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Greenland’s hidden meltwater lakes store up trouble

The Guardian - Thu, 2015-02-05 20:59

Scientists find evidence of vast ‘storage tanks’ of water deep below the melting Greenland ice sheet that could have a major effect on sea level rise, reports Climate News Network

One small mystery that surrounds Greenland’s melting ice is a little closer to being solved as scientists in the US confirm that surface meltwater can drain all the way down to fill concealed lakes under the ice.

This means that atmospheric warming can reach thousands of metres below the ice sheet − warming the glacial base and potentially increasing its rate of flow.

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Sea Shepherd seeks access to jaws of great white sharks culled after Sean Pollard attacked

The Guardian - Wed, 2015-02-04 07:54

Freedom of information request by Sea Shepherd and No WA Shark Cull Inc the first attempt in Australia to use FOI to access physical objects

Environmental groups have applied to have the jaws of two great white sharks that were killed after a shark attack off the West Australian coast last year released under freedom of information (FOI) laws.

It’s the first attempt in Australia to use the FOI act to access physical objects.

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Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program in NSW Round Three

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2015-02-03 08:39
Round Three of the Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program is now open for applications within the Murray and Murrumbidgee catchment in New South Wales. Applications close Thursday 30 April 2015.
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Public consultation: Draft EPBC Act referral guidelines for the vulnerable Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster

Department of the Environment - Mon, 2015-02-02 12:52
The Department is seeking public comment on the Draft referral guidelines for the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster (Astacopsis gouldi). Comment period closes on 3 March 2015.
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State Party Report on the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area

Department of the Environment - Mon, 2015-02-02 08:54
Australia’s State of Conservation Report on the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
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State Party Report on the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area - 2015

Department of the Environment - Mon, 2015-02-02 08:13
The 2015 State Party Report is a progress report outlining Australia’s substantial progress in implementing key requests made by the World Heritage Committee.
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How to eradicate grey squirrels without firing a shot | George Monbiot

The Guardian - Fri, 2015-01-30 22:04

In Ireland, greys squirrels are being pushed into the sea and the reds are swarming back across the land – all thanks to pine martens

Is there anything more stupid than the government’s plan to kill grey squirrels?

I ask not because I believe – as Animal Aid does – that grey squirrels are harmless. Far from it: they have eliminated red squirrels from most of Britain since their introduction by Victorian landowners, and are now doing the same thing in parts of the continent. By destroying young trees, they also make the establishment of new woodland almost impossible in many places. As someone who believes there should be many more trees in this country, I see that as a problem. A big one.

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Invitation to comment on listing assessment period extended

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2015-01-30 13:14
The consultation period for the southern brown bandicoot (south-eastern) Isoodon obesulus obesulus has been extended to 27 February 2015.
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Clouds form inside Grand Canyon in rare phenomenon - timelapse video

The Guardian - Fri, 2015-01-30 06:23
A blanket of clouds amass inside the Grand Canyon on Wednesday in a rare meteorological phenomenon known as 'cloud inversion'. Timelapse footage shows the clouds swirling inside the famous canyon located in Arizona. Experts say the inversion occurs in low wind when warm air sits on top of the clouds, causing them to remain close to the Earth's surface Continue reading...
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Orders given to ban dumping of capital dredge material in Marine Park

Department of the Environment - Wed, 2015-01-28 13:49
Orders issued for the creation of regulations for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to put an end to the dumping of capital dredge material in the Marine Park.
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Treasury consultation on proposed exemptions to the Corporations Regulations 2001 for Emissions Reduction Fund participants

Department of the Environment - Thu, 2015-01-22 10:23
The Treasury is seeking comment on proposed exemptions from the Corporations Regulations 2001 for Emissions Reduction Fund participants to simplify the application of the financial services regulations. Comments close 13 February 2015.
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Treasury consultation on proposed exemptions to the Corporations Regulations 2001 for Emissions Reduction Fund participants

Department of the Environment - Thu, 2015-01-22 10:23
The Treasury is seeking comment on proposed exemptions from the Corporations Regulations 2001 for Emissions Reduction Fund participants to simplify the application of the financial services regulations. Comments close 13 February 2015.
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Antarctic toothfish poaching ships shrug off New Zealand navy

The Guardian - Wed, 2015-01-21 23:39

Three suspected illegal fishing vessels are filmed hauling in prized fish with banned nets in the Southern Ocean

Staying hidden behind sea ice and large waves, sailors aboard a navy patrol boat from New Zealand sneaked up on three suspected poaching ships, then took photos and video of the fishermen hauling in prized fish in banned nets from the ocean near Antarctica. Seemingly caught red-handed, the crews of the rusting vessels just kept on fishing.

