Around The Web

Corner shops could be told to charge shoppers for single-use carrier bags under new government plans.

Norishige Kanai says he has actually grown 2cm in space in three weeks, blaming a measuring mistake.

A marine biologist says a humpback whale saved her from a shark during a recent research expedition

The UK now has more offshore wind power capacity than any other country – but we need a plan B for ultra-cold winters with soaring energy demands

Last year was one of the greenest for power in the UK. Nearly one-third of all electricity came from renewable sources, and wind and solar provided more power than coal on 315 days of the year. Rapid growth in both solar and wind (the UK now has more offshore wind power capacity than any other country in the world) has enabled the UK to achieve these impressive statistics, but will the rise in renewables also make UK power more vulnerable to the whims of British weather?

Researchers working on the European Climatic Energy Mixes project have been investigating future risk by assessing how the UK would fare with a repeat of the unusually cold winter of 2009-10. From mid-December 2009 a southward-displaced jet stream allowed cold air to pour in from eastern Europe, bringing widespread snow and plunging temperatures. The mean UK temperature for the entire winter was just 1.5C, the lowest since 1978-79 when it was 1.2C . As a result power demand surged, with electricity consumption between 10 and 20% above average on a number of occasions.

Continue reading...

The trend of warmer than average temperatures continued through 2017 — at 21.5 degrees it was almost a full degree above the average.

The reptiles employ a clever trick when the water they live in freezes over

Significant investment in recent years has made China the world's largest producer in everything from solar panels, to wind farms and electric vehicles.

Australian scientists are using recycled denim to create more environmentally friendly jeans.

Last year saw plenty of warm weather around the country, but other notable events included dry months in the southeast, some very cold winter nights, and record-warm dry season days in the north. Linden Ashcroft, Climatologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Blair Trewin, Climate scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Skie Tobin, Climatologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Victoria's new plan to control feral horses aims to remove up to 400 a year from the eastern Alps. But without considering aerial culling, the plan seems unlikely to get to grips with the problem. Don Driscoll, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The tanker is carrying more than 100,000 tonnes of condensate, which is highly toxic and much more explosive than regular crude oil.

Readers respond to the government’s pledge of £5.7m towards the creation of a northern forest stretching from Liverpool to Hull, and to a report on agroforestry

The government’s tossing a few million towards a grand £500m “northern forest” (Government pledges £5.7m for northern forest, 8 January) is an example of the puny tokenism operating today, where acts of vandalism against our precious environment, such as HS2, can be so casually “offset”. HS2 is a folly, the stubborn imposition of a luxury fairground ride built over never-to-be-seen-again landscapes.

Improve what we have, protect the things that are good around us, cancel HS2. And for sure, plant some more trees (and not just pine and spruce, please – we don’t want more Forestry Commission-style bland industrial forestry). There are thousands of acres of aristocratic grouse-shooting estates all over the North Pennines and North Yorkshire, where trees are not allowed because they spoil all the fun of the chase. Wonderful places to plant some new trees, if the Tories really are suddenly into tree-planting.
Catherine Francis
Skipton, North Yorkshire

Continue reading...

Charging point manufacturer’s CEO warns that UK power grid needs to handle expected 9m electric vehicles by 2030

The UK should speed up preparations for the rise of electric vehicles, according to the chief executive of ABB, the world’s largest supplier of fast-charging points.

Speaking as the Switzerland-based engineering firm became the first official sponsor of the electric street racing series Formula E, Ulrich Spiesshofer predicted a flood of consumer take-up of plug-in cars.

Continue reading...

Who is the new man in charge of higher education in England?

Green sea turtles' gender is temperature dependent and there are now too many females.

Enter your postcode to see what the air quality is like where you are.

Exclusive: compliance committee considers complaint alleging government breached Aarhus convention by not consulting public over withdrawal bill

The British government may have breached a major “environmental democracy” law by failing to consult the public when drawing up Brexit legislation.

A UN-backed committee has confirmed it is considering a complaint from Friends of the Earth that the government’s EU withdrawal bill breached the Aarhus convention, which requires public consultation on any new environmental law.

Continue reading...

A final batch order is raised for the Ariane 5 - the workhorse European rocket of the last 20 years.

Tourists are flocking to see the giant water lilies, which locals had thought were extinct.

Norishige Kanai says he is worried he will not be able fit in his Soyuz seat for the return to Earth.