Environment news

• Maine plans removal of PFAS from sewage sludge used as fertilizer

  23-05-2023 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Toxic ‘forever chemicals’, concentrated in sludge, are extremely difficult to dispose of safely and also poison farmlandUtility officials in Maine and elsewhere around the country are developing first-of-their-kind plans to eliminate toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” from sewage sludge spread as fertilizer on farmland.Success would address a growing agricultural crisis and reshape how the nation handles its waste – the dangerous chemicals are thought to be contaminatin
  
  Read more

• Recycling can release huge quantities of microplastics, study finds

  23-05-2023 19:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Scientists find high levels of microplastics in wastewater from unnamed UK plant – and in air surrounding facilityRecycling has been promoted by the plastics industry as a key solution to the growing problem of plastic waste. But a study has found recycling itself could be releasing huge quantities of microplastics.An international team of scientists sampled wastewater from a state-of-the-art recycling plant at an undisclosed location in the UK. They found that the microplastics released i
  
  Read more

• Shell AGM disrupted by protests as investors reject new emissions targets

  23-05-2023 16:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Bosses defend oil company against accusations it is not switching away from fossil fuels quickly enoughShell’s annual shareholder meeting in London has descended into chaos with more than an hour of climate protests delaying the start of a meeting in which investors in the oil company rejected new targets for carbon emissions cuts.The FTSE 100 oil company faced a shareholder vote backed by big pension funds and investors to set carbon emission reduction targets for 2030, while at the same
  
  Read more

• CEO of biggest carbon credit provider to resign after claims offsets worthless

  23-05-2023 15:58 via theguardian.com
  
  David Antonioli to step down from Verra, which was accused of approving millions of worthless offsets for major companiesThe head of the world’s leading carbon credit certifier has announced he will step down as CEO next month.It comes amid concerns that Verra, a Washington-based nonprofit, approved tens of millions of worthless offsets that are used by major companies for climate and biodiversity commitments, according to a joint Guardian investigation earlier this year. Continue reading.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• CEO of biggest carbon credit certifier to resign after claims offsets worthless

  23-05-2023 15:58 via theguardian.com
  
  David Antonioli to step down from Verra, which was accused of approving millions of worthless offsets used by major companiesThe head of the world’s leading carbon credit certifier has announced he will step down as CEO next month.It comes amid concerns that Verra, a Washington-based nonprofit, approved tens of millions of worthless offsets that are used by major companies for climate and biodiversity commitments, according to a joint Guardian investigation earlier this year. Continue read
  
  Read more

• Shell AGM disrupted by protests as it tries to reject new emissions targets

  23-05-2023 14:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Bosses defend oil company against accusations it is not switching away from fossil fuels quickly enoughShell’s annual shareholder meeting in London has descended into chaos with more than an hour of climate protests delaying the start of a meeting in which the oil company asked investors to reject new targets for carbon emissions cuts.The FTSE 100 oil company faced a shareholder vote backed by big pension funds and investors to set carbon emission reduction targets for 2030, while at the s
  
  Read more

• How training dogs to chase bears might just save a grizzly or two

  23-05-2023 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Karelian bear dogs are being used to scare wild bears from human settlements and reduce human-wildlife conflictThe dog is moving through the grasses of the open meadow, closely followed by bear biologist Carrie Hunt, who is observing his reactions as he sees the grizzly bear carcass for the first time. “Find it,” says Hunt, encouraging the two-month-old puppy. The puppy’s ears and tail are up as he approaches the bear cautiously, but with the confidence that Hunt is looking for
  
  Read more

• Almost 400 species discovered in Greater Mekong region – in pictures

  23-05-2023 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Two hundred and ninety plants, 20 fishes, 24 amphibians, 46 reptiles and one mammal were among newly discovered in one of Asia’s biodiversity hotspots in 2021 and 2022. Many are already under threat of extinction from habitat loss, deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade. WWF is calling on governments to increase protection for these rare species and to commit to halting and reversing nature loss Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• ‘A megaproject of death’: fury as Maya train nears completion in Mexico

  23-05-2023 08:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Hailed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as a beacon of prosperity, the environmental cost of the railway has bitterly divided communities along its routeDiggers trundle across the chalky bare earth just outside the town of Xpujil, in Campeche state, southern Mexico. The land is being cleared to make way for the Maya train line, a controversial megaproject that will cross the Yucatán peninsula, whisking tourists from the beach resorts of Cancún and Tulum to May
  
  Read more

• Imports of ivory from hippos, orcas and walruses to be banned in UK

  23-05-2023 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ministers to close loophole in 2018 Ivory Act that means animals other than elephants can be targetedIvory imports from hippopotamuses, orcas and walruses will be banned under new legislation to protect the endangered species from poaching.The Ivory Act, passed in 2018, targeted materials from elephants, but a loophole meant that animals other than elephants, including hippos, were being targeted for their ivory. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Bird flu: Brazil declares animal health emergency after several cases found

  23-05-2023 06:53
  
  The country is the world's largest exporter of chicken meat, and wants to stop the virus spreading.
  
  Read more

• Country diary: A boggy, untouched paradise for wildlife | Amy-Jane Beer

  23-05-2023 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  May Moss, North Yorkshire: Fifty years ago, the Forestry Commission was persuaded not to plant this area. The results speak for themselvesI’m standing in a bog surrounded by plantation and grouse moor. It is overlooked in more ways than I want to know by the dystopian hulk of the RAF Fylingdales radar station. But my guide is Brian Walker, a retired maverick forester, avid naturalist and spinner of excellent tales, so the invitation to visit was irresistible.In 1974, Brian’s friend a
  
  Read more

• Ivory ban to extend to hippos and killer whales

  23-05-2023 02:32
  
  The government plans to extend a ban on dealing ivory to five endangered species.
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!