The Guardian
Landmark work on frog extinction crisis wins at PM's science prizes
Lee Berger wins Frank Fenner prize for life scientist of the year while ANU emeritus professor Kurt Lambeck wins prime minister’s prize for science
The sudden crash of several frog species in Australia and central America between the late 1970s and 1990s was a global mystery. Six species were lost in Queensland alone. The prevailing wisdom was environmental factors must be to blame for their extinction. Could it be rising pollution? Or ultraviolet radiation from the growing hole in the ozone layer?
It turned out it was neither. A group of Australian scientists showed environmental change was not responsible, and in the process upended conventional thinking about what can trigger species loss. It started as a theory from Rick Speare, a Townsville-based doctor and vet: that an infectious disease was spreading north through Queensland, wiping out frog species as it went. He invited Lee Berger, a veterinary science graduate from the University of Melbourne, to join the investigation as a PhD candidate.
Continue reading...Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 – the winners
Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten’s stunning portrait of two endangered golden snub-nosed monkeys in China’s Qinling mountains has won this year’s prestigious prize. The winners were announced on Tuesday at London’s Natural History Museum.
Continue reading...'They're billin' us for killin' us': activists fight Dakota pipeline's final stretch
Opponents of the 160-mile Bayou Bridge pipeline, which will cross Native American land and 700 bodies of water, have chained themselves to machinery
As the flat-bottom fishing boat speeds through waterways deep inside Louisiana’s Atchafalaya basin, the largest river swamp in the US, the landscape suddenly shifts from high banks of sediment and oil pipeline markers on either side to an open grove of cypress trees towering above the water. Flocks of white ibis appear, seemingly out of nowhere, to nest and hunt amid the moss-dripped, century-old wetland forest.
“This is what the entire basin is supposed to look like,” explained Jody Meche, president of a local crawfishermen alliance and a lifelong resident with a thick Cajun accent.
Continue reading...UK farm funding remit launched before EU subsidies are cut
New independent panel may allocate funding based on more varied factors than EU CAP
Farming conditions across the UK’s regions are to be assessed for the first time with a view to allocating financial assistance after EU subsidies are withdrawn, the government has said.
A new independent advisory panel will consider what factors should determine how future funding is divided among England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a remit to look at farm sizes and farm numbers, as well as environmental and socio-economic issues.
Continue reading...Luxury camp allowed in Tasmanian world heritage area despite expert advice
Leaked letter shows advisory council recommended the Lake Malbena project not be approved
One of the first acts of the Morrison government was to greenlight a private tourism development with helicopter access in Tasmanian world heritage wilderness against the recommendation of an expert advisory body.
The decision, signed by an environment department assistant secretary on 31 August on behalf of the environment minister, Melissa Price, signalled the luxury camp on remote Halls Island in Lake Malbena was not a threat to matters of national environmental significance and did not need approval under federal laws.
Continue reading...Drug trafficking at sea is devastating island states, ministers say
Ministers of island states call for help in tackling organised crime in the fishing industry, which they say is harming both the environment and human rights
Ministers from tiny island states including Palau, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati are calling for help over the “devastating” impacts of criminal networks in the fishing industry.
Fishermen, unable to work because stocks are so low, are being lured into gun-running and drug trafficking by international organised crime, the nations’ officials told an industry conference in Copenhagen this week.
Continue reading...Leaders move past Trump to protect world from climate change
Far more must be invested in adapting to warming, says new global commission that aims to rebuild political will after US withdrawal from Paris agreement
Far too little is being done to protect people from the heatwaves, storms and floods being supercharged by climate change, according to a high-level international commission. It aims to rebuild the political will to act that was damaged when US president, Donald Trump, rejected the global Paris agreement.
The Global Commission on Adaptation is being led by Ban Ki-Moon, Bill Gates and Kristalina Georgieva, CEO of the World Bank. It involves 17 countries including China, India, South Africa, Indonesia, Canada and the UK.
Continue reading...UK restaurants and cafes bin 320m fresh meals a year, data shows
Almost 900,000 unsold meals are chucked out a day, according to food waste app Too Good To Go
Almost 900,000 perfectly edible, freshly prepared meals end up in the bin in the UK every day, new figures reveal, because they haven’t been sold in time by restaurants and cafes.
This means that more than 320m meals are thrown away by British food establishments every year – enough meals for everyone in the UK five times over, according to food waste app Too Good To Go.
Continue reading...Invasion of the ‘frankenbees’: the danger of building a better bee
Beekeepers are sounding the alarm about the latest developments in genetically modified pollinators. By Bernhard Warner
The spring of 2008 was brutal for Europe’s honeybees. In late April and early May, during the corn-planting season, dismayed beekeepers in Germany’s upper Rhine valley looked on as whole colonies perished. Millions of bees died. France, the Netherlands and Italy reported big losses, but in Germany the incident took on the urgency of a national crisis. “It was a disaster,” recalled Walter Haefeker, German president of the European Professional Beekeepers Association. “The government had to set up containers along the autobahn where beekeepers could dump their hives.”
An investigation in July of that year concluded that the bees in Germany died of mass poisoning by the pesticide clothianidin, which can be 10,000 times more potent than DDT. In the months leading up to the bee crisis, clothianidin, developed by Bayer Crop Science from a class of insecticides called neonicotinoids, had been used up and down the Rhine following an outbreak of corn rootworm. The pesticide is designed to attack the nervous system of crop-munching pests, but studies have shown it can be harmful to insects such as the European honeybee. It muddles the bees’ super-acute sense of direction and upsets their feeding habits, while it can also alter the queen’s reproductive anatomy and sterilise males. As contaminated beehives piled up, Bayer paid €2m (£1.76m) into a compensation fund for beekeepers in the affected area, but offered no admission of guilt.
