Surging electricity prices spark calls for national inquiry into renewable energy
Nick Xenophon says there are ‘legitimate questions’ about the renewable energy mix after South Australian price shocks Surging electricity prices in South Australia have sparked calls for a national inquiry into renewable energy and whether the electricity market is coping with the influx of wind and solar. Over the past month South Australia has had […]
National Trust launches £250,000 appeal for care of Trevose Head
Charity raising money to open up access to 220-acre headland site near Padstow, Cornwall, and extend wildlife habitats An appeal has been launched to raise money to care for a headland that provides spectacular, sweeping views of the rugged north Cornwall coast – and a home to precious flora including wild asparagus. The National Trust […]
These designers think that making coffee is the perfect time to grow mushrooms
An article on Yanko Design has profiled the concept of the HIFA coffee maker, which takes advantage of spent coffee grounds and the energy embedded in that process to grow mushrooms. Designers Adrián Pérez and Mauricio Carvajal have placed the mushroom growing process inside a relatively typical looking coffee maker in what appears to be a fascinating […]
Concerns mount over Andrea Leadsom's suitability for environment role
Senior environmental and agricultural figures cite lack of top-level experience, track record and policy approach as fears Andrea Leadsom’s appointment as environment secretary has raised significant concerns among senior environmental and agricultural figures over her suitability for the role. Leadsom’s lack of top-level political experience, absence of track record in farming or environmental areas and […]
Ban diesel cars in London, thinktank urges
IPPR analysis says capital will eventually need to phase out diesel cars and buses in order to meet EU air pollution targets Diesel vehicles must be banned from London if the UK is to meet its air pollution targets, a thinktank warned on Monday. Cars, vans and buses using diesel fuel are the leading cause […]
New Zealand: Earth’s Mythical Islands – in pictures
From parrots in the snow and penguins waddling through the forest to dinosaur-like reptiles, a new three-part part series from the BBC’s Natural History Unit, narrated by actor Sam Neill, showcases the island chain’s rich and intriguing wildlife that has resulted from 80 million years of isolation. • Episode one airs on Tuesday 19 July […]
Iraqi marshlands named as Unesco world heritage site
Area made up of four archaeological sites and three wetland marshes in southern Iraq was once ravaged by Saddam Hussein Unesco has named Iraqi marshlands once ravaged by dictator Saddam Hussein as a world heritage site, a bright spot for a country where jihadists have repeatedly sought to wipe out history. The area named “is […]
Déjà vu: as with tobacco, the climate wars are going to court | Dana Nuccitelli
The fossil fuel industry copied Big Tobacco’s racketeering playbook. They’re following the same path to court, where tobacco lost Investigative journalism has uncovered a “web of denial” in which polluting industries pay “independent” groups to disseminate misinformation to the public and policymakers. The same groups and tactics were employed first by the tobacco industry, then […]
Amazon could face intense wildfire season this year, Nasa warns
The Amazon is the driest it has been at the start of the dry season since 2002 — and that probably means the rainforest is in for a particularly nasty wildfire season, reports Mongabay Conditions created by the strong El Niño event that warmed up Pacific waters in 2015 and early 2016 altered rainfall patterns […]
UN criticises UK and Germany for betraying Paris climate deal
Climate change envoy singles out both countries for subsidising the fossil fuel industry and says the UK has lost its position as a climate leader Ban Ki-moon’s climate change envoy has accused the UK and Germany of backtracking on the spirit of the Paris climate deal by financing the fossil fuel industry through subsidies. Mary […]