites are set to receive better protection.
  
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• I changed my banking and super out of climate anxiety. Was it a smart financial decision? | Jessica Hamilton

  01-02-2021 17:30 via theguardian.com
  
  One year ago Jessica Hamilton divested from fossil fuels. Here’s what she has learned sinceThis time last year I changed my banking and superannuation, and I did it out of climate anxiety. Was it a smart financial decision? At the time, I had no idea. But as I sat inside in a city clouded by bushfire smoke, I decided that even if only $1 of my money was invested in coal, oil or gas – the leading drivers of the climate crisis – that was still $1 too much.That same climate anxiet
  
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• Human activity forces animals to move further to survive, study finds

  01-02-2021 17:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Hunting and recreation found to have greater impact than urbanisation and loggingHuman activity is fundamentally altering the distances the world’s animals need to move to live, hunt and forage, according to a study that examined the impact on more than 160 species across six continents.All activities changed the behaviour of animals, but the study found destructive activities such as urbanisation and logging affected the movement of animals less than sporadic endeavours such as using airc
  
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• How often should you wash your jeans? Much less than you probably do

  01-02-2021 17:17 via theguardian.com
  
  A clothes-care guru suggests washing your denim once a month – and you shouldn’t launder your T-shirts after every wear either. But what about personal hygiene?Name: Your jeans.Age: This pair? A couple of years now. Continue reading...
  
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• Seaweed animal feed and solar panels made from waste fruit: The best green innovations of January 2021

  01-02-2021 17:14
  
  Every month, numerous eye-catching and potentially transformational innovations are being developed to help businesses and nations turn their green ambitions into actions. Here, we round up six of the best from January 2021.
  
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• Blue whales threatened by ship collisions in busy Patagonia waters

  01-02-2021 13:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Endangered giants face potentially fatal encounters with the 1,000 daily fishing vessels moving through main feeding area off Chile, scientists warnThe largest mammal ever to live on the Earth, the blue whale, is under threat from boat collisions as one of its main feeding grounds in Chilean Patagonia is overrun with vessels, a new study has revealed.The endangered whales must contend with up to 1,000 boats moving daily through an important feeding area in the eastern South Pacific, according to
  
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• The US ignored Louisiana’s ‘cancer alley’ for decades. Will Biden finally take action? | Robert Taylor

  01-02-2021 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  For too long we have been failed by every layer of government, from the president, to congressional representation, from our state governor, to our state environment agencyFor five years I have fought against the polluters who have poisoned our community in Louisiana’s “cancer alley”, or as we call it now: “death alley”. And for decades our fight has been ignored by the US government.This makes President Joe Biden’s decision to reference Cancer Alley earlier t
  
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• Grubs up! Mealworms are on the menu – but are we ready for them?

  01-02-2021 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The mealworm market is expected to boom after the EU ruled them safe to eat. Insects are a popular food in most countries, so can Europeans get over the yuck factor?
  It’s a bit … well, mealy. Dry (because it’s been dried), a little crunchy, not strongly flavoured, neither pleasant nor unpleasant. Salt would probably help, or chilli, lime – something, anything, to spice it up a bit. And definitely a beer, if I was going to consume much more, to help wash it down.I’m
  
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• Trump's assault on the environment is over. This is how to restore it | Jonathan B Jarvis, Gary Machlis

  01-02-2021 11:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The Biden-Harris administration can restart fundamental environmental policies and programs, and restore the federal commitment to environmental protectionNow that the Trump administration’s four-year assault on environmental protection and conservation has crested, the work of restoration must begin. As professionals in the field of conservation, we watched with dread and dismay as the laws, policies, science, and stewardship of waters, air, wildlife, and public lands were systematically
  
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• Trump's assault on the environment is over. Now we must reverse the damage | Jonathan B Jarvis, Gary Machlis

  01-02-2021 11:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The Biden-Harris administration can restart fundamental environmental policies and programs, and restore the federal commitment to environmental protectionNow that the Trump administration’s four-year assault on environmental protection and conservation has crested, the work of restoration must begin. As professionals in the field of conservation, we watched with dread and dismay as the laws, policies, science, and stewardship of waters, air, wildlife, and public lands were systematically
  
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• Treasury 'not planning mandatory net-zero stress tests' for major government investments

  01-02-2021 11:25
  
  Treasury representatives have said that the government won't make it mandatory for all projects to prove they can comply with the 2050 net-zero target in order to secure funding.
  
