Denver park closes over risk to visitors trying to take #bearselfies
Waterton Canyon park closes to the public with blog noting that visitors get ‘sometimes within 10 feet of wild bears’ while taking pictures with the animals A recreation and hiking area in Denver has been closed to the public after one too many hikers tried to take the perfect selfie with a bear. The park, […]
The Guardian view on the Paris summit: outlook fair, but storms still possible | Editorial
The political support for a deal is broader and deeper than ever before. But the real crunch comes in October, when the IMF and the World Bank Group meet to assess progress towards the $100bn of climate aid The chances of a deal at the Paris climate change summit that starts on 30 November look […]
More people die from air pollution than Malaria and HIV/Aids, new study shows
More than 3 million people die prematurely each year from outdoor pollution and without action deaths will double by 2050 More than 3 million people a year are killed prematurely by outdoor air pollution, according to a landmark new study, more than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. Wood and coal burning for heating homes and cooking […]
Paris climate summit pledges won't avoid dangerous warming – UK and UN
UN climate chief and UK government sources say carbon cuts pledged by countries will see temperatures rise 2.5-3C, but could be ratcheted up later The greenhouse gas emission cuts being pledged by the world’s nations will fall short of restricting global warming to 2C, the UN’s climate chief and UK government sources have warned. A […]
Predictable evolution: bad news for toads, good news for their predators | @GrrlScientist
Researchers reveal that, under certain circumstances, the process of evolution can be highly predictable, especially when there are limited solutions to a particular problem, such as resistance to dangerous toxins A research paper that was published a few days ago in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reports that evolution can follow […]
New wave of fracking licences threatens hundreds of key English wildlife sites
Nearly 300 sites of special scientific interest, home to rare animals and plants, have been opened up to fracking by the Tory government, RSPB study shows Hundreds more of England’s most important wildlife sites are now at risk from fracking after the government opened up 1,000 sq miles of land to the controversial technology, a […]
How does the laburnum tree produce arsenic?
Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts We have an apple and a pear tree that both produce good edible fruit. A few metres away is a laburnum tree with leaves and seeds containing arsenic. Arsenic is an element and cannot be made, so how […]
Sustainable investing: are companies finally moving money away from fossil fuels?
Wall Street’s big banks are starting to realize it’s possible to drop oil without dropping returns Wall Street’s big banks are becoming increasingly interested in sustainable investing. The most recent convert is Goldman Sachs: in June, it named Hugh Lawson, a partner and managing director, as its global head of environmental, social and governance (ESG) […]
Arctic sea ice shrinks to fourth lowest extent on record
Polar region’s sea ice continues long term decline since satellite monitoring began in the 1970s, driven by warming temperatures in atmosphere and ocean Ice coverage in the Arctic this year shrunk to its fourth lowest extent on record, US scientists have announced. The National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado, said the […]
Global drought: why is no one discussing fresh water at Cop21?
In December, the UN’s conference on climate change gathers in Paris but the issue of fresh water is absent from the agenda. How can policymakers be brought onside? Around the world, fresh water supplies are drying up: California in the US and São Paulo in Brazil are enduring historic droughts, groundwater sources have been plundered […]