Environment news

• Very few of world’s rivers undamaged by humanity, study finds

  18-02-2021 20:00
  
  Rivers are biodiversity hotspots but pollution, dams and invasive species have caused havocRivers in which fish populations have escaped serious damage from human activities make up just 14% of the world’s river basin area, according to the most comprehensive study to date.Scientists found that the biodiversity of more than half of rivers had been profoundly affected, with big fish such as sturgeon replaced by invasive species such as catfish and Asian carp. Pollution, dams, overfishing, f
  
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• The Guardian view on Texas storms and power cuts: preparing for the worst

  18-02-2021 19:26
  
  The outages endured by residents result from the state’s political decisions – but all of us need to think more about ensuring resilience
  Though the desperate conditions that millions of Texans have suffered for days were triggered by a powerful winter storm, the underlying issues are the work of human beings. At least 2.7 million households were still without power on Wednesday, and nearly 12 million faced water quality issues. Hospitals ran out of water. Families have burned belong
  
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• London, Tees Valley and County Durham residents call for better support for green jobs and home upgrades

  18-02-2021 17:54
  
  The organisers of citizens' climate juries in London and North East have revealed their key calls to actions for Mayors, councils and the central government, including job creation in low-carbon sectors and a longer-term alternative to the Green Homes Grant.
  
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• London, Tees Valley and County Durham residents call for better support for green jobs

  18-02-2021 17:54
  
  The organisers of citizens' climate juries in London and North East have revealed their key calls to actions for Mayors, councils and the central government, including job creation in low-carbon sectors and a longer-term alternative to the Green Homes Grant.
  
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• Komodo dragons: 'the biggest, worst lizard of the modern day' | Helen Sullivan

  18-02-2021 17:30
  
  From the Komodo’s mouth hang various strands of toxic drool, lightly coated in dust
  The goanna wanted an egg. It had climbed a few metres up the trunk of a large cabbage palm and was looking at me: egg. Its nose pointed down, its eyes looked up, like a begging dog, and – distinctly unlike a dog of any kind – it flicked its forked tongue against the bark: egg. Although I was in possession of a carton, I declined the request. I have seen a goanna (Australian for monitor lizard) e
  
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• Human destruction of nature is 'senseless and suicidal', warns UN chief

  18-02-2021 17:00
  
  UN report offers bedrock for hope for broken planet, says António GuterresHumanity is waging a “senseless and suicidal” war on nature that is causing human suffering and enormous economic losses while accelerating the destruction of life on Earth, the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, has said.Guterres’s starkest warning to date came at the launch of a UN report setting out the triple emergency the world is in: the climate crisis, the devastation of wildlife
  
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• Call to tax international flights to raise climate funds for poor countries

  18-02-2021 17:00
  
  Six experts say failure to reform climate finance risks undermining trust in Paris agreementTaxes on international transport could provide new flows of finance to developing countries to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown, a group of climate finance experts have said.Rich countries are failing on their pledge to provide $100bn a year to help poor countries cope with the climate crisis, and the way in which climate finance is organised needs u
  
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• AB InBev announces $10.1bn sustainability-linked loan

  18-02-2021 16:47
  
  The world's largest brewer has announced what it claims is the world's largest corporate sustainability-linked loan to date, priced at $10.1bn.
  
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• Indigenous peoples face rise in rights abuses during pandemic, report finds

  18-02-2021 16:00
  
  Increasing land grabs endangering forest communities and wildlife as governments expand mining and agriculture to combat economic impact of Covid
  Indigenous communities in some of the world’s most forested tropical countries have faced a wave of human rights abuses during the Covid-19 pandemic as governments prioritise extractive industries in economic recovery plans, according to a new report.New mines, infrastructure projects and agricultural plantations in Brazil, Colombia, the Democrat
  
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• Isle of Man Viking jewellery found by metal detectorist

  18-02-2021 14:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A retired police officer found the rare silver and gold jewellery, which has been declared treasure.
  
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• eBay: Shoppers increasingly looking for 'eco' and 'sustainable' homewares during lockdown

  18-02-2021 13:57
  
  eBay has revealed that searches for 'eco furniture' and 'sustainable furniture' have more than doubled year-on-year, suggesting that shoppers are increasingly looking for pre-owned and refurbished products due to lockdown.
  
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• Texas weather: How to stay safe in freezing conditions

  18-02-2021 13:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  From dressing properly, to keeping warm in power cuts, to signalling for help when stranded.
  
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• Maersk accelerates plans for carbon-neutral shipping

  18-02-2021 12:51
  
  Danish shipping giant Maersk is aiming to launch its first carbon-neutral liner vessel in 2023 - seven years earlier than initially planned.
  
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• Magnets, vacuums and tiny nets: the new fight against microplastics

  18-02-2021 12:00
  
  Tiny plastics are turning up in the air, our drinking water and our placentas. Here’s how innovators are handling the crisisWhen it comes to microplastics, there’s rarely good news. Researchers continue to find the tiny plastic fragments everywhere they look.Microplastics have been found in rain, Arctic ice cores, inside the fish we eat, as well as in fruit and vegetables. New research suggests 136,000 tons of microplastics are ejected from the ocean each year, ending up in the air w
  
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• Magnets, vacuums and plant-based nets: the new fight to clean plastic from our seas

  18-02-2021 12:00
  
  Microplastics are finding their way into the air, our drinking water, and even our placentas. Here is how some innovators are tackling themWhen it comes to microplastics, there’s rarely good news. Researchers continue to find the tiny plastic fragments everywhere they look.Microplastics have been found in rain, Arctic ice cores, inside the fish we eat, as well as in fruit and vegetables. New research suggests 136,000 tons of microplastics are ejected from the ocean each year, ending up in
  
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• Royal Mail to install fuel-efficiency-boosting tech across its fleet

  18-02-2021 11:18
  
  Royal Mail will install technology systems designed to improve efficiency and reduce emissions across the majority of its fleet - which is one of the UK's biggest - over the next six weeks.
  
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• Smart materials: From tiny robots to colour-swapping clothes

  18-02-2021 11:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A report examines the potential of materials that can change shape, adapt and repair themselves.
  
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• Mink farms a continuing Covid risk to humans and wildlife, warn EU experts

  18-02-2021 11:00
  
  Health experts call for regular testing of staff and animals after coronavirus found at 400 breeding units across EuropeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAll mink farms are at risk of becoming infected with Covid-19 and spreading the virus, and staff and animals should be regularly tested, EU disease and food safety experts said on Thursday.
  Mink are highly susceptible to coronavirus, which spreads rapidly in intensive farms that often breed thousands of animals i
  
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• Asda and Aldi expand plastic-free packaging efforts

  18-02-2021 10:57
  
  Aldi has revealed designs for plastic-free Easter egg packaging, in the same week that Asda made a commitment to replace one million plastic shelf-edge labels (SELs) with more sustainable alternatives.
  
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• River Action targets agri-businesses in campaign to stop pollution

  18-02-2021 08:01
  
  New group has written to Noble Foods near River Wye, where chemical runoffs are said to be causing serious damageThe heads of some of the biggest agricultural suppliers are being targeted in a campaign to stop their activities polluting rivers.River Action, a new group focusing on the state of UK rivers, is launching its first campaign by writing to the chief executive of Noble Foods, one of the biggest egg producers operating around the River Wye, where pollution from increasing numbers of free
  
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• Experts identify 'super-plant' that absorbs roadside air pollution

  18-02-2021 07:01
  
  Bushy variety of cotoneaster works best in areas of heavy traffic, say researchers, while other plants can cool buildings or reduce floodingBushy, hairy-leafed cotoneaster is a “super plant” that can help soak up pollution on busy roads, horticultural experts have said.Scientists at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) looked at the effectiveness of hedges for soaking up air pollution, comparing different types of shrubs including cotoneaster, hawthorn and western red cedar. Continu
  
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• Weatherwatch: deadly winter storm sweeps Texas

  18-02-2021 07:00
  
  Rain and ice cause multiple-vehicle pile-ups on roads in Dallas and Austin, with several left deadA winter storm in the US has brought deadly weather conditions to areas of the country not usually associated with the cold. Freezing rain in Texas caused chaos on interstates, with a huge crash involving more than 130 vehicles on the I-35 in Dallas, resulting in the deaths of six people. Nearby Austin also succumbed to the icy conditions, with more than 20 vehicles involved in a pile-up.Meanwhile,
  
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• The new humpback? Calf sighting sparks hope for imperilled right whale

  18-02-2021 07:00
  
  Shy giant’s journey back from the brink of extinction has received less attention that its charismatic cetacean cousin
  It was a memorable finale to a day out on the Atlantic: a four-metre whale calf gliding past the boat as the divers returned to the Spanish island of El Hierro in the Canaries. Their incredible luck, however, would be made clear hours later, as researchers around the world clamoured for more details after seeing the 47-second video of the encounter online.The divers had un
  
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• Country diary: hammering hail and a rare sight of crystalline beauty

  18-02-2021 06:30
  
  Comins Coch, Ceredigion: A single speck, no larger than an apple pip, settled on my sleeve – showing against the dark fabric as a tiny, perfect hexagonDull, snow-stained cloud over the hills showed the winter storm approaching, rapidly, from the east. When it hit the village, driven by a gale that tore at the heavy boughs of the beech trees, the air temperature was hovering close to zero. What fell wasn’t the mist of soft, slow flakes from remembered childhood, but a hammering array
  
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• Solomon Islands: ship crew accused of dumping 1,000 tonnes of oil in sea

  18-02-2021 05:03
  
  Government alleges bulk carrier discharged heavy fuel oil into the sea off Santa Cruz island A bulk carrier ship has deliberately dumped about 1,000 tonnes of oil into the sea off the coast of the Solomon Islands, government authorities have alleged.The Panama-flagged MV Quebec, which was in the Solomons carrying a logging shipment for a Chinese company, is accused of discharging heavy fuel oil into Graciosa Bay in Temotu province in late January. Continue reading...
  
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• Could Covid give New Zealand's struggling tourism sector a chance to go green?

  18-02-2021 04:15
  
  A new report suggests the pandemic could present an opportunity to make the sector less environmentally harmful, but some operators are not so sureThe Queenstown waterfront is quieter than normal for mid-February, except for the oncoming hum of the Hydro Attack: a high-speed, shark-shaped semi-submersible, zipping visitors around the bay.The attraction, billed as “shark meets machine”, takes ticket-holders at up to 80km/h for NZ$155 a pop – and despite a dire year for New Zeala
  
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• Texas weather: Are frozen wind turbines to blame for power cuts?

  18-02-2021 01:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Frozen wind turbines are being blamed for power failures - but problems with fossils fuels are a bigger issue.
  
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• Nasa Perseverance rover: How this Mars landing will be different

  18-02-2021 01:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nasa's Perseverance rover is aiming for Jezero Crater, considered “too dangerous” for previous spacecraft.
  
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• Heathrow secures Government funding to develop net-zero aviation roadmap

  18-02-2021 01:02
  
  Heathrow Airport has secured Government funding for a project dedicated to developing a blueprint for delivering a net-zero UK aviation sector, by or ahead of the national 2050 deadline.
  
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