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• BAFTA assembles UK's biggest news broadcasters for climate coalition

  01-02-2021 10:50
  
  The BBC, Sky News and ITV News are among the first members of a new initiative designed to help the UK's news broadcasting sector minimise its environmental impact and engage viewers on topics like climate change.
  
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• PepsiCo and Beyond Meat launch 'planet partnership' for plant-based proteins

  01-02-2021 10:46
  
  PepsiCo is the latest food and drink giant to strike up a working partnership with Beyond Meat, with both firms producing a new joint venture to increase production of plant-based protein.
  
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• Climate Change Committee calls for rethink on Cumbrian coal mine approval

  01-02-2021 10:07
  
  The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is the latest organisation urging the UK Government to reconsider the planning approval for a new coal mine in Cumbria, warning that it will increase emissions and create a "negative impression" of UK green policy in the build-up to COP26.
  
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• Covid-19: Cambridge vaccine aims to 'take care of' variants

  01-02-2021 09:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  "It isn't the first... but it has a longer usability," says a scientist making a new Covid vaccine.
  
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• Thames Water discharging raw sewage into Buckinghamshire river

  01-02-2021 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  River Chess Association say untreated sewage is causing untold harm to infant trout and other habitatsThames Water has been discharging untreated sewage into a chalk stream in Buckinghamshire, causing what campaigners say is untold harm to infant trout and habitats in the river.The discharges into the River Chess in Chesham occurred days after the head of the environment agency told MPs that this should never happen, although he later qualified his remarks to allow for some exceptional circumsta
  
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• Starwatch: red jewel of Antares in a pre-dawn pairing with the moon

  01-02-2021 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Brightest star in the Scorpius constellation, a supergiant 68o times larger than our sun, draws close to waning crescentThose up before dawn should look south for a pretty pairing this week. On 6 February, the waning crescent moon will draw close to the beautiful red jewel of Antares, the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius, the scorpion.Continue reading...
  
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• Ancient Jersey teeth find hints at Neanderthal mixing

  01-02-2021 06:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A re-study of the prehistoric find from 1910 suggests interbreeding between two human species.
  
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• Country diary: the kingfisher was mesmerising – until the sparrowhawk got it

  01-02-2021 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Purwell Ninesprings, Hertfordshire: I was admiring the iridescent blue when it was suddenly gone, replaced by a blur of brown streaksEverywhere, water is seeping. Filling the ditches and field margins, submerging the paths, bringing shards of sky down to earth in unexpected places.The moist air feels heavy and the sedge beds look flat and lifeless as I squelch across North Meadow in my wellies. I’ve heard reports of kingfishers and snipes in the wetlands, so I’m hoping for an avian e
  
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• Country diary: all the water’s a stage for this dramatic display of nature

  01-02-2021 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Purwell Ninesprings, Hertfordshire: Entranced by the flash of a kingfisher deftly plucking a tiny fish from a pond, I was unprepared for the sparrowhawk that came after itEverywhere, water is seeping. Filling the ditches and field margins, submerging the paths, bringing shards of sky down to earth in unexpected places.The moist air feels heavy and the sedge beds look flat and lifeless as I squelch across North Meadow in my wellies. I’ve heard reports of kingfishers and snipes in the wetlan
  
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• Groundbreaking biofuel rocket could be 'Uber for space'

  01-02-2021 06:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Stardust 1.0 has become the first commercial launch of a rocket powered by bio-derived fuel.
  
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• Now and then: Iceland's vanishing glaciers

  01-02-2021 02:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  See how much Iceland's Skaftafellsjokull glacier has retreated over the past 30 years.
  
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• Homeowners who put in flood defences may pay less for insurance

  01-02-2021 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Ministers consulting about changes, which could include payments for making homes better protectedHomeowners in flood-hit areas could be entitled to discounted insurance premiums if they install protections against the elements under government proposals.Ministers on Monday launched a consultation into plans for insured householders to be able to claim money to cover the damage caused and receive funds to make their homes more resilient. Continue reading...
  
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