Feed aggregator

Bretton, Derbyshire Finches, fieldfares, tits, siskins and bramblings line up for the feeders at this remote cottage

The road between Abney and Bretton had been closed for much of the summer as a landslip was repaired. The ground hereabouts is wormed through with faults and weaknesses, a legacy of shale rocks and local lead mining. It’s a boundary of sorts, between limestone country to the south and dark gritstone moors to the north, a place of geomantic charm and mystery, hidden corners and unexpected angles.

Now the road was open again, offering some of the best views in the Peak District. I stopped at a remote cottage where a rough footpath led down into the head of Bretton Clough.

Continue reading...

With Lahore suffering from air pollution almost equal to that enveloping Delhi, joint action to tackle the problem is urgently needed, say environmentalists

Parts of Pakistan have been enveloped by deadly smog in recent weeks, with the city of Lahore suffering almost as badly as the Indian capital Delhi.

Pictures and video that show Lahore looking like an apocalyptic landscape have left people in shock. Some residents have said they can’t see beyond their outstretched arm.

Continue reading...

Elon Musk is unveiling his company's electric truck, the Tesla Semi, at a launch in California today. Here's what we know...

Despite report after report linking air pollution to deterioration of the lungs, heart and brain, Professor Robert Phalen believes the air is “too clean” for children.

There is a better alternative to the NEG, taking the lead of the UK, Germany, Portugal, even China, who have all set policy to move aggressively towards clean energy.

Stage 2 of Genex Power’s solar and pumped hydro project set to reach financial close in 2018, with help of new federal government grant.

A new coal generator in north Queensland would likely burn up to 79 per cent of its asset base - at the cost to Queensland taxpayers.

Australian Solar Council launches massive campaign against LNP in Queensland poll, saying there is too much at stake to ignore.

Networks and consumer groups say taking rural customers off grid - and providing them with solar and storage - can save billions, and make electricity cleaner, safer and more reliable. It's a no brainer, but the regulator stands in the way.

GE Renewable Energy has announced the appointment of Steven Oswald as the new Country Executive for the Wind business in Australia & New Zealand. Further, David Lian has been promoted to Head of Sales for Wind in Australia and New Zealand.

Season 3 lands Saturday 18 November. Foodies, Brains, Drugs, Beatles...and more. Science and culture with the spice added.

US President Donald Trump has reversed a ban and will now allow the importation of elephant parts from countries including Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The latest round of UN climate negotiations wind up in the German city of Bonn later today with 200 nations discussing the future of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

The Queensland election is just over a week away, with a sharp divide emerging between the major parties and Pauline Hanson's One Nation on key issues such as the future of renewable energy - and the building of new coal mines like Adani.

The failed attempt to reinstate land clearing regulations in Queensland has prompted 'panic clearing', pushing Australia into the global top-ten deforesters. Noel D Preece, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow at Charles Darwin and, James Cook University Penny van Oosterzee, Principal Research Adjunct James Cook University and University Fellow Charles Darwin University, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Trump administration’s lifting of restrictions on importing elephant body parts from Zimbabwe and Zambia is not the last gift to hunting interests

Hunting interests have scored a major victory with the Trump administration’s decision to allow Americans to bring home body parts of elephants shot for sport in Africa. Another totemic species now looks set to follow suit – lions.

As the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) was announcing it was lifting a ban on the import of elephant “trophies” from Zimbabwe and Zambia, it also quietly published new guidelines that showed lions shot in the two African countries will also be eligible to adorn American homes.

Continue reading...

Calls grow for the federal government to step in as erosion from intensified land clearing in Queensland threatens coral

A deforestation surge in Queensland, which the latest government data suggests is about to accelerate dramatically, is heavily concentrated in catchments for the Great Barrier Reef, further undermining plans to improve reef water quality.

The finding has renewed calls for the federal government to use its powers to assess the impact of clearing there until the Queensland government is able to pass legislation to halt it itself.

Continue reading...

Report from the National Audit Office finds overall improvement in air quality but does not expect to meet EU targets until 2021

The government will be more than a decade late in meeting EU targets on air quality, a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed.

The cost of health impacts from air pollution, including fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, is estimated at £20bn. Nearly 30,000 deaths were thought to be caused in 2008 by fine particulate matter pollution, some of it caused by diesel cars, according to the report. About 13% of fine particulate matter pollution is thought to come from diesel engines. This is in spite of improving air quality overall.

Continue reading...

US sceptics are questioning the science behind air pollution and mortality, a trend that is starting to appear in countries where the air is much more toxic

Despite report after report linking air pollution to deterioration of the lungs, heart and brain, Prof Robert Phalen believes the air is “too clean” for children.

After all, everybody needs a bit of immune-system-boosting dirt in their lungs.

Continue reading...

A significant group of nations take a stand against using coal for electricity generation at UN climate talks.