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Scientists find two new species of fungi that turn flies into 'zombies'
Insect-destroying fungi ‘may represent the next frontier for drug discovery’
Two new fungi species that infect flies and eject spores out of a large hole in the insect’s abdomen “like small rockets” have been discovered in Denmark.
The new species, Strongwellsea tigrinae and Strongwellsea acerosa, are host-specific and rely on two species of Danish fly – Coenosia tigrina and Coenosia testacea, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen.
Continue reading...HFC phaseout, energy package to be included in US omnibus spending bill -reports
UK warned to prepare for risk of winter flooding
Environment Agency urges people in flood zones to plan ahead as Met Office forecasts wet January and February
The next couple of months are likely to be wetter than normal in the UK, experts have warned, raising the prospect of flooding.
The Environment Agency’s executive director of operations, John Curtin, said teams around the country were prepared for dealing with floods this winter in a Covid-safe way.
Continue reading...Restaurants fear huge food waste as London and south-east head for tier 3 lockdown
Coronavirus closures will put millions of pounds worth of festive food at risk, firms warn
Fresh festive food worth millions of pounds – including whole turkeys, lobsters and truffles – could be heading for the bin as restaurants and bars in London and parts of the south-east move into tier 3 coronavirus restrictions from midnight.
Under the tough new rules in England, hospitality venues have been ordered to close their doors – and cancel lucrative Christmas bookings – although they are allowed to offer limited takeaway food and delivery boxes.
Continue reading...Australian Workers' Union push for fruit pickers to be guaranteed minimum pay rate
The organisation has applied to overhaul the current pay scheme which sees some workers earning as little as $3 an hour
Unions have mounted a legal push for casual fruit pickers to be paid a minimum of $25 an hour, putting an end to farmers paying as little as $3 an hour under piece rate arrangements.
The Australian Workers’ Union on Tuesday afternoon applied to the industrial umpire, the Fair Work Commission, to change the Horticulture Award to introduce a minimum pay rate.
Continue reading...The Morrison government subsidising dirty fuel amid the climate crisis beggars belief | Bill Hare
Angus Taylor seems to be wilfully ignoring Australia’s huge transport emissions problem
The announcement this week by energy minister Angus Taylor that he’s putting together a major package to prop up oil refineries to preserve dirty fuel supplies to one of the dirtiest car fleets on the planet simply beggars belief.
This week, we’ve seen king tides and storms hitting the country’s eastern coastline, changing the face of much-loved Aussie beaches, which were already feeling the effects of rising sea levels. This time last year, the country was on fire. In 2020 our Great Barrier reef was bleached for the third time in five years, the most widespread event ever. We just had the warmest spring ever, 2C above average, which would have been “virtually impossible” without our greenhouse gas emissions.
Continue reading...China is scaling up its weather modification programme – here's why we should be worried | Arwa Mahdawi
Beijing is aiming to control rain and snow across half the country. But it is the reason it wants to do this that is really frightening
Remember when Donald Trump wanted to nuke hurricanes so they didn’t hit the US? Everyone laughed uproariously, but Trump’s warped little mind was actually on to something. You may not be able to bomb hurricanes into oblivion, but you can shoot things into the atmosphere in order to change the weather. It’s a process known as cloud seeding and a number of countries, including the UK and the US, have been experimenting with it for decades.
There hasn’t been a huge amount of mainstream attention paid to cloud seeding or other forms of geoengineering, but now is the time to sit up and take notice: China has massively ramped up its efforts to control the weather, a move that should alarm us all.
Continue reading...Virginia facility opens RGGI account ahead of 2021 linkage
EU to favour “quality over speed” in carbon removals certification -senior official
As oil prices languish, Alberta sees its future in a 'coal rush'
At least six new or expanded mines could be built as a new conservative provincial government aims to increase coal production for export
With the price of Western Canadian oil languishing around $35 a barrel and Canadian oil sands companies hemorrhaging both workers and money, the province of Alberta sees its future in another fossil fuel: coal.
Continue reading...UK utility Drax agrees to sell gas assets to Vitol to focus on carbon negative ambitions
Australia’s miners have no plan to transition to zero emissions products
None of Australia's largest resources companies have a plan to transition to producing zero carbon products, a ClimateWorks report had found.
The post Australia’s miners have no plan to transition to zero emissions products appeared first on RenewEconomy.
America's last wilderness is about to go to the highest bidder for oil drilling | Kim Heacox
Ten thousand years of undisturbed nature will soon be open to the highest bidder, starting at $25 an acre
Language is everything.
Those who argue for oil drilling in the Arctic national wildlife refuge, a place of stunning wild beauty in far north-east Alaska, seldom call it what it is – a refuge.
Continue reading...EU ETS registry to go offline for maintenance, upgrade at turn of year
Australia Market Roundup: Regulator issues over half a million new ACCUs
Hayabusa-2: Pieces of an asteroid found inside space capsule
SK Market: Generator buying pushes KAUs to five-month high
South Korea adopts new 2030 climate target without increasing ambition
Restore UK woodland by letting trees plant themselves, says report
Rewilding Britain charity says natural dispersal of seeds is cost-effective and boosts biodiversity
Allowing trees and woodland to regenerate through the natural dispersal of seeds should become the default way to restore Britain’s forest cover, according to a new report.
Natural regeneration brings the most benefits for biodiversity, is cost-effective and may sequester more carbon than previously thought, argues Rewilding Britain.
Continue reading...'Happy corals': climate crisis sanctuary teeming with life found off east Africa
Rare discovery of reef cooled by channels formed during creation of Kilimanjaro is ‘something to hope for’, say scientists
Scientists have discovered a climate crisis refuge for coral reefs off the coast of Kenya and Tanzania, where species are thriving despite warming events that have killed their neighbours.
The coral sanctuary is a wildlife hotspot, teeming with spinner dolphins and boasting rare species, including prehistoric fish and dugongs. Researchers believe its location in a cool spot in the ocean is helping to protect it and the surrounding marine life from the harmful effects of the climate crisis.
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