UK must focus on carbon removal to meet Paris goals, climate advisers urge
Report from the Committee on Climate Change says a government strategy to deploy new, radical technologies at scale by 2050 must begin now The UK government needs to kickstart technologies to suck carbon dioxide from the air if it is to play its part in meeting the goals of the Paris climate change agreement, according […]
Moratorium on logging Tasmania's old growth forests could be reversed
Environmentalists furious that 2020 moratorium on 400,000ha of Tarkine forests could be reversed to help Forestry Australia ‘stand on its own feet’ Old growth forests in the Tarkine could be logged by private companies under plans being considered by the Tasmanian government to reverse a moratorium on harvesting 400,000ha of high conservation value forests. The […]
Shark attack victim worries nets will snare turtles and dolphins
Seneca Rus, 25, was bitten by a suspected white pointer in surf in Ballina on Wednesday The surfer attacked by a shark on the NSW north coast is worried the use of nets around beaches could hurt marine life. Seneca Rus, 25, was bitten by a suspected white pointer on Wednesday at Sharpes beach in […]
Preserving historical buildings: the most sustainable thing is not to build new stuff
Making heritage buildings sustainable is just as important as preserving their history – and they can offer energy-efficiency lessons of their own After grinding grain since 1897, Sydney’s Crago Flour Mill finally cranked to a halt in the mid 80s. Over the years, this handsome industrial Newtown site became rundown, a dusty labyrinth of rooms […]
How Google is using big data to protect the environment
Google’s sustainability officer Kate Brandt outlines the company’s wide-range interest in sustainable fishing, green buildings and renewable energy For many people, Google is simply the gateway to a vast archive of facts and memories. For those who pay closer attention to its business dealings, the company also invests billions to find new ways to use […]
Butterfly decline is no surprise to bee-liners | Letters
I read about the butterfly decline noticed by people all around the country, described by Patrick Barkham (Record low UK butterfly count is ‘a shock and mystery’, 10 October). I don’t find it so much of a mystery, having spent the summer planning for and walking from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh on what […]
National Grid: two coal plants to get £77m to be on winter standby
Eggborough and Fiddler’s Ferry will be ready to start up if needed, as part of plans to minimise electricity blackout risk Two coal power plants will be paid a combined £77m to be on standby this winter as part of National Grid’s plan to minimise the risk of electricity blackouts. The size of the UK’s […]
Xavi Bou's photographs reveal flight paths of birds – in pictures
The Spanish photographer Xavi Bou digitally combines sequential pictures of birds to create a single image, or chronophotograph, that reveals the shapes of their flight paths against Catalonian skies. His work shows the variety and beauty to be found in the daily activities of the local birds, including spiralling storks, swooping starlings and giddy swifts […]
On the line: call for Danish anglers to help catch escaped trout
Up to 80,000 rainbow trout enter open sea after ship rams aquafarm, raising concerns farmed fish may eat eggs of wild sea trout Christmas has come early for Denmark’s anglers: up to 80,000 rainbow trout have escaped into the open sea after a cargo ship rammed a fish farm, a local broadcaster has reported, prompting […]
What if nature, like corporations, had the rights of a person? | Chip Colwell
For some people, like the Zuni in New Mexico, wild places are considered living beings. In western society, it’s companies that assume that privileged position In recent years, the US supreme court has solidified the concept of corporate personhood. Following rulings in such cases as Hobby Lobby and Citizens United, US law has established that […]