Around The Web

Reconstruction progress in Nepal has been painfully slow. Building code compliance and better urban planning are a must – but inequitable access to resources undermines recovery. Jason von Meding, Senior Lecturer in Disaster Risk Reduction, University of Newcastle Hari Darshan Shrestha, Associate professor Disaster Management and structural Engineering Humayun Kabir, Professor, DRR expert, University of Dhaka Iftekhar Ahmed, Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Native vegetation was home to several threatened species and was in a Great Barrier Reef catchment

Queensland farmers are suspected of having defied rare federal government intervention and cleared a large swath of land without commonwealth approval, according to conservationists.

The native vegetation was in a reef catchment, meaning the clearing could worsen pollution on the Great Barrier Reef. Government-commissioned studies show it provided habitat to several threatened species.

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Drone footage shows the aftermath of allegedly unlawful clearing, about 70km south-west of Cairns. The area is thought to be habitat for several threatened species, and is in a reef catchment, meaning the clearing could worsen water quality on the embattled Great Barrier Reef.

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This is the first event where electric vehicles demonstrated that the drive from Devonport to Cradle Mountain, a popular tourist destination, is entirely possible using standard production EVs currently available in Australia.

Energy Networks Australia is pleased to announce Mr Andrew Dillon’s appointment as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Australian Renewable Energy Agency tips another $20m into feasibility and business case for second interconnector across Bass Strait.

Scientists call the new timelapse video the "most complete global picture of life on Earth to date".

Patients became less distressed and heard voices less often compared with those who had counselling.

The NEG is yet another case of Australian exceptionalism in energy, typical of the toxic mix of muddled thinking and ideology that dominates regulatory oversight of this industry.

Adelaide Oval has unveiled a world class audience experience created through a CEFC-financed major lighting upgrade that goes all out to put substantial runs on the energy efficiency scoreboard.

As federal and state energy ministers gather to discuss the Turnbull government's proposed National Energy Guarantee, many of the finer details of the modelling are not yet available. David Blowers, Energy Fellow, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A population of finches on the Galapagos is discovered in the process of becoming a new species.

Rosemary Mason notices a decline in insects in south Wales; Kate Phillips says there is a major shift in insect and bird life in Buckinghamshire; and Eyke Shannon questions the role played by the Forestry Commission and the RSPB in Suffolk

With regard to David Marjot’s letter about lost insects in Surrey (18 November), we too have noticed a sharp decline in insects over the last 10 years in south Wales, but there are no neonicotinoids used in the area. In fact, as he noted in Surrey, spiders were the first to disappear. However, Dakar Pro, a commercial preparation of RoundUp, is sprayed on city pavements to eradicate weeds. Have any other readers had similar experiences?
Rosemary Mason
Swansea

• I am in need of an answer. We have had the best crop of apples from our (very) old Cox’s Pomona tree in the nearly 50 years we have been here – reason, no insect damage. We have seen almost no wasps: every year we have at least one nest in the loft, garden store, ground, but not this year. We have practically no small birds coming to the bird table – the food I put out goes to the pigeons, the one robin and a few passing tits – where are they all? There have been few hoverflies, few houseflies and no bluebottles. Is it the pesticides, sprayed over the nearby agricultural land, is it the plethora of red kites happily soaring above, or the hornets seen for the first time a couple of years ago?

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Cumbria MP says government is dragging its feet, as torrential rain causes flooding in area hit by Storm Desmond in 2015

Torrential rain has forced dozens of families from their homes and caused disruption across the north-west of England, prompting a local MP to accuse the government of dragging its feet over £25m of flood defences promised two years ago.

Lancaster and the nearby village of Galgate were the worst-affected areas, with 70 people rescued by firefighters and 27 people evacuated from their homes as rivers burst their banks and drains overflowed. Emergency services said they received 500 flood-related calls and attended 100 incidents in Lancashire overnight.

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Understanding what happened to the ice sheet will be key to knowing what the future holds for global sea levels

There are a lot of scientific eyes on west Antarctica right now, for some pretty obvious reasons.

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) holds a lot of water – enough to push up sea levels around the world by 3m or so.

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Official figures show a 9% decline between 2010-15 in birds living and breeding on the UK’s farmland

Birds living and breeding on the UK’s farmland have seen numbers decline by almost a tenth in five years, official figures show.

Farmland bird populations have declined by 56% since 1970, largely due to agricultural changes including the loss of mixed farming, a switch to autumn sowing of crops, a reduction in hay meadows and the stripping out of hedgerows.

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Concerns that Dolly the cloned sheep had early-onset arthritis were unfounded, scientists say.

Sadiq Khan says capital will not be included in the chancellor’s £220m clean air fund despite having 40% of the most polluting roads in England and Wales

London cannot bid for a £220m clean air fund announced in the budget – despite being home to 40% of the most polluting roads in England and Wales, Sadiq Khan revealed on Thursday.

Giving evidence to the Commons joint inquiry into air quality, the mayor of London revealed he was lobbying the government to support a £515m London-based two-year diesel scrappage scheme.

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UK high court extends wide-ranging injunction sought by Ineos which prohibits campaigners from interfering unlawfully with their operations

A multinational firm has secured a long-term, sweeping injunction against anti-fracking protesters in a decision that has been condemned as “draconian and anti-democratic”.

On Thursday, a high court judge extended the wide-ranging injunction sought by petrochemicals giant Ineos, which covers all anti-fracking campaigners.

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The 2016 book by photojournalist Ashley Cooper documented the effects of climate change over 13 years and in more than 30 countries. Earlier this month, Cooper won the Green Apple award for environmental best practice at a ceremony at the UK House of Commons.

Cooper is planning to set up a website, I Commit, which aims to get citizens of the world to lower their carbon footprint and upload their own images of climate impacts. Here are his images of how extreme weather has affected the UK in recent years

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