Environment news

• Scientists unlock mysteries of world's oldest 'computer'

  12-03-2021 18:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The 2,000-year-old mechanism has baffled experts since it was discovered on a shipwreck in 1901.
  
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• The Guardian view on Johnson's coalmine: political gain at planetary cost | Editorial

  12-03-2021 18:55 via theguardian.com
  
  The Biden administration is calling out politicians, like the prime minister, who pay lip service to the climate emergency while peddling greenwash policies It must have seemed a clever Johnsonian ruse. Build a deep coalmine – the first in decades – in Labour’s historical heartland and put yourself on the side of working-class northern voters who want jobs and against environmentalists who, one could slyly suggest, prefer saving the planet than local communities. Boris Johnson
  
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• Cumbria coal mine: Public inquiry after government U-turn

  12-03-2021 17:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ministers say "increased" controversy over the Cumbria mine means a public inquiry is needed.
  
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• #SustyTalk​: Weetabix's John Petre on sustainable sourcing and leadership on plastic

  12-03-2021 12:49
  
  edie's #SustyTalk interview series continues with an exclusive discussion with Weetabix's supply chain & technical director John Petre, who also heads up the business's sustainability work.
  
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• Clarks and UGG unveil sustainable shoe innovations

  12-03-2021 12:28
  
  Clarks has launched what it claims is its 'most sustainable sneaker yet', while UGG is debuting shoes made using responsibly sourced, plant-based materials.
  
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• LED retrofit reduces energy use by 21% for South Western Railway

  12-03-2021 12:16
  
  South Western Railway (SWR) has delivered a 21% reduction in the energy consumption of its properties, following the installation of more than 16,000 LED light fittings across its properties.
  
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• 'Kern runs on oil': as California confronts climate crisis, one county is ready to drill

  12-03-2021 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Kern county has approved the drilling of thousands of new wells despite opposition from farmers and activistsKern county, which sprawls more than 8,000 square miles, connecting the Sierra Nevada slopes and the Mojave Desert to the counties on the Central Coast, is the oil capital of California. The county produces about 70% of the state’s oil and more than 90% of its natural gas – and it has plans to ramp up production.This week the county approved an ordinance that would allow thous
  
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• Road pollution affects 94% of Britain, study finds

  12-03-2021 11:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Roads make up 1% of the country but the pollution produced may harm wildlife everywherePollution from roads affects virtually every part of Britain, with 94% of land having some pollution above background levels, according to research.Roads, which occupy less than 1% of the country, “form vast, pervasive and growing networks, causing negative environmental impacts”, the scientists said. Continue reading...
  
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• Green jobs in Cumbria could far surpass posts in coalmine, report says

  12-03-2021 11:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Estimate comes after government reversed its position that mine plan did not conflict with climate policy
  More than 9,000 green jobs could be created in Cumbria, according to a report, far more than the 500 jobs promised by a planned coalmine in the county.The report was published the day after the communities secretary reversed his original decision that the mine did not conflict with national policy and was a local matter. Robert Jenrick cited rising controversy and new climate advice as reaso
  
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• Experience: I’m a tree hugger

  12-03-2021 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  I was struck by how different the experience was with each tree. The most tactile ones really stood outWhen I was very small, my grandfather used to wheel me in a pram through the local park on the way to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Looking up at the trees helped me get to sleep. So maybe I’ve always been on a wooden wavelength.I’ve spent all my adult life working with trees, and the past 14 years working at the RBGE as a curator. Recently, our fundraising team was looking fo
  
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• Nissan to install on-site solar farm at Sunderland plant

  12-03-2021 10:48
  
  Nissan has unveiled plans to build a new solar farm at its Sunderland Plant - the facility at the heart of its Leaf electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing process.
  
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• Europe doubles down on cycling in post-Covid recovery plans

  12-03-2021 10:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Success of schemes during pandemic has led many cities to plan vastly expanded bike networksWhen the coronavirus pandemic led to global lockdowns a year ago, hundreds of cities reconfigured their streets to make walking and cycling easier to aid social distancing and reduce air pollution. Now, with an end to the lockdowns in sight, the measures have proved so successful that cities across Europe are betting on the bicycle to lead the recovery.According to the European Cyclists’ Federation
  
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• Shipping industry backs $5bn decarbonisation moonshot

  12-03-2021 10:14
  
  The global shipping industry has given "full and unequivocal" support to a "moonshot" submitted by various national governments that would create a $5bn fund to reduce the carbon impact of the sector.
  
