Around The Web

The Australian fairy wren can master the meaning of a few key ‘words’ by listening to other species

Birds can learn a second language by listening to the tweets and chirps of other birds, helping them to find out when a predator is approaching, scientists have found.

Wild animals are known to listen to each other for clues about lurking predators, effectively eavesdropping on other species’ chatter. Birds, for example, can learn to flee when neighbours cluck the equivalent of “hawk!” — or, more precisely, emit a distress call.

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Building on others’ work, my research group is working to develop flexible solar panels, which would be as efficient as a silicon panel, but would be thin, lightweight and bendable.

What’s in your stuff? Electric vehicles, large screen TVs and green energy generation depend on a range of chemical elements most people have never heard of.

Drones are now delivering pesticides, fertilisers and crop monitoring to farms around the world.

Churches estimated to have diverted £5m from fossil fuels to clean energy providers

More than 5,500 churches including some of the UK’s most famous cathedrals have converted to renewable power to help tackle climate change.

Church of England places of worship, along with Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Quaker and Salvation Army congregations, have made the switch to 100% renewable electricity, and faith leaders are urging more to follow suit.

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As part of the Green Finance team, you will be key player in growing South Pole’s advisory work on the Renewable Energy topic in Southeast Asia. The position will have two main aspects; building and leading business development in the region and providing technical input, support and leadership to achieve growth and success in the region.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

North American carbon prices on both coasts this week held steady as the northeast RGGI programme shrugged off higher emissions data while activity was barren in the WCI market.

RSPB found urban sparrow colonies waning at fastest rate where traffic-borne nitrogen dioxide was worst

The cheeky house sparrow is the archetypal city bird. You can find them around the world, but they are in serious decline in cities in Italy, Canada, India and the UK. London’s house sparrow population fell by 60% between 1994 and 2006.

Scientists from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds fed London sparrows in 33 colonies and compared them with birds at 33 other places where no extra food was offered. More food meant more fledglings, but it did not improve their wintertime survival.

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A new study has shown that small height evolved twice in humans on the Indonesian island of Flores.

Nuffield College seeks to appoint several postdoctoral researchers from different disciplines to contribute to the ‘Climate Econometrics (CE)’ project which aims to improve the understanding of the impact of humanity on climate and vice versa.

The Ontario government on Thursday announced its legal challenge to the constitutionality of the federal government’s ‘backstop’ carbon pricing scheme, making good on another of Premier Doug Ford’s campaign promises and setting up a courtroom battle over Ottawa's attempt to impose its climate strategy on the rest of Canada.

European carbon prices eased in quiet trade on Thursday after eking out another new seven-year high.

Governor Jerry Brown calls administration’s proposal to weaken Obama-era emissions rules ‘reckless’ and a ‘betrayal’

The Trump administration has moved to weaken US vehicle emissions standards and has set up a major confrontation with California by scrapping its ability to enact stricter pollution standards and mandate the sale of electric cars.

Related: Elon Musk: the volatile visionary at risk of steering Tesla off the road

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The man who stole a shark from an aquarium in Texas, US said he did it because 'it needed help'.

Faced with a glorious spectrum of colour, songbirds, just like humans, look for the big picture.

An expert team appointed by Alaska Governor Bill Walker (I) has proposed to implement a revenue-positive carbon tax for the US state as part of its ongoing process to create a climate change action plan, continuing efforts that started earlier this year.

Report was with ministers in 2015 but only published three years later, days after a key fracking permit was awarded

A UK government report concluding that shale gas extraction increases air pollution was left unpublished for three years and only released four days after ministers approved fracking in Lancashire, it has emerged.

The report, written by the government’s Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG), was given to ministers in 2015, but was published quietly on 27 July. Fracking firm Cuadrilla was given the first permit under a new regulatory regime on 24 July, the final day of the parliamentary year.

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This photo time-lapse was taken from the International Space Station of a single orbital sunrise over Earth.

United Utilities announces U-turn on controversial ban due to rainfall and cooler weather

A controversial hosepipe ban affecting millions of people in the north-west of England has been called off three days before it was to start because of the “recent deluge and a drop in temperatures”.

United Utilities had said on Tuesday that there would be no U-turn on the decision to start the ban on Sunday, but it has now announced that the demand for water has eased.

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