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Congress to vote on bill to ban microbead hygiene products in US

House committee unanimously approves proposed legislation to phase out such personal care products, whose exfoliants can end up in rivers and lakes US lawmakers are to decide whether to ban personal care products containing microbeads – minuscule pieces of plastic considered harmful to the environment – after proposed legislation was approved by a bipartisan committee. […]

HS2’s impact on urban homes and hedgehogs | Letters

Patrick Barkham’s article about the HS2 route through the countryside (The long read, 17 November) was excellent – a compelling overview of its effect on rural communities. But, though any article about the omnishambles that is HS2 is welcome, it was incomplete. Perhaps Patrick could also now wander around Camden to see and record the […]

US and Cuba to sign agreement on marine conservation and research

National sanctuaries in Florida and Texas will partner with Guanahacabibes national park and the Banco de San Antonio to preserve fragile ecosystems The United States and Cuba are set to reach their first accord on environmental protection since announcing plans to re-establish diplomatic relations, linking up marine sanctuaries in both countries to cooperate on preservation […]

Eden Project bids to power biomes and homes with geothermal power

Hot rocks beneath the visitor attraction in Cornwall could generate enough clean energy to power the site and 4,000 homes, in one of the UK’s only geothermal plants A tropical fish farm, medical facility and computer servers could be powered by “hot rocks” underneath the Eden project if plans to create one of the UK’s […]

The UK is harking back to the energy system of the last century

While the Paris climate summit is set to launch the world towards renewable energy, UK energy secretary Amber Rudd is backing nuclear power and gas The UK’s new energy policy, sketched out on Wednesday by Amber Rudd, will keep the lights on. That’s the good news. But it makes meeting the UK’s carbon emissions targets […]

Radical plan proposes power generators pay to close dirty coal competitors

EXCLUSIVE: Academics suggest scheme that would slow sector’s emissions without expensive government subsidies or need for carbon price Power generators would be forced to pay for the closure of a competitor’s dirty brown-coal fired plant under a radical plan that could help Australia slow the continued increase in electricity sector greenhouse emissions without a carbon […]

Thousands of social tenants will lose out if solar subsidies cuts go ahead

Proposed cuts will halt solar panel schemes on up to 45,000 UK social homes, that could save households £200 a year on energy bills, say renewable energy firms Plans to put solar panels on up to 45,000 social houses in the UK will be shelved if government subsidy cuts go ahead in January as promised, […]