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• AI reveals 1,000 'dark discharges' of untreated sewage in England

  12-03-2021 10:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Paper says machine learning could prove crucial tool in efforts to improve quality of country’s riversNearly 1,000 “dark discharges” of untreated sewage from two water company treatment plants in England have been detected by scientists using artificial intelligence to map spills. The use of machine learning to shine a light on the scale of pollution from untreated effluent being spilled into rivers could be a crucial tool in efforts to improve the quality of rivers, a paper sa
  
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• Hemiandrus jacinda: insect named after New Zealand prime minister

  12-03-2021 10:06 via theguardian.com
  
  New species of wētā, a giant flightless cricket, is seen as ‘reflecting traits’ of Jacinda ArdernNew Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has received what may be her greatest accolade yet: a large insect named in her honour.A new species of wētā – a giant flightless cricket that is endemic to New Zealand – has been named Hemiandrus jacinda for being Labour-party red in colour and “long-limbed”. Continue reading...
  
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• The fight for the Galápagos: race to expand reserve as fishing fleets circle

  12-03-2021 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ecuador’s president to decide on proposal to expand islands’ marine reserve, seen as vital to protect world heritage site from fishing industry
  Strolling along a beach dotted with sea lion pups and their mothers barking at one another, utterly unconcerned by your presence, is a singularly magical experience. On the trail leading to the shore on tiny Seymour Island, noisily courting blue-footed boobies and frigate birds are equally unruffled by the presence of humans.Getting up close
  
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• The fight for the Galápagos: ecologists seek bigger reserve as fishing fleets circle

  12-03-2021 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ecuador’s president to decide on proposal to expand islands’ marine reserve, seen as vital to protect world heritage site from fishing industry
  Strolling along a beach dotted with sea lion pups and their mothers barking at one another, utterly unconcerned by your presence, is a singularly magical experience. On the trail leading to the shore on tiny Seymour Island, noisily courting blue-footed boobies and frigate birds are equally unruffled by the presence of humans.Getting up close
  
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• Fight for the Galápagos: the plan to expand the reserve as fishing fleets circle

  12-03-2021 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ecuador’s president to decide on proposal to expand islands’ marine reserve, seen as vital to protect world heritage site from fishing industry
  Strolling along a beach dotted with sea lion pups and their mothers barking at one another, utterly unconcerned by your presence, is a singularly magical experience. On the trail leading to the shore on tiny Seymour Island, noisily courting blue-footed boobies and frigate birds are equally unruffled by the presence of humans.Getting up close
  
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• Etna: Life beneath the volcanic dust of repeated eruptions

  12-03-2021 07:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Three weeks of spectacular blasts have amazed onlookers - but caused untold damage for Sicilians.
  
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• Slugs and snails crawl back to top of RHS annual garden pests chart

  12-03-2021 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Gastropods back as No 1 while honey fungus is worst disease in year when lockdowns fuel gardening crazeSlugs and snails are back at the top of the pests chart, after a year in which people spent more time tending their gardens, said the Royal Horticultural Society.The charity’s 25th annual pest and disease ranking – based on enquiries from gardeners – reveals that slugs and snails, a mainstay of the rankings over the years, topped the 2020 list for the first time since 2017, wi
  
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• Pollutionwatch: how much Sahara desert dust do we breathe?

  12-03-2021 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Dust that swept Europe in February affects weather systems but also contains many allergensSaharan dust high in the skies over Europe caused some spectacular sunsets in February. Many of us found dust on our cars, and Alpine snow has been stained orange, but finding out how much Saharan dust we are breathing has always been difficult. For decades we have been measuring the amount of particle pollution in the air, but not what it is made of. However, university-run air observatories in London, Bi
  
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• Brown stink bug among 'future threats' to gardens

  12-03-2021 01:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Gardeners are being urged to be on alert for the stink bug and other pests predicted to arrive in the UK.
  
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• Report: Cumbria can create 9,000 green jobs by 2035, without a coal mine

  12-03-2021 01:02
  
  Proponents of Cumbria's proposed coal mine often point to its potential to create 500 new roles. But the county could create thousands of jobs and attract billions of pounds of investment if it opts, instead, to expand low-carbon sectors.
  
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• O2 Arena to install mini wind turbines that can harness even a breeze

  12-03-2021 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Vertical turbine by developer Alpha 311 can spin from gentle air movement The O2 Arena will soon use a new breed of “vertical wind turbine” to generate its own clean electricity, after signing a deal with a startup firm that says its turbines will generate power even when the wind is not blowing.The London landmark once known as the Millennium Dome will begin by installing 10 of the 68cm (27in) vertical turbines. The breezy conditions at the site on the River Thames will help generat
  
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