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Shut old nuclear reactors, says unprecedented alliance of EU cities

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-03-18 01:16

Communities and campaigners in Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg lobby for closure of two ageing 40-year old Belgian nuclear reactors close to borders

An unprecedented alliance of 30 major cities and districts from three countries has joined forces to try to shut down two ageing Belgian nuclear reactors close to their borders.

Cologne and Dusseldorf in Germany, Luxembourg City and Maastricht in the Netherlands are among the cities co-funding a lawsuit to close one reactor – Tihange 2 – and calling on the European commission to prepare a separate case at the European court of justice.

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Categories: Around The Web

Pregnant T. rex dinosaur found

ABC Science - Wed, 2016-03-16 14:24
OLD MUM: A pregnant Tyrannosaurus rex has been found, shedding light on the evolution of egg-laying as well as on gender differences in the dinosaur

Southern right whale study quantifies impact of whaling in NZ

ABC Science - Wed, 2016-03-16 11:35
WHALE TALE: The population of southern right whales in the waters off New Zealand today is just 12 per cent of its size before whaling began, according to a new study.

Record-breaking temperatures 'have robbed the Arctic of its winter'

The Guardian - Wed, 2016-03-16 03:48

Fort Yukon has recorded Alaska’s coldest ever temperatures but this winter temperatures have been much warmer than usual, leading to dangerously thin ice

This year’s record-breaking temperatures have robbed the Arctic of its winter, sending snowmobilers plunging through thin ice into freezing rivers and forcing deliveries of snow to the starting line of Alaska’s legendary Iditarod dogsledding race.

Last month’s high temperatures – up to 16C (29F) above normal in some parts of the Arctic – flummoxed scientists, and are redefining life in the Arctic, especially for the indigenous people who live close to the land.

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Louisiana's vanishing island: the climate 'refugees' resettling for $52m

The Guardian - Tue, 2016-03-15 22:30

Isle de Jean Charles has lost 98% of its land and most of its population to rising sea levels – but as remaining residents consider relocation, what happens next is a test case to address resettlement needs

Wenceslaus Billiot, an 88-year-old native of Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, remembers growing up on a much different island than the two-mile sliver of his ancestral home that remains today.

“When I was a kid I used to do trapping in the back,” he said, gesturing towards the back of the small, one-story house that stands elevated on stilts to escape the floods that roll in from the bayou after nearly every storm. “You could walk for a long time. Now, nothing but water.”

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Recovery Plan for Three Handfish Species

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2016-03-15 16:49
Recovery Plan for Three Handfish Species: Spotted handfish Brachionichthys hirsutus, Red handfish Thymichthys politus and Ziebell's handfish Brachiopsilus ziebelli
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Carbon sinks less likely to 'bite back', according to new research

ABC Science - Tue, 2016-03-15 16:08
CLIMATE CHANGE: New findings suggest carbon dioxide from increasing plant respiration in a warming world may not be as big a problem for global warming as some have thought.

A brief history of gravitational waves

ABC Science - Tue, 2016-03-15 15:33
GREAT MOMENTS IN SCIENCE: It took a century of speculation and experimentation to discover gravitational waves, as Dr Karl explains.

Blue-green algae and Commonwealth Environmental Water

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2016-03-15 13:47
An overview on blue-green algal blooms, how they are managed and the role of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.
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T-rex's tiny ancestor could hold clue to predator's dominance

ABC Science - Tue, 2016-03-15 11:58
EVOLUTION GAP: The fossils of a newly discovered, smaller ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus rex may hold clues as to why the iconic dinosaur rose to the top of the food chain, scientists say.

Rare 'fairy circles' discovered in outback Australia

ABC Science - Tue, 2016-03-15 09:05
ENIGMATIC PATTERNS: The chance discovery of 'fairy circles' in Western Australia's Pilbara region is providing new insight into one of nature's enduring puzzles.

What happens in our brains when we hallucinate?

ABC Science - Mon, 2016-03-14 09:46
VIVID MIND: You don't have to have schizophrenia or take LSD to have a hallucination, and they don't always have to be scary either.

York to replace Foss flood defence pumps after Boxing Day failure

The Guardian - Sat, 2016-03-12 00:42

Environment Agency says eight pumps capable of handling 30% more water to be installed along river as part of £13m project

The Environment Agency has said it intends to replace all water pumps around York months after the failure of one led to flooding in large swaths of the city.

Eight pumps capable of dealing with 30% more water are to be installed over the next 20 months, the agency said.

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Call for pollution tax on sales of new diesel cars in Britain

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-03-11 17:00

An £800 tax would fund old diesel scrappage, encourage move to low-emission vehicles and reduce air pollution, according to Policy Exchange thinktank

An £800 pollution tax should be put on sales of new diesel cars, with the proceeds used for a scrappage scheme for older diesels, according to the thinktank Policy Exchange.

The move, proposed ahead of George Osborne’s budget on 16 March, would encourage motorists to move towards lower emission vehicles and significantly reduce air pollution, according to the thinktank, which is close to Osborne. The idea is also backed by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and an influential committee of MPs.

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Rare wildlife discovered in biggest nature survey along Britain's coast

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-03-11 16:01

Wildlife ‘firsts’ include Norfolk’s only sighting of a Balearic shearwater and a beetle not seen in Northern Ireland for more than 100 years

The biggest survey to date of nature along Britain’s coastline has uncovered a host of “wildlife firsts”.

More than 3,400 species were recorded at 25 National Trust locations along the coastline of England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the charity’s largest ever wildlife survey. A handful have either been seen in a new habitat for the first time or “rediscovered” after going unseen for many years.

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Five years on, cleanup of Fukushima's reactors remains a distant goal

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-03-11 10:00

Removal of nuclear fuel from power plant that suffered triple meltdown following 2011 tsunami could take 40 years or more

In the chaotic two years after its name became forever associated with nuclear disaster, the Fukushima Daiichi power plant “resembled a field hospital”, according to the man who is now in charge of the most daunting task the nuclear industry has ever faced: removing hundreds of tons of melted fuel from the plant’s stricken reactors.

“Now it really does feel like the situation is settling down and we can look ahead,” said Naohiro Masuda, head of decommissioning at the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco).

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Draft ERF method: Community Buildings

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-03-11 09:53
Draft Emissions Reduction Fund methods on Community Buildings released for public consultation. Consultation period closes 5 April 2016
Categories: Around The Web

Draft ERF method: Community Buildings

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-03-11 09:53
Draft Emissions Reduction Fund methods on Community Buildings released for public consultation. Consultation period closes 5 April 2016
Categories: Around The Web

Newly discovered plastic-eating bacterium can break down PET

ABC Science - Fri, 2016-03-11 08:59
POLLUTION SOLUTION?: A newly discovered plastic-eating bacterium may hold the key to safely degrading millions of tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics dumped each year.

Fat under the collarbone may protect against diabetes

ABC Science - Fri, 2016-03-11 08:53
BROWN FAT: A special type of fat that probably evolved to help keep our ancestors warm on cold hunting mornings may also be important in protecting against diabetes, say researchers.

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