Around The Web
Nature showing early signs of spring despite cold snap
Woodland Trust records show more evidence that spring is arriving earlier in the UK
Winter in the UK has become a landscape of yellow hawthorn, the orange flash of red admiral butterflies, blackbirds nesting, and bumblebees feeding on mauve chives, pink valerian and lavender.
Before the white-out of snow which covered much of the country on Wednesday, reports by the Woodland Trust charity showed yet more evidence that spring is arriving earlier and earlier.
Continue reading...New solar focused energy retailer calls for “prosumer” investors
Africa 'set to miss UN development goal on malnutrition'
'Oldest tattoo' found on 5,000-year-old Egyptian mummies
AEMO points to rooftop solar’s critical role in “remarkable” heat event
Australia’s EV options vs the world’s – why are we waiting?
Robo-taxis are coming: Why nearly 100% of Australian car travel could be electric by 2030
Graph of the Day: And Australia’s top 10 corporate emitters are…
Cheap wind and solar allows Powershop to cut tariffs to customers
Road of Dreams: Why 18km stretch became testing ground for clean technologies
Blizzard survival skills: Building a snow hole
Microsoft and Sunseap sign agreement on largest-ever solar project in Singapore
Scarcer snow?
Agave trial powers up Far North bio revolution
Signal detected from 'cosmic dawn'
Pesticides put bees at risk, European watchdog confirms
How warm arctic weather caused the 'Beast from the East'
Grey squirrels are unfairly maligned | Letters
Your article (The faddy eater: Could I stomach southern-fried squirrel?, 22 February) should be admired for its honesty in showing appropriate discomfort with the idea of eating a creature that should have been living, breathing, playing, instead of suffering an early violent death. However, it also propagates a couple of myths regarding the highly intelligent and successful grey squirrel. The thing is, red squirrels, for whose troubles the greys are blamed, became virtually extinct in this country before greys were even introduced. That happened because of habitat loss. The reds were then also reintroduced from continental Europe, so the “nativeness” narrative is flawed. The tree damage is hugely exaggerated as well – the Forestry Commission puts the damage at 5%. More is lost due to poor growing practices. Furthermore, that figure relates to commercial forestry: in natural woodland grey squirrels are uniformly good for the ecosystem.
Natalia Doran
Urban Squirrels, London
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
Continue reading...Adani asked Coalition to help secure funding from China, FOI shows
Exclusive: Despite official denials, emails reveal discussions about the Indian company’s requests before ministers wrote to a Chinese agency vouching for the $16bn project
Adani asked the Australian government to help secure funding for its controversial Carmichael coalmine, documents obtained under Freedom of information reveal. Two government ministers subsequently wrote to a Chinese government agency vouching for the proposed coalmine.
Continue reading...Peru moves to create huge new indigenous reserves in Amazon
Major step taken by government Multi-Sector Commission following 15 year process
Two “naked” people spotted hunting armadillo. One “naked” family on a river-bank. About five other “naked” people - plus houses, settlements and crops - seen from small planes. Fresh footprints on a path, on a tree trunk, and along a Canadian oil company’s seismic lines. Noises in the night. Whistling and birdsong imitation. A loosed arrow. Fishing utensils, abandoned fires, and food stolen from inhabitants in the surrounding areas. . .
This is just some of the vital evidence currently being used to promote the establishment of two new reserves for indigenous peoples living in “isolation” that together could extend for more than 2.5 million hectares across one of the remotest parts of Peru’s Amazon, along the border with Brazil. If created, they could become the biggest indigenous reserves in the country.