When nature puts on a happy face: Hawaiian volcano erupts into smile
The Kilauea volcano’s lava looked like a smiley face but stars, craters and spiders have also resembled the popular symbol for happiness An erupting volcano in Hawaii was all smiles last week – and no, it wasn’t a Disney animation. The lava of Kilauea, a shield volcano on Hawaii’s biggest island, appeared to form a […]
Environmental records shattered as climate change 'plays out before us'
Temperatures, sea levels and carbon dioxide all hit milestones amid extreme weather in 2015, major international ‘state of the climate’ report finds The world is careening towards an environment never experienced before by humans, with the temperature of the air and oceans breaking records, sea levels reaching historic highs and carbon dioxide surpassing a key […]
The new green grid: utilities deploy ‘virtual power plants’
Yale Environment 360: By linking together networks of energy-efficient buildings, solar installations, and batteries, a growing number of companies in the US and Europe are helping utilities reduce energy demand at peak hours and supply targeted areas with renewably generated electricity The tens of thousands of tons of natural gas that surged into the Southern […]
Leslie Jesch obituary
My father, Leslie Jesch, who has died aged 90, was a leading authority on the application of solar energy and a pioneer in the development of renewables internationally, and especially across Europe. He was born László Jesch in Budapest, the son of László Jesch, an electrical engineer and college principal, and his wife Ilona (nee […]
Raccoon, mongoose and cabbage among invasive species banned from UK
New EU regulation blacklists 37 non-native plant and animal species in a bid to tackle threats to native wildlife and economic losses The north American raccoon, an Asian hornet and an American cabbage are among 37 invasive species that will be banned from being brought into the UK from Wednesday when a new EU regulation […]
Farmers and migrant workers: how has Brexit affected you?
If you are a farmer or migrant worker employed on a farm we’d like to hear from you We’re interested in hearing from farmers who are concerned about the effect losing seasonal workers from Europe could have. If you are a seasonal worker or a farmer who employs overseas workers we’d like to hear from […]
UK's carbon footprint rises 3%
Greenhouse gas emissions increased slightly between 2012 and 2013, official figures show The “carbon footprint” for the pollution caused by UK consumption has increased slightly, official figures show. The amount of greenhouse gases linked to goods and services consumed by UK households, including emissions from the foreign manufacture of imported products, rose by 3% between […]
Are local efforts to save coral reefs bound to fail?
Two recent reports on the state of the world’s coral reefs appear to contradict each other. But which is right? Over the last six weeks, scientists have published two major reports on coral reef resilience that appear to contradict each other. The first – “Bright spots among the world’s coral reefs” was produced by 39 […]
Mark Rylance heads list of artists calling for end to BP cultural sponsorship
Oscar-winning actor among 214 signatories of an open letter demanding cancellation of oil firm’s new five-year arts sponsorship deal Hundreds of figures in the arts and science, including Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance, artist Conrad Atkinson, composer Matthew Herbert and author Naomi Klein, have called for BP’s new five-year sponsorship deals with some of Britain’s leading […]
Indonesian seaweed farmers to file $200m class action over Timor Sea oil spill
Timor Sea communities due to file in Australian federal court claiming compensation from PTTEP Australasia More than 13,000 Indonesian seaweed farmers are launching a $200m class action against the company they claim was responsible for Australia’s worst offshore oil spill, which sent millions of litres of oil towards their shores. The action to be filed […]