Satellite eye on Earth: June 2016 – in pictures
The impact of India’s drought, a remote volcanic eruption and an oasis in the Sahara and were among the images captured by European Space Agency and Nasa satellites last month Stagnant lakes stretch east-west across the upper reaches of the Volga river delta in southern Russia. The lakes are trapped by sandy mounds, left behind […]
Gone fishing: Gannet makes record breaking 1,700-mile trip
Week-long foraging trip from the Channel Islands to Scandinavian waters and back is the longest recorded for the species, conservationists say A gannet has returned home after a fishing trip of almost 1,700 miles (2,700 km), the longest recorded for the species, conservationists said. Cosmo, a northern gannet which lives on Alderney in the Channel […]
EU boiler energy label confusion set to continue
Rightwing MEPs vote to slow down the introduction of the new rules that could delay simple, colour-coded system until 2030 Householders in Europe buying a new boiler could face confusing energy labels until as late as 2030, after rightwing MEPs voted to slow down an introduction of the new rules in the European parliament on […]
Climate scientists are under attack from frivolous lawsuits | Lauren Kurtz
Climate Science Legal Defense Fund is forced to defend climate scientists against constant frivolous lawsuits Today’s climate scientists have a lot more to worry about than peer review. Organizations with perverse financial incentives harass scientists with lawsuit after lawsuit, obstructing research and seeking to embarrass them with disclosures of private information. On June 14th, an […]
Bornean orangutan declared ‘critically endangered’ as forests shrink
Mongabay: New IUCN assessment shows hunting and habitat loss are the biggest drivers, with experts warning ‘conservation is failing’ The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is now critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This change means that both species of orangutan now face an “extremely high risk of extinction in […]
Bob Katter raises funding for Galilee basin railway in talks with Turnbull
Katter says he raised the issue in negotiating his support for a possible minority Coalition government, but says it would be ‘unacceptable’ for Indian miner Adani to own it Bob Katter has canvassed federal funding for the Galilee basin railway in talks with Malcolm Turnbull but says it would be “totally unacceptable” for the Indian […]
Activists seek judicial review of Yorkshire fracking decision
Friends of the Earth and local group fight council’s decision to approve UK’s first fracking operation for five years Anti-fracking campaigners have applied for judicial review of a council’s decision to allow use of the gas extraction technique in North Yorkshire. Councillors on North Yorkshire county council’s planning committee voted by seven to four in […]
US navy researchers conduct tests to grow vegetables on submarines
Lab is experimenting with hydroponics to sustain gardens in conditions where fresh produce only lasts up to 10 days into a three-month deployment A navy research lab is working on a new project that could allow deployed sailors to finally grow fresh vegetables on submarines. Engineering technician and 30-year navy veteran Don Holman is testing […]
Report: US is now world’s largest oil reserve but global supply still small
America has surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia in oil reserves, a new report says, but current rate of production oil supplies will only last 70 more years The United States has surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia as the global leader in oil reserves, according to a report by a Norwegian consultancy firm. “We have done […]
African wildlife officials appalled as EU opposes a total ban on ivory trade
European commissions’ opposition to a proposed global ban will spell the beginning of a mass extinction of African elephants, warn officials from 29 African states Wildlife officials in nearly 30 African states say they are appalled by an EU decision to oppose a comprehensive global ban on the ivory trade. In a position paper released […]