Feed aggregator

The three-person crew of Peggy Whitson, Jack Fischer and Fyodor Yurchikhin have landed safely in Kazakhstan.

Plastic pollution in our seas is depressing – but there are imaginative moves afoot to address the problem

I’ve been sceptical about the power of running shoes to affect global change. So naturally I had it in for UltraBoost Uncaged Parley, Adidas trainers that claim to make peace with the ocean. The shoe’s upper is created from plastic waste retrieved from a clean-up operation in the Maldives, and recycled polyester. But Adidas has committed to producing a million pairs of these ocean waste running shoes, and a swimwear line.

Adidas has committed to producing a million pairs of ocean waste running shoes

Continue reading...

Palaszczuk government and mining giant apparently at odds as Adani says ‘there are no ongoing negotiations’ on Carmichael scheme

Queensland’s government says it is still negotiating with Adani over the details of its royalties agreement for its $16.5bn Carmichael mine, despite the deal being officially agreed months ago.

Adani announced in May it had reached agreement with the government over royalty payments, after a more generous offer of concessions was scrapped amid internal pressure from within the state Labor cabinet and caucus.

Continue reading...

Our seafood diet must adapt, say scientists, as climate change forces some favourites to colder waters and threatens others

Britain must prepare itself for invasions of growing numbers of foreign sea creatures attracted by our warming waters, a new report has warned. Some newcomers could have devastating effects, others could be beneficial, say the researchers.

Examples provided by the team include slipper limpets that could destroy mussel and oyster beds. By contrast, new arrivals such as the American razor clam and Pacific oyster could become the bases of profitable industries for British fishermen.

Continue reading...

Harlech, Gwynedd Redshank circle above Ynys while Roma samphire pickers search the saltings

A flight of redshank, wings elegantly barred and bent, clatter and yelp out of a draining channel as I circle Glastraeth, the “green strand” at the mouth of the river Dwyryd, which was once a crucial Welsh wintering ground for curlews, pintails and geese.

Related: Birdwatch: Common redshank

Continue reading...

Veteran conservationist compares situation to a nationwide action he led against the Franklin Dam in Tasmania in the 1980s

Veteran conservationist Bob Brown has criticised the “destructive wealth and arrogance” of Indian mining group Adani at a Sydney protest against the Galilee Basin mine.

The Adani chairman, Gautam Adani, announced this week that the company would break ground on it’s $16.5bn coal mine in Queensland in October.

Continue reading...

The Earth has warmed by 1 degree. 2 degrees will bring with it awful consequences. Are we on track for getting the rise under control? Join Robyn Williams and a panel of energy experts at Brisbane’s World Science Festival.

At least 18 major renewable energy projects are being built or finalising commercial arrangements in north Queensland - with more in the pipeline.

Power prices are causing significant individual pain around the country, but what happens when the bill price shock starts paralysing regional businesses?

A rare native night bird makes a comeback; we turn beach coconuts into crunchy chips; go snail farming in Victoria; and meet 92-year-old former vegetable grower, turned machinery collector, Bill Ashman.

Footage of a number of waterspouts in Russia has emerged.

A powerful machine opens in Germany to probe the structure of matter to help make new drugs and materials.

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...

NGO Earthsight reports charcoal from the Chaco region has been sold in Aldi, Lidl and Carrefour in Spain and Germany

No tropical forests anywhere in the world are being destroyed more rapidly than the Chaco stretching across Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. Not the Amazon in Brazil, nor in Indonesia, Malaysia or the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At least, that is according to a University of Maryland-led study published in 2013. And the carnage continues today. In July British NGO Earthsight released a report stating that “the latest available analysis [by Paraguayan NGO Guyra], covering January 2017, suggests that the rate of deforestation has kept pace since the Maryland paper. The Paraguayan Chaco is on course to lose more than 200,000 hectares of forest this year: an area the size of Manhattan every fortnight.”

Continue reading...

Marabou storks, Kamchatka brown bears and playful lion cubs are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

Continue reading...

Thousands of people are using home air quality monitoring kits due to fears official figures are not capturing dangerous pollution levels, say Friends of the Earth

A growing number of citizens are monitoring local air quality because of fears official figures are not capturing “dangerous” levels of pollution.

The environmental charity Friends of the Earth has said 70 local groups are now using their testing kits and noted a “surprising” increase in people taking monitoring into their own hands.

Continue reading...

Suffolk Wildlife Trust says species including the stone curlew will benefit from the purchase.

Florence will pass by at a relatively close distance but scientists say there is nothing to worry about.

When Aric Harding, a Houston pastor and musician, returned to fetch some belongings from his home after it was flooded by Harvey, he wanted to show his son that their piano still worked. So Harding sat in the knee-deep water and played a few chords as a friend recorded the moment.

• Texas flooding: 100,000 homes damaged by Harvey – as it happened

Continue reading...