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Climate: Government postpones Environment Bill again
‘A remarkable phenomenon’: billions of cicadas set to emerge across eastern US
Last such event for 15 states including New York, Ohio, Illinois and Georgia occurred in 2004
Billions of cicadas that have spent 17 years underground are set to emerge across large areas of the eastern US, bringing swarming numbers and loud mating calls to major towns and cities.
The periodic cicadas – bugs with strikingly red eyes, black bodies and orange wings – burrow underground as nymphs and suck fluids from the roots of plants as they grow, eventually bursting into the open as adults in mass synchronized events.
Continue reading...UK supermarkets not doing enough to cut plastic use, says report
Ten biggest retailers produced 900,000 tonnes of packaging and 2bn plastic bags in 2017
Supermarkets are still putting nearly 900,000 tonnes of plastic packaging on to the market, representing a plastic footprint which is bigger than in 2017, a new report has found.
The retailers sold more than 2bn plastic bags, according to the study by Greenpeace and the Environmental Investigation Agency, which called for the government to require companies to publish independently verified audits of their plastic footprint, alongside their financial reports each year.
Continue reading...China's new animal health rules alone won't stop zoonotic outbreaks, experts warn
Enforcement of rules and boosting numbers of vets to help with inspections, quarantines and general animal health seen as critical
China’s attempts to prevent another zoonotic disease outbreak will fail without deep changes in enforcement, oversight, and extensive investment to ramp up veterinary capacity, say experts.
China’s top lawmakers last week approved revisions to the country’s law on preventing the spread of animal diseases. Amendments to the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law, due to come into force in May, were accelerated in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The outbreak of the deadly pig disease African swine fever (ASF), which has decimated as much as 40% of China’s pig production since 2018, has been an added impetus for reform.
The new measures include a system of quarantine standards for captive bred wildlife; revisions to a system for classifying animal epidemics based on their potential impact on human health, the economy and the public; compulsory vaccinations; and stipulations for veterinarians to pass qualification tests.
However, observers said the challenge was poor enforcement of rules, rather than the need for new ones. “If China is truly to prevent and tackle future viruses, it is immensely important that the revised law is not simply adopted or revised and then ignored,” Peter J Li, a China policy specialist at the Humane Society International, told the Guardian.
Air pollution linked to higher risk of irreversible sight loss
Large UK study found small pollution rise associated with more cases of age-related macular degeneration
Small increases in air pollution are linked to an increased risk of irreversible sight loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a large UK study has found.
Previous work had already found a link between dirty air and glaucoma and a link to cataracts is suspected. The scientists said the eyes have a particularly high flow of blood, potentially making them very vulnerable to the damage caused by tiny particles that are breathed in and then flow around the body.
Continue reading...Wind and solar lead charge as renewables overtake fossil fuels in Europe
A detailed new report reveals 2020 was the first year wind, solar, biomass and hydro beat fossil fuels in Europe. We're on the right track for climate.
The post Wind and solar lead charge as renewables overtake fossil fuels in Europe appeared first on RenewEconomy.
CP Daily: Monday January 25, 2021
Covid-19: Five days that shaped the outbreak
Scientists address myths over large-scale tree planting
*NEW* – VCM Report: Offset prices inch down after bullish start to 2021
Natural climate solutions can provide 7 bln tonnes of CO2 abatement by 2030 -report
EU Market: EUAs drop 3.2% on weaker gas, warnings of looming auctions
An unexpected consequence of climate change: heatwaves kill plant pests and save our favourite giant trees
California fuel consumption declines amid soaring COVID-19 cases
EU foreign ministers tout carbon markets in new climate diplomacy push
Australia at risk of losing billions of dollars in revenue without cultural shift to re-use
An increase of 5% in Australia’s recycling rate would add an estimated $1bn to the country’s GDP, the CSIRO says
Australia could see billions of dollars in revenue lost without a profound cultural shift to a circular and zero-waste economy that re-uses plastic, glass and paper instead of burying it in landfill or exporting it.
The national science agency, CSIRO, released a detailed circular economy roadmap identifying major challenges including inconsistencies across states, a lack of reprocessing capacity and the continued loss of materials to landfill and dumping.
Continue reading...Bringing my family back to the UK was a bad decision – but home has its comforts | Emma Beddington
I felt guilty for dragging my family away from lovely Brussels. Here in York though, murky floodwater and all, I’ve found a new sense of home
‘Have you been out?” I ask my 16-year-old, who rolls his eyes. I’m committed to providing my sons with continuity in a world in crisis and that means asking this idiotic question daily. (I alternate this with my other greatest hits: “How was your day” and “Have you drunk enough water?”)
“Yeah,” he says.
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