Energy storage vital to keep UK lights on, say MPs
Committee urges investment in batteries and smart demand technologies to ensure energy supply as old coal and nuclear power stations close Large-scale batteries to store energy and devices that switch themselves off are likely to be key technologies for keeping the UK’s lights on while shutting down old coal and nuclear plants, an influential committee […]
No shortage of birds as the chilly months approach
Rogerstown, County Dublin Brent geese are here, and black-tailed godwit have begun arriving from their breeding grounds in Iceland On a bright morning we are sitting with volunteer warden Aileen in a bird hide a little north of Dublin. We have come to watch the first of the avian migrants for whom the south bank […]
Airport expansion: the experts' view
Guardian writers examine the pros and cons of extra runways at Heathrow and Gatwick from three different perspectives Heathrow airport is full to bursting. The same will soon be true of Gatwick. There has been no full-length runway built in the south-east since the 1940s. The UK’s attempts to break into the big and fast-growing […]
The Great Barrier Reef is under severe stress – but not dead yet
Reports the famed 1,400-mile network of reefs ‘passed away in 2016 after a long illness’ are greatly exaggerated despite mass bleaching, scientists say Reports of the death of the Great Barrier Reef have been greatly exaggerated, scientists have said, after the publication of an “obituary” for the vast coral ecosystem. The famed 1,400-mile network of […]
World Bank tribunal dismisses mining firm's $250m claim against El Salvador
OceanaGold ordered to pay $8m legal costs after claim that El Salvador’s refusal to let it mine gold caused huge loss in potential profits is thrown out An international tribunal has dismissed a multinational mining company’s demand that the government of El Salvador pay $250m (£205m) in compensation for refusing to allow it to dig […]
Heathrow third runway: what does the Tory cabinet think?
Where Theresa May’s team stand on the proposed expansion of the west London airport As MPs opposed to a third runway at Heathrow are plotting to undermine its anticipated government approval, we look at where members of Theresa May’s cabinet stand on the proposed expansion of the west London airport. Related: Anti-Heathrow MPs plan to […]
Sting in the tail for UK importers as prawn prices hit record high
Cocktail of factors including more demand, droughts in Bangladesh and Vietnam, and poor harvests in China, push prices up 15% The prawn sandwich brigade lambasted by Roy Keane is set to suffer another blow after the price paid by UK importers for prawns reached a record high. The increase of 15% in the past three […]
Before the Flood: Leonardo DiCaprio hopes his new film will inspire climate action
Documentary that sees the actor touring the world to see global warming’s impact first-hand has its UK premiere in London on Friday “Try to have a conversation with anyone about climate change and people just tune out,” says Leonardo DiCaprio in his new film. “If the UN really knew how I feel, how pessimistic I […]
New bee arrives for first time in the UK
Viper’s bugloss mason bee, common in Europe, was spotted for the first time in Britain in a London park Brexit may have caused an anti-immigration buzz but a traveller from the continent has made the UK its new home: the viper’s bugloss mason bee. The bee is common in the UK’s European neighbours but has […]
Electric cars, an escaped gorilla and fracking – green news roundup
The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment