Around The Web

Recognising animals as sentient means welfare laws must consider animals' feelings as well as their physical conditions. Bronwyn Orr, Veterinarian and PhD candidate, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The 15-year mission of "Oppy" the robot is declared over after repeated failed attempts to contact it.

Readers respond to an article and editorial on the use of agricultural pesticides and the alarming decline in insect numbers

It is not just the insects that are in serious decline, but also the entomologists who study them (Plummeting insect numbers threaten collapse of nature, 11 February), both in terms of promoting and conserving beneficial species and combating pests. In 2016, I had an article published in the scientific literature entitled Insect biology – a vulnerable discipline?, highlighting the good that insects do as well as the bad, and how necessary research is on insects, but also how this has been eroded for many years by reductions in both government and industrial funding.

For example, Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, where I spent most of my career, used to have a thriving entomological research community working on various aspects concerning the role of insects in the agroecosystem. However, especially since the early years of this century, most of this vital work has been terminated due to severe cutbacks in funding, with very few projects surviving. In my view, considering the importance of insects as described in your article, renewed funding is urgently required to continue such essential exploration of insect science in all its diversity.
Hugh Loxdale
Honorary visiting professor, School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff

Continue reading...

The UK faces "an incredibly tight timetable" for setting up its own ETS by 2021 and will likely need to rely on the EU’s goodwill should the government want to ensure minimal disruption for its emitters by linking to the bloc's carbon market post-Brexit, experts said on Wednesday.

When you think about bees you probably thinking about honey, hives and yellow and black stripes, but these traits aren’t present in the majority of Australian bees. The bee you usually think of is the European honey bee. Yet Australia actually has more than 2,000 species of natives bees. In this episode of Look at Me we find out about the amazing life of a hardworking single mother, the blue-banded bee

Continue reading...

Urging political action on pesticide use is another way to help stem ‘collapse of nature’

Buying organic food is among the actions people can take to curb the global decline in insects, according to leading scientists. Urging political action to slash pesticide use on conventional farms is another, say environmentalists.

Related: Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'

Continue reading...

The US space agency's InSight mission positions the second of its surface instruments on Mars.

More than 200 sign letter to the Guardian saying pupils right to be angry at inaction

• School climate strike children’s brave stand has our support
  

More than 200 academics have voiced their support for this week’s school climate strikes, in which thousands of young people are expected to take to the streets in towns and cities across the UK.

The academics, including almost 100 professors, say the “tragic and desperate facts” of the unfolding climate breakdown – and the lack of meaningful action by politicians – leave young people with little option but to take matters into their own hands.

Continue reading...

It's thought to be the first time the rare animal has been photographed in Africa in a century.

Bill sets aside more than 1m acres of new wilderness and conservation areas including rivers in California and Utah

Joshua Tree and Death Valley national parks are to be enlarged, and stunning river landscapes in California and Utah will be protected, under new legislation that passed the US Senate on Tuesday.

In all the public lands package sets aside more than a million acres of new wilderness and conservation areas in western states.

Continue reading...

The new species were found after three years of extensive explorations in the Western Ghats.

China has reached 700 GW worth of so-called ‘clean’ coal capacity, state media reported, easily beating its five-year plan target of 580 GW by 2020.

The departing CEO of Australia’s Carbon Market Institute (CMI) business association will join an offset specialist firm in his new role.

Conservationists from Chester zoo are conducting the first ever study of the animals, in Uganda.

Uber competitor Lyft offers "Green Mode" options for users of its rideshare network, allowing passengers to choose to be picked up by an electric car.

The post Rideshare company Lyft offers electric vehicle option appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Those same amendments passed the House yesterday, dealing the federal government an historic defeat.

The inevitable shift to electric cars is being celebrated by one of Australia's largest independent car dealer franchises, right in the heart of Tony Abbott's Warringah electorate.

The post “It’s time to go electric,” says leading Sydney car dealer appeared first on RenewEconomy.

David Lloyd’s Bond of Brothers, a heartwarming image of an affectionate pair of male lions, has been crowned the winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Lumix people’s choice award. The picture, among 25 shortlisted for the 2018 competition, can be seen at the Natural History Museum in south-west London until 30 June

Continue reading...

2018 was a record-smashing year for solar farms. So where did all of that grid-scale solar power go in?

The post A big year for big solar: Charting Australia’s solar farms of 2018 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian arm of global oil major firms plans to build 120MW solar farm in Queensland, and says its partly owned Sonnen has sold 3,000 battery units in Australia.

The post Shell plans 120MW solar farm, says Sonnen has sold 3,000 units in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.