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EU court orders Poland to stop logging in Białowieża forest

The Guardian - Sat, 2017-07-29 02:46

European Union’s top court orders an immediate halt to large-scale logging in the Unesco-listed ancient forest

The European Union’s top court has ordered Poland to immediately halt large-scale logging in an ancient protected forest, one of many cases that has pitted the nationalist, eurosceptic government in Warsaw against the bloc.

The EU’s executive commission earlier this year sued Poland at the European court of justice (ECJ) over logging in the Białowieża forest, a Unesco World Heritage site.

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Observer Ethical Awards 2017: terms and conditions

The Guardian - Sat, 2017-07-29 02:26

Terms and conditions relating to nominating in the awards

The Observer Ethical Awards 2017 (the “Awards”) consist of 7 separate categories (each an “Award Category”), which are each governed in accordance with the general terms and conditions, and the award category-specific terms and conditions (collectively, “Terms and Conditions”), specified below. The Award Categories are as follows:

a) Young green leaders;

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Chlorinated chicken, air pollution plans and alien species – green news roundup

The Guardian - Sat, 2017-07-29 01:45

The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox

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The week in wildlife – in pictures

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-07-28 23:00

A swimming jaguar, a new species of frog, and a racoon are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

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Ultimate bogs: how saving peatlands could help save the planet

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-07-28 23:00

They are one of the harshest environments on the planet and also one of the most important in terms of carbon storage. New research hopes to reveal the role these threatened bogs could play in the climate change story

Randy Kolka hands me a fist-sized clump of brownish-black material pulled up by an auger from a bog. It’s the color and texture of moist chocolate cake. When I look closely I can see filaments of plant material. This hunk of peat, pulled from two meters (7ft) below the surface, is about 8,000 years old. I’m holding plants that lived and died before the Egyptians constructed the pyramids and before humans invented the wheel. In my hand is history. And carbon gold.

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Millions of small scale fishers facing economic exclusion

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-07-28 22:33

A summit in Bali last week sought new strategies to help small scale fishers access global markets in an effort to alleviate poverty and improve sustainability

Experts gathered in Bali last week to address the growing plight of small scale fishers, who are being excluded from key global markets, as policy makers tighten fisheries regulations in a bid to improve transparency and sustainability.

Hosted by Indonesia based fisheries NGO MDPI with support from the Walton Family Foundation, Wageningen University and USAID Oceans, the thinktank brought together professionals from across the sector.

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Brexit likely to create a rise in UK megafarms

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-07-28 22:00

Smaller farms may be squeezed out if farmers switch to vast, intensive facilities due to the pressures the industry faces from leaving the EU, say farmers and campaigners

Leaving the EU is likely to lead to an increase in the number of megafarms dominating the British countryside, campaigners and farmers agree, with far-reaching effects for farms, consumers and those who live in the countryside.

The huge intensive farms, in which as many as 1.7 million animals may be kept on a single holding, are an increasingly common, but controversial, feature of UK agriculture. The pressures of Brexit on farming are likely to cause more farmers to move to such facilities in order to lower the costs of meat production, and may squeeze smaller more traditional farms out of the market, potentially changing the UK’s landscape forever.

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Secrets of the world's toughest creatures revealed

BBC - Fri, 2017-07-28 21:40
DNA analyses of tardigrades has given scientists an insight into their incredible survival abilities.
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For richer, for poorer … a tenth of all wedding food is thrown away

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-07-28 16:01

Couples splash out an average of £3,245 on food but end up throwing about £500-worth away

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NSW govt approves 275MW of new solar farms for state

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-07-28 14:49
Four more large-scale solar projects totalling 275MW approved for development in central and northern NSW.
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Just how quickly can Tesla kill the petrol car?

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-07-28 14:48
Elon Musk to had over first 30 Tesla Model 3s and reveal what's inside first mass market EV. Along with new government mandates, the event flags another stage in demise of the petrol car. Except perhaps in Australia, whose government is developing an Amish-style suspicion of new technology.
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Environment Ministers to consider national battery recycling scheme

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-07-28 14:39
Australia's Environment Ministers resolved today to consider new laws to require battery manufacturers to collect and recycle used batteries.
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China heading for 230GW of solar by 2020

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-07-28 14:37
New annual targets released by China on Friday suggest a total installed capacity of around 230GW by 2020, triple the total at the end of 2016.
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Bream sunbathe in Ælfgifu’s river

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-07-28 14:30

Northamptonshire Canute’s queen would have known these fish but not the now local mink – or the roses that are taking over Denmark’s dunes

The broad river Nene is ponded by a substantial weir to the south-east of Northampton. The deep water is still, clear and, at present, sunlit. The northern side of the river supports extensive patches of lily pads; they blast out green as the sun sparks and flashes between them.

The open water to the south side is occupied by great herds of bream – big fish with pointed fins, vertically flattened bodies and jutting scaled heads.

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Graph of the Day: Tesla battery popular on both sides of politics

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-07-28 14:19
Scott Morrison compares Tesla's big battery to the Big Banana and the Big Prawn, but polls shows even Coalition voters think that it is a good idea.
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Canavan comes out as “minister for mining sector,” internet gets really mad

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-07-28 14:03
Recently removed Coalition minister for resources and Northern Australia admits to representing the mining sector. Facebook responds.
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Mills Oakley advises on largest solar project in Australia

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-07-28 11:03
Mills Oakley has advised Elecnor on the $450m 275MWdc Bungala Solar Farm in Port Augusta, South Australia.
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Ancient DNA shows Canaanites survived Biblical 'slaughter'

ABC Science - Fri, 2017-07-28 09:40
ANCIENT HISTORY: The ancient Canaanites were not exterminated as described in the Bible, but lived on to become modern-day Lebanese, according to the first study to analyse their DNA
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Electric vehicles for Australia: Not if, but how and when

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-07-28 09:23
Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) says that with a concerted effort, the Australian car fleet could consist solely of electric vehicles (EVs) by 2025.
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Explainer: How viable are floating offshore windfarms?

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-07-28 09:19
World’s first floating windfarm is being installed near Peterhead in Scotland. Will they be able to compete against fixed offshore wind turbines or other sources of energy?
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