Call to halt Great Australian Bight oil drilling amid faulty equipment fears
Exclusive: MPs and activists want BP’s exploration licences to be suspended over ‘very critical safety issue’ identified by US regulators Oil rigs poised to begin drilling in the Great Australian Bight could use faulty equipment that US regulators say is very likely to cause a “catastrophic incident” like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the […]
Ban on domestic ivory trade passes at international summit
Not legally binding but may stem trade and poaching Nearly one third of Africa’s savanna elephants killed between 2007 and 2014 Ban negotiations spurred feud Nations and environmental groups have agreed to shut down the domestic ivory trade, despite the resolution nearly being derailed by objections from countries including Japan and South Africa. Related: Push […]
Shell begins production at world's deepest underwater oilfield
First oil pumped from Stones field in Gulf of Mexico more than 1.8 miles beneath sea surface Royal Dutch Shell has started production at the world’s deepest underwater oil and gas field, 1.8 miles beneath the sea surface in the Gulf of Mexico. The first oil pumped from the Stones field, 200 miles south of […]
Everyone loses out when corporate governance falls by the wayside
Companies that put shareholders first disregard their impact on others, as the Deepwater Horizon disaster demonstrates “An ordinary day ended as the biggest manmade ecological disaster in history,” says one of the taglines. Trailers for the new disaster movie Deepwater Horizon, based on the April 2010 disaster, which will be released later this month, quickly […]
The eco guide to grocery swaps
Replace food items you buy with greener ones. What could be simpler? The eco swap is the most bite-sized of all sustainable lifestyle actions. You simply replace items in your diet with those that have less impact, in terms of CO2 emissions, land use and change of land use – normally deforestation, and, critically, lower […]
Balmy September ushers in season of mellow fruitfulness – with added slugs
Apple trees are laden, vines are healthy, and in Norfolk the harvest is in. But with bees still in shocking decline, all is not rosy On a balmy evening last week in north Wales, the bats were flitting about, the blackberries were as large as grapes, the little winberries on the Berwyn hills were as […]
Push for ban on domestic ivory trade spurs feud at international summit
As coalition of countries, including the US, push for resolution to end ivory trade, Japan, Namibia, South Africa and Canada raise concerns at Hawaii meeting A resolution to end the domestic trade in ivory has descended into acrimony at a major conservation summit, with a handful of countries, including Japan and South Africa, objecting to […]
Late summer in the Outer Hebrides
South Uist Before me is a curve of white sand and a lazy sea of glorious Hebridean blue, breaking with a gentle whisper on to the shore It’s the best kind of late summer day, with bright sunshine and a temperature as high as anything we’ve had this year. The smell of new-mown grass carries […]
Cuttlefish number sense better than a one-year-old human, research shows
Findings suggest that the cephalopods – which have the most complex brains of any invertebrate – also prefer quality over quantity when it comes to food New research suggests cuttlefish can not only count better than a one-year-old human, but they also prefer quality over quantity when it comes to food. A study of 54 […]
Judge denies tribe's request to stop North Dakota oil pipeline construction
The $3.8bn project has been opposed by Native Americans and supporters who say pipeline threatens water supply and risks destroying cultural heritage A federal judge has denied an attempt to halt construction of a controversial $3.8bn oil pipeline that has been fiercely opposed by a Native American tribe that claims the project threatens its water […]