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Hydrogen-powered train makes UK maiden journey
40% of world’s plant species at risk of extinction
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.
Continue reading...UK-based service offers to convert carbon offsets into EU Allowances (spoiler: it’s not possible)
ANALYSIS: Conservative-dominated US Supreme Court would pose dangers to current, future climate policy
Butterflywatch: the long-tailed blue – visitor or native species?
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”.
Continue reading...Spring is here and wattles are out in bloom: a love letter to our iconic flowers
Climate explained: are consumers willing to pay more for climate-friendly products?
Zimbabwe: Elephants die from 'bacterial disease'
LCFS, rapid power sector decarbonisation could hit Colorado’s climate goals -report
EU could add cement, power imports to ETS in initial border measure -study
Global poll of views on environment and science finds sharpest divide in US
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.
Continue reading...Czechia not fulfilling EU ETS-related commitments in national climate plan -report
UK academics favour scaling up removal purchases in offsetting guidelines
Covid-19: Milestones of the global pandemic
Film showing mink 'cannibalism' prompts probable ban on fur farms in Poland
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”.
Continue reading...Rio Tinto: Mining giant accused of poisoning rivers in Papua New Guinea
Many fossil fuel workers like me want to transition to renewables – but we need support | Matt Craigan
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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