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Electric vehicle chargepoint policy leaning on a lamp-post adaptation | Letters
John Armitt is absolutely right to highlight the growing importance of a national, highly visible electric chargepoint network. As he will know, in the UK there are already around 14,000 public chargepoints, of which at least 1,300 are rapid chargers, forming one of the larger networks of rapid chargepoints in Europe. New legislation will enable further swift growth and ensure the UK’s infrastructure network is easier to use and still more reliable for electric vehicle drivers. And the government’s recently launched Road to Zero strategy envisages a further massive expansion of electric and low emission vehicle charging infrastructure. It includes a consultation on proposals for chargepoints to be installed with all newly built homes in England, where possible. We are also looking at how far new lamp-posts can include on-street charging infrastructure, and will be providing guidance to local authorities to support this.
The move to zero emission vehicles is the biggest automotive technology change since the invention of the combustion engine. I and my colleagues are seeking to ensure the UK is and remains at the forefront of this revolution.
Jesse Norman MP
Minister for electric vehicles
The week in wildlife – in pictures
A quarter of a million roosting gannets in Yorkshire, an orca whale mother keeps her dead calf afloat and Norwegian reindeer seek cool in busy road tunnels – it’s the week in wildlife
Continue reading...Engineered pig lung transplant 'a success'
Chimp sanctuary created by World Bank threatened by World Bank-backed dam
Bank helped create reserve for endangered primates, but has since funded studies used to approve dam that would flood newly created habitat
Less than a year after it helped to create one of the planet’s most important chimpanzee sanctuaries, the World Bank is accused of backing a dam project that could flood the newly protected habitat.
The 6,426 square-kilomet re Moyen-Bafing national park was established by the government of Guinea last November with the support of the International Finance Corporation , the private sector lending arm of the World Bank.
Too hot? In 1858 a heatwave turned London into a stinking sewer
CN Markets: Pilot market data for week ending Aug. 3, 2018
Pollution is slowing the melting of Arctic sea ice, for now | John Abraham
Human carbon pollution is melting the Arctic, but aerosol pollution is slowing it down
The Arctic is one of the “canaries in the coal mine” for climate change. Long ago, scientists predicted it would warm quicker than other parts of the planet, and they were right. Currently, the Arctic is among the fastest-warming places on the planet. Part of the reason is that as the Arctic warms, ice melts and ocean water is uncovered. The ocean is darker than ice so it in turn absorbs more sunlight and increases its warming. This is a feedback loop.
Another reason is that the Arctic doesn’t get that much sunlight so increased energy from the atmosphere has a bigger influence there than it would have elsewhere.
Continue reading...Queensland govt to buy aboriginal carbon credits to offset own emissions
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Queensland backs start-up with plans for low-cost EV fast-charging
Tesla Energy admits slowdown of Powerwall battery production
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Tesla sold 1410 electric vehicles in Australia in 2017, new data shows
Air pollution linked to changes in heart structure
Study shows correlation between levels of exposure to fine particulate matter and chamber enlargement seen in early stages of heart failure
Air pollution is linked to changes in the structure of the heart of the sort seen in early stages of heart failure, say researchers.
The finding could help explain the increased number of deaths seen in areas with high levels of dirty air. For example, a report last year revealed that people in the UK are 64 times more likely to die from the effect of air pollution than people living in Sweden. Such premature deaths can be linked to a number of causes including respiratory problems, stroke and coronary artery disease.
Continue reading...Tesla soars, short-sellers squirm, as polite Musk promises “profitability”
Trump proposes auto emissions, fuel efficiency roll-back
Tweets going viral: birds can 'learn second language' from peers
The Australian fairy wren can master the meaning of a few key ‘words’ by listening to other species
Birds can learn a second language by listening to the tweets and chirps of other birds, helping them to find out when a predator is approaching, scientists have found.
Wild animals are known to listen to each other for clues about lurking predators, effectively eavesdropping on other species’ chatter. Birds, for example, can learn to flee when neighbours cluck the equivalent of “hawk!” — or, more precisely, emit a distress call.
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