The future is here: mass-market hydrogen cars take to Britain's roads
Billed for the last decade as a clean alternative to petrol or electric vehicles, hydrogen cars are no longer a car show concept but a driving reality. The challenge for manufacturers now is widescale adoption The first mass production hydrogen cars, billed for more than a decade as a clean alternative to petrol and diesel […]
Q&A: what are the new revelations about VW?
Hard on the heels of the diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen has come forward with new data discrepancies relating to CO2 levels That is the implication of the oblique statement released by the German carmaker on Tuesay. VW said it found “irregularities” and “unexplained inconsistencies” in the levels of carbon dioxide emitted by its cars. It […]
VW scandal might spur new low-emission car solutions, says Germany
Deputy environment minister says country’s green image has not been harmed by scandal that could force car manufacturers to come up with improved clean-energy designs Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal could force German carmakers to come up with new and better ways to build more climate-friendly vehicles, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Deputy environment […]
Why supermarkets’ love of use-by dates leads to food waste | Joanna Blythman
Use-by and best-before dates have been endowed with an authority they do not deserve, and allow food manufacturers and supermarkets to play around with the concepts of freshness and safety Rekindled by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s War on Waste programme, contributions to the seemingly intractable food-waste debate are piling up like an overstuffed compost bin. Environment secretary […]
China underreporting coal consumption by up to 17%, data suggests
Revelation may mean China has emitted close to a billion additional tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year China, the world’s largest carbon emitter, has been dramatically underreporting the amount of coal it consumes each year, it has been claimed ahead of key climate talks in Paris. Official Chinese data, reported by the […]
Satellites, Data and the Farm of the Future
There are more than 200 operational (non-military) satellites currently in position above the Earth. Innovation is driving the cost down of putting satellites into space and increasing amounts of data is becoming available. A recent article argues that farmers are set to be key beneficiaries from the technology’s boom. Satellite technology and the data gathered […]
Why eco-austerity won’t save us from climate change
Progressives need to rediscover their Promethean ambitions and counter green ideologies that hold us back and won’t save the planet Despite the anti-capitalist rhetoric of green-left writers like Naomi Klein and Bill McKibben, and the anti-corporate street protests of environmental NGOs, could it be that their small-is-beautiful, degrowth, localist, organic, anti-GMO and anti-nuclear approach to […]
It sucks to swim like a jellyfish, study of animal's movement suggests
Discovery by Stanford University researchers could challenge assumption that ability to ‘push’ water is a widely desired evolutionary trait For the longest time, science has assumed that in order to run, swim, or fly, animals and humans must exert pressure on the ground, water or air around them to project themselves forward. But a study […]
Ash trees under threat if harmful borer beetle finds way to Britain
Asian emerald ash borer, given the maximum risk rating to the tree species, is ‘moving uncontrolled’ through Russia having established itself in US and Canada A tiny beetle could wipe out Britain’s ash trees much faster than the established ash dieback disease which is expected to eventually kill millions of the trees, according to the […]
Most Coalition voters do not believe in human-induced climate change – CSIRO
Five years of surveys show 52% of Liberal voters believe in climate change but don’t think human activity is causing it, and 13% do not believe it is happening Four out of five Australians believe that climate change is happening, but those who do not are much more likely to vote for the Coalition, new […]