Environment news

• Norway to open protected rivers to hydropower plants

  13-02-2025 19:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Green politicians describe plan as ‘a historic attack on Norwegian nature’The Norwegian parliament has voted to open up protected rivers to hydropower plants, prompting fury from conservation groups who fear for the fate of fish and other wildlife.The bill allows power plants bigger than 1MW to be built in protected waterways if the societal benefit is “significant” and the environmental consequences “acceptable”. It was voted through on Thursday as part of me
  
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• Thirteen more oil and gas licences could be cancelled after Rosebank court ruling

  13-02-2025 18:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Future of further projects uncertain after Rosebank and Jackdaw licences were found to have been unlawfully grantedThirteen more oil and gas licences could be cancelled as ministers decide new guidance for fossil fuel extraction after a landmark court case, the Guardian has learned.The admission that many more licences may ultimately be unlawful comes on the back of cabinet tensions over the future of two major oil and gas fields – Rosebank and Jackdaw – whose licences wer
  
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• Climate crisis contributing to chocolate market meltdown, research finds

  13-02-2025 14:47 via theguardian.com
  Scientists say more-frequent hotter temperatures in west African region are part of reason for reduced harvests and price risesThe climate crisis drove weeks of high temperatures in the west African region responsible for about 70% of global cacao production, hitting harvests and probably causing further record chocolate prices, researchers have said.Farmers in the region have struggled with heat, disease and unusual rainfall in recent years, which have contributed to falling production. Continu
  
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• A ‘recipe for extinction’: can the US’s envied nature protections survive Trump and his ‘God squad’?

  13-02-2025 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Fears grow for endangered species as the US president sets about dismantling basic laws to protect them to make way for oil and gas drillingDonald Trump has already begun dismantling parts of the envied US endangered species protections in his quest to boost oil and gas drilling, in part using a panel with an ominous name: the God squad.A slew of early actions by the Trump administration has set about throwing open more land and waters for the fossil fuel industry, triggering the reversal of reg
  
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• London Uncovered

  13-02-2025 11:41 via bbc.co.uk
  The BBC's Science Editor visits the site of a major archaeological discovery in the city.
  
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• World’s largely unprotected peatlands are ticking ‘carbon bomb’, warns study

  13-02-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Bogs and swamps are a colossal carbon store but their continued destruction would blow climate change targetsThe world’s peatlands are “dangerously underprotected” despite the colossal amount of climate-heating carbon dioxide already being emitted due to their destruction, a study has warned.Peatlands occupy just 3% of all land, but contain more carbon than all of the world’s forests. However, farmers and miners are draining the peatlands, releasing so much CO2 that if th
  
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• Solar panels could cut fuel-poor UK families’ energy bills by 24%, says study

  13-02-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Call for means-tested grants or loans to cover upfront costs that prevent poorer households from benefitingPoorer households could cut their energy bills by a quarter if solar panels were installed on their rooftops, a report has found.However, the upfront costs mean that those who stand to benefit most from decreased energy bills are prevented from getting panels installed, according to the Resolution Foundation thinktank. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Even the sound of the water has changed’: can Bogotá bring its wetlands back from the brink?

  13-02-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  The marshes in Colombia’s capital are sacred to Indigenous peoples, provide vital wildlife habitats and could help the city adapt to climate change. But after centuries of development they are close to collapse Photographs by Antonio CascioEarly last year, Bogotá faced a prolonged drought, leading to historically low water levels in reservoirs and forcing Colombia’s authorities to impose water rationing. Then, in November, heavy rains triggered widespread flooding, submerging
  
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• Country diary: Resilience is a tree growing out of a rock face | Merryn Glover

  13-02-2025 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  River Tromie, Badenoch: The rushing water catches the eye – and the ear – here, but how glorious it is to see Scots pine and larch taking root in the slightest crackIt’s only 1.30 in the afternoon, but already the sun has disappeared from this narrow gorge. High up, light gilds the tall trees of the forest against a bluebird sky, but everything below the stone bridge is in shadow. Here, the River Tromie pours down from the wind-blown heather moorland and funnels through this be
  
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• ‘A house battery you can drive around’: how some Australians are selling power from their cars back to the grid | Scott Dwyer, Jaime Comber and Kriti Nagrath for the Conversation

  13-02-2025 06:04 via theguardian.com
  The technology is new, chargers are expensive and regulations hard to navigate – but all that could soon changeOur cars sit unused most of the time. If you have an electric vehicle, you might leave it charging at home or work after driving it. But there’s another step you could take. If you have a bidirectional charger, you can set it to sell power back to the grid when demand is high.Fewer than 10 people across Australia actually do this, because the technology – known as vehi
  
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• Barter, bid and bag a bargain! Vintage experts on 21 ways to buy secondhand treasures

  13-02-2025 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Get up early, decide on your budget and never say: ‘What’s your best offer?’ Here’s how to find affordable antiques like a true professionalIn an age when we should be reducing, reusing and recycling, the retro look is more relevant than ever. How can you fill your home with timeless treasures and your wardrobe with “pre-loved” clothes? Here, secondhand specialists share the secrets to sourcing vintage, bartering for a bargain – and avoiding oversho
  
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• WATCH: Astronaut's view of Northern Lights from International Space Station

  13-02-2025 03:34 via bbc.com
  
  Footage from the International Space Station as it soars above an aurora dancing over Canada.
  
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