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The butterfly effect: how one species’ miraculous comeback could save the planet

The Guardian - Mon, 2019-05-27 22:32

The Duke of Burgundy is back from the brink – and the work to conserve it has helped other declining species. Does this mean there is hope in the face of Insectageddon?

Giles Wood pauses on our walk in search of the elusive Duke of Burgundy. “Look at that hideous field of oilseed rape,” he says, peering from the Wiltshire Downs over the Vale of Pewsey. “For an artist, it ruins the summer for two weeks.” No yellow paint, says Wood, can do justice to its “nitrogen-enhanced meconium”. The vast field poses another problem that the painter, environmentalist and one half of Giles and Mary, the upper-crust bohemians from Channel 4’s Gogglebox, is acutely aware of. Despite the acres of nectar-bearing flowers, there are no insects in sight. Wood, who is a butterfly-lover, despairs. “What I really object to is the frequency of spraying [insecticides]. It gets everywhere, even into the fat of seals in the Arctic.”

Wood hopes to show me “the duke” – not one of his posh mates but a small golden insect that seven years ago was hurtling towards extinction in Britain. In 2012, it was found in 160 colonies. This sounds plenty, but 60% of these numbered fewer than 10 butterflies, and the species had vanished from at least 260 sites since 1980. Extinction experts observe how endangered species enter a kind of death spiral in their final years, beset by disease, climatic changes and cruel twists of fate. And the duke – its distribution falling by 84% since the 1970s – was relentlessly spiralling down.

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Court battle between Adani and traditional owners hears 'slur' allegation

The Guardian - Mon, 2019-05-27 19:06

Some Wangan and Jagalingou people oppose an agreement to extinguish native title over the Carmichael coalmine area

The federal court has heard allegations of “slurs” and “surreptitious” tactics in the latest instalment of a legal battle by a small group of traditional owners against mining giant Adani.

Some members of the Wangan and Jagalingou are appealing a federal court decision, which last year rejected their objections to an Indigenous land use agreement.

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Australia links energy, emission portfolios after Cabinet shake-up

Carbon Pulse - Mon, 2019-05-27 18:23
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday announced his new Cabinet after a shuffle that saw the responsibility for carbon emissions returned to the energy portfolio.
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The secretive traders fulfilling demand for a Chinese delicacy | Geoffrey Kamadi

The Guardian - Mon, 2019-05-27 18:00

Highly prized for its swim bladder – served in soups and stews – the fish could disappear altogether from Africa’s Lake Victoria thanks to the lucrative trade

A thriving trade in fish maw – made from the swim bladders of fish – could lead to the extinction of the Nile perch fish in east Africa’s Lake Victoria.

Demand for fish maw has spawned such a lucrative business enterprise in the region that it is raising concerns of overfishing.

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EU Parliament’s fragmented election points to coalition building on climate

Carbon Pulse - Mon, 2019-05-27 17:29
Projected EU Parliament election results early Monday suggest the assembly will retain its stance of pushing for more ambitious climate policy, though its centrist parties will need to rely more on liberal and green lawmakers to stave off populist climate-sceptic members.
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Myanmar's ruby gems mining - in pictures

The Guardian - Mon, 2019-05-27 17:00

Burrowing deep underground, thousands of informal miners risk their lives to find gleaming red gems as a law change spurs opportunity in Myanmar’s “land of rubies”.

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Wildlife Photographer of the Year: stories behind classic portraits

The Guardian - Mon, 2019-05-27 17:00

Past images are presented here in extracts from a book by Rosamund Kidman Cox, published by the Natural History Museum

The watchful pelican
by Helmut Moik

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Circular fashion: turning old clothes into everything from new cotton to fake knees

The Conversation - Mon, 2019-05-27 16:31
A new clothing recycling process can counter the environmental costs of fast fashion. Catriona Vi Nguyen-Robertson, PhD Candidate, University of Melbourne Nolene Byrne, Associate Professor, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Bitcoin mining

ABC Environment - Mon, 2019-05-27 16:30
How much does it cost and how much energy is used to 'mine' bitcoin? According to a new report, co-authored by Max Krause the amount of energy required to mine one dollars worth of bitcoin is more than twice that is required to mine the same value of copper, gold or platinum.
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Seas rise, hope sinks: Tuvalu's vanishing islands – in pictures

The Guardian - Mon, 2019-05-27 16:00

One of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries is already suffering floods, droughts and coral bleaching

All photographs by Sean Gallagher

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Australian company markets long-life power supply, activated by water

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2019-05-27 15:46

Close-up Photo of Batteries for powerAustralian firm brings chemical free energy storage device to market - seeking to provide long term backup storage that only requires the addition of water.

The post Australian company markets long-life power supply, activated by water appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Oil and gas majors could lead Australian renewables development by 2020

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2019-05-27 15:20

Rystad Energy report says oil and gas majors may be dominant renewable developers in Australia by 2020.

The post Oil and gas majors could lead Australian renewables development by 2020 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Taylor has failed on energy prices, let’s hope he does better on emissions

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2019-05-27 14:52

angus taylorAngus Taylor is now responsible for emissions reduction. Let's hope he does better than he did on prices, but he needs to first admit that emissions are going up, now down.

The post Taylor has failed on energy prices, let’s hope he does better on emissions appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Campaigner Lucy Manne to join 350 Australia team as new CEO

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2019-05-27 14:42

Board member and outgoing CEO of 10 years Blair Palese said Lucy’s appointment will help 350 in Australia continue to deliver effective campaigns that can make a difference to reducing emissions and supporting climate solutions post the recent federal election.

The post Campaigner Lucy Manne to join 350 Australia team as new CEO appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Queensland looks to extra hydropower from water storage after reboot of Somerset Dam

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2019-05-27 14:34

Queensland explores potential to convert state’s water storage dams into hdyro-power generators, after switching back on Somerset Dam and Hydro Electric Plant.

The post Queensland looks to extra hydropower from water storage after reboot of Somerset Dam appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Coal industry closes embrace with Coalition as ex minister becomes MCA chair

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2019-05-27 13:42

The links between the Coalition and the coal lobby grow ever tighter, as new Minerals Council chair Helen Coonan seeks to fast-track new coal mine approvals.

The post Coal industry closes embrace with Coalition as ex minister becomes MCA chair appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Know your NEM: Good policy destroyed by a crap sales job

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2019-05-27 13:36

Labor's good policy suite was destroyed by a crap sales job; but now that he is returned, will Angus Taylor listen to key institutions?

The post Know your NEM: Good policy destroyed by a crap sales job appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Queensland voters sends two climate change deniers to Senate

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2019-05-27 13:27

Get ready for six more years of mind-numbing arguments, as two climate change deniers gain a public platform thanks to their election to the Australian Senate.

The post Queensland voters sends two climate change deniers to Senate appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Turning rubbish into art and kindness of strangers feeding families in need

ABC Environment - Mon, 2019-05-27 11:30
Backyard beekeepers microchipping bees, community using social media to connect families in need with kind strangers, artist turning beach rubbish into marine-themed sculptures, couple show off collection of antique sewing machines.
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Sonnen’s battery + solar fixed price energy deal launched in Victoria

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2019-05-27 10:43

German battery manufacturer Sonnen has launched its “bill shock” busting solar and storage energy package, SonnenFlat, in Victoria.

The post Sonnen’s battery + solar fixed price energy deal launched in Victoria appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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