Authorities say this month’s high-seas confrontations, and the detailed evidence collected, mark a first in Antarctic waters, where regulators have long suspected poaching activities but have found them difficult to police in an area that’s roughly the size of the continental United States.

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India’s tiger population increases by almost a third

The Guardian - Wed, 2015-01-21 00:06

Population of the endangered species now at 2,226, with campaigners hailing the latest statistics

The number of tigers in India has increased by almost a third in the last three years, official figures released on Tuesday reveal.

The rise, from 1,706 in 2011 to 2,226 in 2014, will encourage campaigners fighting to protect the endangered species. Activists called the new statistics “robust” and “very good news”.

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City of Broken Hill added to the National Heritage List

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2015-01-20 10:37
The Australian Heritage Council today welcomed the addition of the City of Broken Hill to the National Heritage List.
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City of Broken Hill, the city in the desert, included in the National Heritage List

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2015-01-20 10:03
The Australian Government is proud to announce the inclusion of the City of Broken Hill on the National Heritage List.
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Rate of environmental degradation puts life on Earth at risk, say scientists

The Guardian - Fri, 2015-01-16 05:00

Humans are ‘eating away at our own life support systems’ at a rate unseen in the past 10,000 years, two new research papers say

Humans are “eating away at our own life support systems” at a rate unseen in the past 10,000 years by degrading land and freshwater systems, emitting greenhouse gases and releasing vast amounts of agricultural chemicals into the environment, new research has found.

Two major new studies by an international team of researchers have pinpointed the key factors that ensure a livable planet for humans, with stark results.

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Uttarayan: concerns over bird fatalities during kite festival in India

The Guardian - Wed, 2015-01-14 22:28

Many birds get injured or killed as thousands take to the terraces to fly kites to celebrate Makar Sankranti on 14 January, marking the arrival of spring

Kites will fill the skies in many parts of India on Wednesday for the festival of Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan, celebrating the onset of spring, but conservationists will be fearing the worst as they brace for another year of avian fatalities.

The Jivdaya Charitable Trust (JCT), an animal welfare NGO, attended to 2,394 injured birds in Ahmedabad, the heartland of the kite flying festival, in the Indian state of Gujarat around this time last year. Of these, 490 died.

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Hebei's steel cities and China's pollution crisis – in pictures

The Guardian - Wed, 2015-01-14 01:15

China’s Hebei Province has some of the worst air pollution in the country and the area’s vast steel industry is a key focus of government efforts to improve air quality. Lu Guang’s stark images capture the industrial landscapes of some of Hebei’s most polluted cities

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Why you really should (but really can't) eat horsemeat

The Guardian - Fri, 2015-01-09 22:00

An overabundance of wild horses in the American west is driving us to the brink of an environmental disaster – and the most sensible solution may be adding them to the menu

In 2013, in the wake of the horsemeat scandal that gripped Europe, a number of envelope-pushing, high-end restaurants decided to try to introduce horsemeat to the modern American palate. The result was disastrous.

Philadelphia chef Peter McAndrews, owner of upscale Italian restaurant Monsu, was sent graphic images of horses being slaughtered and even received bomb threats after he announced he would serve horsemeat in his dining room. He publicly declared that the intimidation tactics from horse advocates that had convinced other restaurants not to serve horse would not change his menu. But a visit from the FDA to all five of his restaurants did. The agency’s inspectors advised that he “stay away from it,” he told Eater Philadelphia. “I felt like I had the FBI of the food world on me.”

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