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Satellite eye on Earth: September 2017 - in pictures

The Guardian - Wed, 2017-11-01 02:54

Algal blooms, hurricanes and volcano fields are among the images captured by Nasa and the ESA last month

A potentially harmful algal bloom covered more than 700 square miles in the western basin of Lake Erie in late September, turning the lake bright green and alarming residents and local officials. Blooms tend to thrive in Lake Erie during summer, sustained by warm water temperatures and nutrients from farm runoff. This year, the bloom had been ongoing since mid-July.

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Moves to curb democratic fracking protests in the UK 'extremely worrying'

The Guardian - Wed, 2017-11-01 02:12

Green MP Caroline Lucas criticises attempts by chemicals multinational Ineos to impose a sweeping injunction against anti-fracking campaigners

The chemicals multinational Ineos is facing criticism for seeking to curb democratic protests against fracking in a move described by Green MP Caroline Lucas as “extremely worrying”.

On Tuesday Ineos began its latest legal move to impose a sweeping injunction against all campaigners protesting over its fracking operations.

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UK's Halley Antarctic base set for second closure

BBC - Tue, 2017-10-31 22:13
The UK's Halley station will be mothballed again this year because of uncertainty over ice cracks.
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Cod and haddock 'may vanish' from Scotland's west coast

BBC - Tue, 2017-10-31 21:22
Herring and haddock could also disappear by the turn of the century due to global warming, warn scientists.
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Emissions gap remains 'alarmingly high' says UN

BBC - Tue, 2017-10-31 20:51
Carbon cuts planned under the Paris accord still fall well short of what's needed, says the UN.
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UN warns of 'unacceptable' greenhouse gas emissions gap

The Guardian - Tue, 2017-10-31 20:48

Report reveals large gap between government pledges and the reductions needed to prevent dangerous global warming

There is still a large gap between the pledges by governments to cut greenhouse gas emissions and the reductions scientists say are needed to avoid dangerous levels of climate change, the UN has said.

Current plans from national governments, and pledges made by private sector companies and local authorities across the world, would lead to temperature rises of as much as 3C or more by the end of this century, far outstripping the goal set under the 2015 Paris agreement to hold warming to 2C or less, which scientists say is the limit of safety.

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World greenhouse gas levels made unprecedented leap in 2016

The Conversation - Tue, 2017-10-31 15:47
Global greenhouse gas levels have hit their highest point in at least 3 million years, according to new figures from the World Meteorological Organisation. Paul Fraser, Honorary Fellow, CSIRO Paul Krummel, Research Group Leader, CSIRO Zoe Loh, Research Scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Country diary: one spider to make a song and dance about

The Guardian - Tue, 2017-10-31 15:30

Río Almonte, Extremadura, Spain Camel-haired legs, gleaming black eyes and the largest pair of spider jaws you’ve seen in your life – a tarantula

There were all sorts of exciting birds overhead, including vultures in elegant spirals and clusters of crag martins spooked up by a hunting sparrowhawk. Yet the group’s attention had been called to an insignificant hole in the bare ground by the picnic table.

The hole was 4cm across and had an untidy circlet of dead grasses arranged in a silk-knotted perimeter. By sheer chance I had just read about the occupant and how it could be lured into view with a grass stem drooped into the burrow entrance like a fishing line. Sure enough, within seconds, book learning was turned into startling experience.

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RenewEconomy founder Giles Parkinson wins award, as RE page views hit 25 million

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-10-31 13:45
Giles was awarded the Deni Greene prize, for environmental leadership in a professional capacity, by the Bob Brown Foundation.
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Gupta plans to take Sydney, Melbourne steel plants 100% renewable

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-10-31 13:16
Gupta says bigger steel plants in Sydney and Melbourne will go 100% renewable, and there is no reason why an aluminium smelter could not follow.
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Five reasons not to build new coal plant in Queensland

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-10-31 12:44
Climate Council report on the state of renewables in Queensland is a timely reminder that building new coal plant in north Queensland is a terrible idea.
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Explainer: The big 3 projects making South Australia capital of battery storage

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-10-31 12:41
The 100MW/100MWh battery storage project proposed for Whyalla is one of three big projects that will make South Australia the leader in battery storage, as well as wind and solar.
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NEG must grow new renewable energy capacity, not shrink it

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-10-31 12:32
It remains unclear how the NEG will ensure the investor confidence required to deliver a strong pipeline of new clean energy projects.
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Battery of the Nation worthy of national significance

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-10-31 11:23
Battery of the Nation would double Tasmania’s renewable energy capacity from 2,500MW to about 5,000MW, through a combination of pumped hydro storage development, private wind power development, and boosting the efficiency of existing hydropower assets.
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A pint of view: What do farmers think about Brexit?

BBC - Tue, 2017-10-31 10:37
What do the farmers out in the field, in the dairy, and in the milking parlour think about Brexit?
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Vector wins new Australian smart metering contract

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-10-31 09:30
Vector has announced it has executed a contract to provide metering services to EnergyAustralia with an initial three-year deployment period that will commence before the end of 2017.
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Climate change already damaging health of millions globally, report finds

The Guardian - Tue, 2017-10-31 09:30

Heatwaves, pollution and disease are the main health issues linked to global warming but action to halt emissions would deliver huge benefits

The health of hundreds of millions of people around the world is already being damaged by climate change, a major report has revealed.

Heatwaves are affecting many more vulnerable people and global warming is boosting the transmission of deadly diseases such as dengue fever, the world’s most rapidly spreading disease. Air pollution from fossil fuel burning is also causing millions of early deaths each year, while damage to crops from extreme weather threatens hunger for millions of children.

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LONGi selected into “New China Nifty 50” by Goldman Sachs

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-10-31 09:26
Recently, the world's largest investment bank Goldman Sachs selected 50 stocks reflecting the Chinese economy at the new stage, known as the "New China Nifty 50".
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Galapagos species are threatened by the very tourists who flock to see them

The Conversation - Tue, 2017-10-31 05:02
More than 1,500 introduced species have been recorded on the Galapagos Islands, and most have arrived since the archipelago's tourism industry was expanded in the 1970s. Veronica Toral-Granda, PhD candidate, Charles Darwin University Stephen Garnett, Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Cows are loving, intelligent and kind – so should we still eat them?

The Guardian - Tue, 2017-10-31 02:32

Rosamund Young, farmer and author of The Secret Life of Cows, says she is really a ‘ghostwriter’ for her herd, with a mission to explain how they play games, babysit and even judge us. But that doesn’t mean she’s a vegetarian …

‘I’ll see who is in the mood for talking,” says Rosamund Young, strolling across a steep field on the Cotswold escarpment. “Hello, are you busy? You’re very nice, yes you are. Don’t walk off.” Young pauses, empathising with Celandine’s shyness. “She doesn’t like being photographed any more than I do.”

“She won’t know she’s being photographed,” harrumphs Graeme Robertson, the photographer. Or will she?

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