BP's plan to contain oil spill in Great Australian Bight labelled 'flimsy'
Wilderness Society says plan gives no clear indication where company would source equipment and people needed to contain a potential major spill BP’s publicly available plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight don’t give a clear indication of where it would get all the people, boats and aircraft needed to contain a […]
The government wants more offshore fish farms, but no one is biting
The US imports about 91% of its seafood, half of which is farmed in aquaculture facilities. Why is the US having a hard time kickstarting its own industry? Off the coast of San Diego, America’s eighth largest city, commercial fishermen harvest about 1,100 metric tons of seafood from the Pacific every year. That sounds like […]
The eco guide to buying fish
Seafood eco-labels are trustworthy – up to a point My favourite sideswipe at those who question the ethical provenance of all they consume is provided by the TV series Portlandia. Super-earnest couple Nance and Peter demand the life story of the chicken on a restaurant menu. Eventually they head for the farm to find out […]
Fire breaks out on Mexican state oil tanker in Gulf of Mexico
All 31 crew members were evacuated and there were no reported casualties, according to the company A fire broke out on an oil tanker of Mexican state oil company Pemex in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, forcing all the crew to be evacuated in the latest accident to plague the struggling firm. Related: Leak […]
The grey parrot and the race against Africa’s wildlife extinction
The number of African greys has plunged to 1% of past levels, conservationists warn. But it is just one of a host of animals and plants on the continent whose future will be debated by more than 180 nations in Johannesburg this week Perry, a five-year-old African grey parrot, is for sale on a well-known […]
Lobsters in hot water as rising ocean temperatures affect larvae
A new study by scientists in Maine found that if global warming trends continue, lobsters will struggle to survive by the year 2100 Baby lobsters might not be able to survive in the ocean’s waters if the ocean continues to warm at the expected rate. That is the key finding of a study performed by […]
Could ants be the solution to antibiotic crisis?
Bacterial defences of fungus-farming ants could help in medical battle against superbugs Scientists have pinpointed a promising new source of antibiotics: ants. They have found that some species – including leaf-cutter ants from the Amazon – use bacteria to defend their nests against invading fungi and microbes. Chemicals excreted by the bacteria as part of […]
Red squirrels with a taste for antlers
Strathnairn, Highlands A squirrel at one of the wooden boxes suddenly darted along the branch and started gnawing away at the antler For our first 29 years in this house we didn’t see a single red squirrel in the garden, but since May this year they have become daily visitors. The wooden feeder boxes on […]
Giant 'corpse flower' begins to bloom for first time in five years
Endangered plant named ‘morphy’ starts to smell like a burning cigar at Ivy League college but far worse whiffs lie in store at the weekend A giant endangered “corpse flower” that got its nickname from its putrid smell started to bloom on Friday for the first time since 2011. Related: ‘Worse than one thousand pukes’: […]
Lessons from the environmental front line | John Paul Brammer
The Dakota pipeline protests have drawn indigenous people from across the Americas. But everyone else needs to understand it’s their fight too “I’m here until January,” said a man sitting with his arms crossed in the backseat. The six of us had piled into an old Ford Taurus, hitching a ride back to camp from […]