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Why is there a row about Galileo?
Brexit: UK wants £1bn back from EU if it is excluded from Galileo
EU Market: EU carbon prices hit fresh 7-yr high, have doubled since end-2017
Birds had to relearn flight after meteor wiped out dinosaurs
Fossil records suggest only flightless birds survived when T rex was wiped off the Earth
Birds had to rediscover flight after the meteor strike that killed off the dinosaurs, scientists say.
The cataclysm 66m years ago not only wiped out Tyrannosaurus rex and ground-dwelling dinosaur species, but also flying birds, a detailed survey of the fossil record suggests.
Continue reading...EU registry to be temporarily suspended for 48 hours in early June
How ancestors of living birds survived asteroid strike
How ancestors of living birds survived asteroid strike
What the government is doing to address the air pollution problem | Letter from Michael Gove MP, environment secretary
You write that “the main contributor to the air quality crisis … is road transport” (Editorial, 23 May). Road transport contributes 34% of nitrogen dioxide emissions and 12% of particulate matter emissions. The majority of air pollution comes from other sources. In particular, domestic burning contributes 38% of primary particulate matter – the most damaging pollutant to human health, according to the World Health Organisation.
You write that our clean air strategy “purported to tackle a public health crisis by getting families to open their windows more often because ‘air pollution inside the home can often be higher than outside’.” Those 11 words are taken from almost 40,000 in the document, which sets out action on domestic fuel, farming, ports, aviation and in other areas.
Continue reading...Clothes moths’ part in the circle of life | Brief letters
You report (24 May) that Pauline Pennant, a UK citizen living overseas, pays UK taxes through her pension, earned after 30 years working with the NHS, yet is no longer entitled to free healthcare. If she is no longer entitled to this because she lives overseas, then why does she still pay UK tax on her pension and what, or who, is this deducted tax being used for?
Lin Aldridge
Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire
• Once again we read that a woman “had fallen pregnant” (Landmark conviction for forced marriage, 23 May). Since the word “fall” generally indicates a failure of some kind, isn’t it time to replace this antiquated and somewhat sexist expression with the more factual “had become pregnant”?
Dr Brigid Purcell
Norwich
Sweden scraps EUA cancellation plan, to spend Vattenfall sale cash on innovation instead
New Jersey governor endorses energy package, including contentious nuclear bill
Ben & Jerry’s customers scoop up REDD credits in retail offsetting initiative
Manager Carbon Offsets, Beschaffung und Lieferantenbe, ClimatePartner – Munich
Head of Sales – International, First Climate Markets – Bad Vilbel, Germany
China announces tender system to push down wind power costs
Farne Island puffin population drop sparks concern
Farne Island puffin population drop sparks concern
Air pollution worse inside London classrooms than outside, study finds
Exclusive: study of schools in capital finds dangerous levels of fine particulate pollution within classrooms, putting children at risk
Children in London schools are being exposed to higher levels of damaging air pollution inside the classroom than outside, putting them at risk of lifelong health problems, a new study has revealed.
Related: Clean-air campaigners call for ban on school run to cut pollution
Continue reading...'We can't see a future': group takes EU to court over climate change
Litigants from eight countries claim EU institutions are not protecting fundamental rights
Lawyers acting for a group including a French lavender farmer and members of the indigenous Sami community in Sweden have launched legal action against the EU’s institutions for failing to adequately protect them against climate change.
A case is being pursued in the Luxembourg-based general court, Europe’s second highest, against the European parliament and the council of the European Union for allowing overly high greenhouse gas emissions to continue until 2030.
Continue reading...Scotland draft climate change bill sets 90%-by-2050 emission reduction target
Holyrood says ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions are ultimate aim but climate campaigners say target is disappointing
New targets will set Scotland on course to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve a 100% reduction in carbon emissions, the Scottish government has claimed.
The draft climate change bill, published on Thursday morning, sets a target of a 90% reduction by 2050 – which the UK Committee on Climate Change states is currently “at the limit of feasibility” – with the aim of achieving 100% reduction, or “net-zero”, as soon as possible after that date.