With 90% of the UK’s ash trees about to be wiped out, could GM be the answer?
Scientists have proposed a radical solution to help trees develop resistance to ash dieback. But critics fear there could be unpredictable effects Genetically modified ash trees could replace the 80 million expected to die in the next 20 years from a deadly fungus, scientists have proposed. The radical solution to the greatest woodland disaster of […]
Rescuers work to free humpback whale from fishing line off California
The adult animal, seen off Newport Beach, was struggling to escape a potentially deadly situation as line was tangled in its mouth Marine experts were on Saturday trying to save a humpback whale that was struggling off the coast of California, with a length of commercial fishing line tangled in its mouth. Rescuers were following […]
First glimpse of rare Omura’s whale – video
An international team of biologists has made the first-ever field observations of one of the least known species of whales in the world – Omura’s whales – off the coast of Madagascar. With footage shot by Salvatore Cerchio of the New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the whales are so rare that scientists […]
Two missing after Texas floods as storms move east through state
Tornado reported near Houston amid series of water rescues Two people earlier reported killed, in Austin and near San Antonio Another round of storms and strong winds was moving east across Texas on Saturday, and two people were missing from earlier flash floods in the Austin area. Related: Texas buffeted by rain, storms and suspected […]
Eyewitness: Halvergate Marshes, Norfolk
Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment
New bat species rises from vaults of London's Natural History Museum
Pickled bat that has lain in the museum for 30 years is a previously unknown species named Francis’ woolly horseshoe bat, experts have confirmed A pickled bat kept in the vaults of London’s Natural History Museum for 30 years is a previously unknown species, experts have confirmed. The discovery of a new creature of the […]
Where witches cut their wands and butcher birds impaled their prey
Slaughter Hill, Haslington, Cheshire Slaughter Hill may be a corruption of “Sloe Tree Hill”, as blackthorns grow here – trees of ill omen, cantankerous crones “The trees are undressing,” as Thomas Hardy wrote in his poem Last Week of October. Today, burnt-toffee and russet leaves litter open farmland, one moment absinthe-green, the next treacle-dark as […]
Julie Bishop wants to co-chair Green Climate Fund derided by Tony Abbott
Fund is seen as critical to the success of December’s climate summit in Paris, which aims to reach an agreement on global emissions reductions after 2020 Foreign minister Julie Bishop has launched a bid to co-chair the Green Climate Fund once dubbed by Tony Abbott as the “Bob Brown bank”. Related: Countries pledge $9.3bn for […]
Farmers and miners should share revenue in new land rights deal, Liberal elder says
Former party president, Shane Stone, and head of the Coalition’s Northern Australian advisory group likened the revenue sharing arrangement to provisions under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act Former Liberal party president Shane Stone has suggested a radical overhaul of land use in which states and mining companies would share revenue streams with landholders to overcome […]
Beverly Hills among cities fined for not conserving enough water in drought
Thw municipality was fined $61,000, making it the only community not located in a desert singled out for penalties Upscale Beverly Hills is among four California cities where water utilities have been fined for not forcing residents to conserve enough water during California’s unrelenting four-year drought, officials said on Friday. Related: California city sends its […]