Continue reading...Humanity is ‘cutting down the tree of life’, warn scientists
More than 300 mammal species have been eradicated by human activities, say researchers
Humanity’s ongoing annihilation of wildlife is cutting down the tree of life, including the branch we are sitting on, according to a stark new analysis.
More than 300 different mammal species have been eradicated by human activities. The new research calculates the total unique evolutionary history that has been lost as a result at a startling 2.5bn years.
Continue reading...Protesters attempt blockade at Lancashire site as fracking begins – video report
Activists have attempted to blockade a fracking site in Lancashire as operations began for the first time in seven years in the UK. Campaigners from Reclaim the Power used a van to block the entrance to the site on Preston New Road near Blackpool early on Monday. One protester climbed on top of a scaffold and locked his neck to it. Police dispersed the protesters and the energy company Cuadrilla commenced with planned operations
Continue reading...Fried chicken, chips and global warming | Letters
Some of the last week’s news items paint a grim portrait of our world: a final warning about climate change (Global warming must not exceed 1.5C, landmark UN report warns, 8 October) and our meat consumption (Huge cut in meat eating vital to curb global warming, 11 October). In the meantime, large parts of our country are as malnourished as ever in spite of the glut (UK’s ‘food deserts’, 12 October).
I live in an area served by numerous convenience stores and fried chicken, pizza and kebab shops. There is a strong community of independent grocers stocking a wide range of fresh produce and all the exotic ingredients that home cooks could want. And we have a fiercely independent scene of local traders who sell their crafts at regular inner-city markets too.
Continue reading...Trouble brewing: climate change to cause 'dramatic' beer shortages
Extreme weather damage to the global barley crop will mean price spikes and supply problems, according to new research
Trouble is brewing for the world’s beer drinkers, with climate change set to cause “dramatic” price spikes and supply shortages, according to new research.
Extreme heatwaves and droughts will increasingly damage the global barley crop, meaning a common ingredient of the world’s favourite alcoholic beverage will become scarcer. Key brewing nations are forecast to be among the worst hit, including Belgium, the Czech Republic and Ireland.
Continue reading...The sand diggers of Mali – in pictures
A building boom in the capital, Bamako, has sparked a surge in demand for bricks made from high-quality sand dug by hand from the bed of the Niger River. The diggers’ work is poorly paid and carries many dangers, from the treacherous river currents to powerful storms that threaten their fragile craft
Banks will not be forced to reveal climate change risks they face
Critics demand tougher action as Bank of England stops short of call for mandatory reports
The Bank of England has stopped short of forcing the banking industry to disclose the potential risks they face from climate change, despite growing calls from campaigners for such action.
In a warning to finance firms to vastly improve their planning to safeguard against the financial risks posed by global warming, Threadneedle Street asked firms to “consider the relevance” of disclosing their climate-related risks.
Continue reading...Earth Science in Our Lives: photography competition winners 2018 – in pictures
The Geological Society of London has announced the results of its 2018 Earth Science Week photography competition. Entrants were asked to submit images of geological sites in the UK and Ireland that meant something in their lives. These 12 winning images will feature in a calendar and be displayed at the Geological Society during Earth Science Week 2018 (13-21 October).
Continue reading...Selfridges is selling Iceland own-brand mince pies – and proud of it
Unusual collaboration between upmarket department store and frozen food specialist is because both have committed to going palm-oil-free
Boxes of Iceland mince pies have made a low-key debut in Selfridges’ food halls this year, sharing the aisles with £1,450 tins of beluga caviar and £5,000 Christmas hampers.
The unusual collaboration between the upmarket department store and the frozen food specialist is on sustainability grounds, as both retailers seek to boost their environmental credentials by committing to removing palm oil from their own-brand ranges.
Continue reading...There’s one key takeaway from last week’s IPCC report | Dana Nuccitelli
Cut carbon pollution as much as possible, as fast as possible
The Paris climate agreement set a target of no more than 2°C global warming above pre-industrial temperatures, but also an aspirational target of no more than 1.5°C. That’s because many participating countries – especially island nations particularly vulnerable to sea level rise – felt that even 2°C global warming is too dangerous. But there hadn’t been a lot of research into the climate impacts at 1.5°C vs. 2°C, and so the UN asked the IPCC to publish a special report summarizing what it would take to achieve the 1.5°C limit and what the consequences would be of missing it.
The details in the report are worth understanding, but there’s one simple critical takeaway point: we need to cut carbon pollution as much as possible, as fast as possible.
Continue reading...'Show me the scientists': Trump reiterates his climate change doubts – video
The US president has reaffirmed his doubts about climate change, claiming scientists are politically motivated. In an interview with the CBS programme 60 Minutes, Trump said he no longer believed climate change was a hoax but he thought its impacts would not be lasting
Continue reading...Fracking protesters blockade site where UK work due to restart
Activists park at Preston New Road site near Blackpool hope to stop Cuadrilla operation
Activists have blockaded a fracking site in Lancashire on the day operations were due to begin for the first time for seven years in the UK.
Related: Cuadrilla is to start fracking in Lancashire. But we will not give in | Caroline Lucas
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