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Airport expansion: the experts' view
Guardian writers examine the pros and cons of extra runways at Heathrow and Gatwick from three different perspectives
Heathrow airport is full to bursting. The same will soon be true of Gatwick. There has been no full-length runway built in the south-east since the 1940s. The UK’s attempts to break into the big and fast-growing markets of the emerging world such as India and China will be thwarted unless it follows the lead of other European countries and upgrades its aviation infrastructure. Jobs, trade and inward investment all depend on the go-ahead for new capacity.
Continue reading...The happiest animal in the world
Heathrow third runway: what does the Tory cabinet think?
Where Theresa May’s team stand on the proposed expansion of the west London airport
As MPs opposed to a third runway at Heathrow are plotting to undermine its anticipated government approval, we look at where members of Theresa May’s cabinet stand on the proposed expansion of the west London airport.
Related: Anti-Heathrow MPs plan to thwart government over third runway
Continue reading...Twin giant panda cubs enjoy first birthday at Toronto Zoo
Before the Flood: Leonardo DiCaprio hopes his new film will inspire climate action
Documentary that sees the actor touring the world to see global warming’s impact first-hand has its UK premiere in London on Friday
“Try to have a conversation with anyone about climate change and people just tune out,” says Leonardo DiCaprio in his new film. “If the UN really knew how I feel, how pessimistic I am about our future, I mean to be honest they may have picked the wrong guy,” he says in Before the Flood, which shows him urging world leaders at the UN to act on fossil fuels.
But after touring the world to see global warming’s impact first-hand, from Canada’s tar sands and Greenland’s ice to China’s coal belt and Miami’s flood problems, the actor came away more upbeat.
Continue reading...New bee arrives for first time in the UK
Viper’s bugloss mason bee, common in Europe, was spotted for the first time in Britain in a London park
Brexit may have caused an anti-immigrant buzz but a traveller from the continent has made the UK its new home: the viper’s bugloss mason bee.
The bee is common in the UK’s European neighbours but has been discovered for the first time in this country, in a small park in Greenwich, London.
Continue reading...Deal expected on phasing out 'disastrous' greenhouse gases
Electric cars, an escaped gorilla and fracking – green news roundup
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
Continue reading...Cave art: Etchings hailed as 'Iberia's most spectacular'
The week in wildlife – in pictures
Toxic lion fish, a rare brown panda and a green sea turtle are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world
Continue reading...Majority of potential UK fracking sites are rich in important wildlife
Almost two-thirds of licensed sites have above-average biodiversity, that is valuable for functions such as pollination and pest control, analysis shows
Many of the areas that have been recently licensed for fracking are rich in wildlife that perform crucial functions from pollination to decomposition, researchers have found.
Scientists say that almost two-thirds of the areas that have been labelled as suitable for shale gas extraction have levels of biodiversity above the national average, according to a new analysis of records collected from across the country.
Continue reading...Winter electricity blackouts risk recedes, says National Grid
Extra power will mean lights will not go out this winter, says firm that operates UK’s electricity transmission network
The risk of electricity blackouts in Britain this winter has diminished, after the National Grid and the government spent more than £140m on tools designed to guarantee the lights stay on.
The Grid’s capacity margin, the cushion between electricity demand and supply, has risen to 6.6%, beating its summer prediction of 5.5%. The buffer zone is also well ahead of last year’s “tight but manageable” 5.1%, which was the lowest in a decade.
Continue reading...Dirty, isolated and freezing: life in Arctic circle city – in pictures
Photographer Elena Chernyshova spent a year documenting the people and landscape of Norilsk, which was built by prisoners during the Soviet era
Continue reading...Climate scientists published a paper debunking Ted Cruz | John Abraham
Earth’s atmosphere is warming faster and more in line with models than Ted Cruz and his witnesses argued
A new study has just appeared in the Journal of Climate which deals with an issue commonly raised by those who deny that human-caused climate change is a serious risk. As I have written many times, we know humans are causing the Earth’s climate to change. We know this for many reasons.
First, we know that certain gases trap heat; this fact is indisputable. Second, we know that humans have significantly increased the amount of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. Again, this is indisputable. Third, we know the Earth is warming (again indisputable). We know the Earth warms because we are actually measuring the warming rate in multiple different ways. Those measurements are in good agreement with each other.
Continue reading...Funding boost for UK citizen science project
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Dinosaur-era 'swordfish' discovered in outback Australia
Great white smashes through shark cage during diving trip – video
Footage uploaded to YouTube shows the moment a great white shark breaches the side of a cage during a diving trip to Guadalupe Island, off the west coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. According to YouTuber Gabe and Garrett, ‘this shark lunged at the bait, accidentally hit the side of the cage, was most likely confused and not able to swim backwards’.
Continue reading...Small businesses using technology as the great equalizer
Maintaining a thriving business today means consistently providing top quality customer service, even if you are a small business growing at a rapid rate. And with new digital technology, small companies now have the tools to compete
When Facebook bought Instagram for $US1 billion in 2012, it had just 13 employees. But it also had global recognition and more than 30 million customers.
And in the years since, the power of small companies to compete with the titans of commerce has only grown, as digital technology continues to empower minnows to make whale-sized splashes.
Continue reading...Heritage apples – taking your pick of history
West Dean, West Sussex I munched on wedges of spicy Sussex Mother, fragrant Tinsley Quince and nutty russets
“Welcome to paradise,” exclaimed our guide as he led us through the gate. Derived from the ancient Persian pardes, meaning “orchard” or “enclosure”, “paradise” is an apt description for this beautifully restored Victorian walled garden nestled at the foot of the South Downs, which boasts more than 100 varieties of apple, many of Sussex origin. Commercial growers nowadays concentrate on a handful of cultivars selected for heavy cropping, bruise resistance, keeping quality and uniform shape; this garden, in contrast, celebrates our wealth of heirloom apples, whatever their peculiar traits.
Related: Country diary: Henstridge, Somerset: Apples of concord
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