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Hydrogen-powered train makes UK maiden journey

BBC - Wed, 2020-09-30 09:02
The Hydroflex made a 25-mile round-trip in Warwickshire, reaching speeds of up to 50 mph.
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40% of world’s plant species at risk of extinction

The Guardian - Wed, 2020-09-30 09:01

Race against time to save plants and fungi that underpin life on Earth, global data shows

Two in five of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction as a result of the destruction of the natural world, according to an international report.

Plants and fungi underpin life on Earth, but the scientists said they were now in a race against time to find and identify species before they were lost.

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Categories: Around The Web

UK-based service offers to convert carbon offsets into EU Allowances (spoiler: it’s not possible)

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2020-09-30 08:48
A new service is offering to “reformat” carbon offsets into more valuable EU Allowances – a conversion that isn’t actually possible based on the European carbon market's existing rules.
Categories: Around The Web

ANALYSIS: Conservative-dominated US Supreme Court would pose dangers to current, future climate policy

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2020-09-30 07:10
The US Supreme Court tilting further to the right in the wake of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing could narrow existing legal avenues to regulate GHG emissions on the federal level, while also making it more difficult to craft future climate legislation, legal experts told Carbon Pulse.
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Butterflywatch: the long-tailed blue – visitor or native species?

The Guardian - Wed, 2020-09-30 06:30

Expert believes this small, dynamic butterfly is breeding here but spending winter in warmer climes

Should Britain be celebrating its 60th native butterfly species? For years, the long-tailed blue was considered a Mediterranean butterfly but global heating has enabled this rare migrant to become a regular one. Big influxes occurred in 2013, 2015, 2019 and again this year. This small, dynamic butterfly flies over the Channel in early August and lays eggs on everlasting pea. British-born migrants emerge in September, October and even November.

“I’ve seen long-tailed blues chasing clouded yellows on the South Downs,” says butterfly expert Neil Hulme. “That’s what you expect to see from your sunbed in the Canary Islands and we’re getting it in Britain.” This year’s hotspot is Whitehawk Hill in Brighton; the species was first discovered nearby in 1859 and named “the Brighton Argus”.

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Spring is here and wattles are out in bloom: a love letter to our iconic flowers

The Conversation - Wed, 2020-09-30 06:01
With their vibrant blooms and a lineage tracing back to the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, wattles have a lot going for them. Gregory Moore, Doctor of Botany, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Climate explained: are consumers willing to pay more for climate-friendly products?

The Conversation - Wed, 2020-09-30 05:48
Our intention to buy climate-friendly products does not always match our buying behaviour, especially when we pay more for such products. Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Zimbabwe: Elephants die from 'bacterial disease'

BBC - Wed, 2020-09-30 05:24
More than 30 elephants were found lying on their stomachs, according to wildlife officials.
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LCFS, rapid power sector decarbonisation could hit Colorado’s climate goals -report

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2020-09-30 04:42
A low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) could help Colorado’s plans to hit statutory GHG reduction targets over the coming decades, on top of the main goal to nearly zero out carbon emissions from electricity by 2030, according to a report released Monday.
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EU could add cement, power imports to ETS in initial border measure -study

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2020-09-30 04:30
The EU could launch a pilot carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) by adding cement and power imports to its ETS, according to the most likely scenario of a study due to be unveiled this week.
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Global poll of views on environment and science finds sharpest divide in US

The Guardian - Wed, 2020-09-30 04:00

Only one in five Americans with right-wing political outlook said they had a lot of trust in scientists

People in the US are more sharply divided along political lines when it comes to science and environmental issues than in other parts of the world, new research shows.

Across the world, people who see themselves on the left side of politics are more likely to be concerned about the environment than those who see themselves as being on the right or in the centre ground.

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Czechia not fulfilling EU ETS-related commitments in national climate plan -report

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2020-09-30 03:46
Czechia is lagging behind in fulfilling its national climate strategy, including several provisions related to the use of funds auctioned under the EU ETS and the implementation of a domestic carbon tax, an independent research group said in a report published on Tuesday.
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UK academics favour scaling up removal purchases in offsetting guidelines

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2020-09-30 01:10
Emitters should gradually scale up their buying of carbon removals as part of a credible voluntary climate strategy, UK academics said in a report on offsetting launched Tuesday that takes a cautious line on land-based initiatives.
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Covid-19: Milestones of the global pandemic

BBC - Wed, 2020-09-30 00:53
We track some of the key moments in the spread of Covid-19 around the world.
Categories: Around The Web

Film showing mink 'cannibalism' prompts probable ban on fur farms in Poland

The Guardian - Wed, 2020-09-30 00:39

The ‘five for animals’ bill was tabled by the country’s rightwing coalition and seeks to ban fur farming within a year

Poland’s fur farms could be in their final year in operation if a bill banning production of fur clears legal hurdles next month. And France looks set to follow suit.

The Polish bill, dubbed “five for animals” (because it has five main objectives, including the ban) was tabled in early September, much to the dismay of fur farmers. The bill was announced as undercover footage from the largest fur farm in Poland was released, which campaigners said appeared to show “cannibalism, aggression, self-aggression, open wounds and paralysis of minks’ limbs”.

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Rio Tinto: Mining giant accused of poisoning rivers in Papua New Guinea

BBC - Tue, 2020-09-29 23:23
More than 150 people in Bougainville have filed a complaint against the embattled Rio Tinto company.
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Many fossil fuel workers like me want to transition to renewables – but we need support | Matt Craigan

The Guardian - Tue, 2020-09-29 23:10

Covid has hit the industry hard, but the shift to renewables is inevitable. We need government-funded retraining

Oil and gas is one of the main industries in Aberdeen where I grew up, and it was inevitable that I would follow in my father’s footsteps to work on the rigs out in the North Sea. Three weeks straight in the middle of the sea is tough, so much so that for many people their first stint is often their last. But the stability of the job when I started in the industry 13 years ago, as well as the decent pay and conditions, made up for the long periods away from family and friends.

This stability was to be short-lived. By 2016, a sustained period of oil price drops had hit the industry hard, and my employer of seven years took swift action, slashing jobs across the sector. That year there were 120,000 fewer jobs than at the peak in 2014. The wages and bonuses that had enticed us on to the rigs as direct employees were made less and less appealing. Like many of my colleagues I became self-employed, as the new working conditions pushed us to leave what we thought would be jobs for life. It’s no wonder that a majority of workers in my industry rated their job security as being so low.

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China might need 800 MtCO2e/year from nature-based solutions -govt advisor

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2020-09-29 21:48
China will likely eventually need to store as much as 800 MtCO2e annually in natural sinks to meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral before 2060, according to a key climate policy advisor to the government.
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Buried lakes of liquid water discovered on Mars

BBC - Tue, 2020-09-29 21:24
The underground lakes were detected in the Red Planet's south polar region.
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EU Midday Market Briefing

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2020-09-29 21:19
EU carbon prices declined on Tuesday, though the most bullish auction result in a week helped them stay buoyant.
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