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Song for a dead swan

The Guardian - Sat, 2017-03-04 15:30

Painscastle, Powys Over the past few years, to my delight, a pair of swans had made this sky-reflecting pool their home

We all have our touchstone places. One of mine is the Monk’s Pond on the Begwns – a little group of bracken hills north of the river Wye as it heads eastwards out of Wales. For more than half a century I’ve made regular pilgrimages to this pool, the southern Welsh uplands wrapped round it like a protective barrier. The view takes in the Black Mountains to the south, the Brecon Beacons in the west, and those smooth, heathery highlands of Radnorshire to the north.

There’s a stand of drowned Scots pine at the pool’s western end. Their roots were submerged when it was enlarged for a local farm’s water supply. The pines are sibilant with goldcrests. Buzzards that range this wide country perch here and watch for prey.

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Holidays in space

BBC - Sat, 2017-03-04 12:05
SpaceX is sending two tourists to the moon, but when can the rest of us look forward to space travel?
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All that lives beneath the sand

ABC Environment - Sat, 2017-03-04 09:30
Though it may seem like sandy beaches are largely devoid of life, underneath the sand and kelp is a bustling world of tiny animals and plants that live between the grains of sand.
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Tales of love, lust, death and dark webs

ABC Environment - Sat, 2017-03-04 09:05
A 25-year-old spider the size of a dinner plate? They exist, right here in Australia.
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How did the 20th century fur and skin trade impact Brazil's Amazon?

The Guardian - Sat, 2017-03-04 05:59

Scientists find that commercial hunting caused “basin-wide collapse” among aquatic species

Scientists have conducted what they call the first systematic, historical account of the impacts on the Amazon basin of the 20th century international trade in furs and skins. The conclusion: “basin-wide population collapse” for aquatic species, but much greater resilience shown by terrestrial species.

The study focuses on four states in Brazil - Acre, Amazonas, Rondonia and Roraima - and draws on a wide range of historical records including those belonging to the Amazonas state government and the concession owner of the Manaus port. It was published in Science Advances in late 2016, but is reported now to mark UN World Wildlife Day. Here are 10 of the most fascinating - and sometimes horrifying - take-aways:

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A Big Country

ABC Environment - Sat, 2017-03-04 05:20
Hop on board the Roper River taxi service - the only way in and out of Ngukurr during the wet; a feral cat makes a meal of a snake; young cattle handlers put their best 'hoof' forward; and meet Charlie Dunn the pint-sized shearer.
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'Just racist': EPA cuts will hit black and Hispanic communities the hardest

The Guardian - Sat, 2017-03-04 02:00

Proposal would remove environmental justice office, tasked with bridging gap in pollution in black, Hispanic and low-income areas and wealthier white ones

Planned cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency are set to fall heaviest upon communities of color across the US that already suffer disproportionately from toxic pollution, green groups have warned.

Related: New EPA head Scott Pruitt's emails reveal close ties with fossil fuel interests

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Shell's climate film, air pollution and hedgehogs – green news roundup

The Guardian - Sat, 2017-03-04 01:47

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

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Maldives plan to embrace mass tourism sparks criticism and outrage

The Guardian - Sat, 2017-03-04 00:27

The new government plans to relocate residents to larger atolls – leaving small islands ripe for development. It says these super resorts, not solar power, will create the money needed to adapt to climate change

When Mohamed Nasheed, the young, first democratically elected president of the Maldives, said in 2008 that he was seeking to buy a new homeland to save his people from being inundated by rising sea levels, it made the country of 1,200 coral islands the moral leader in the UN climate talks and helped persuade rich countries to act.

This week the Maldives, under new president Abdulla Yameen, apparently changed environmental tack, saying that mass tourism and mega-developments rather than solar power and carbon neutrality would enable it to adapt itself to climate change and give its young population hope for the future.

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The week in wildlife – in pictures

The Guardian - Sat, 2017-03-04 00:00

Poison arrow frogs, a Steller sea lion and a chameleon are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

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Ancient skulls give clues to China human history

BBC - Fri, 2017-03-03 22:06
Two skulls found in China shed light on the ancient humans who inhabited the region before the arrival of our own species.
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Can trees cut air pollution?

BBC - Fri, 2017-03-03 21:54
US study reveals how much trees help tackle urban air pollution
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What's lurking in the pool?

BBC - Fri, 2017-03-03 21:47
Scientists have found something - but no one will admit to causing it.
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Omega-3 oils could tackle damage caused by air pollution, research shows

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-03-03 20:57

Exclusive New research indicates the benefits of eating omega-3 fatty acids, but also that pollution particles can penetrate the lungs into many organs, including testicles

Supplements of healthy fats could be an immediate way of cutting the harm caused to billions around the world by air pollution, according to emerging research.

However, the research also shows air pollution particles can penetrate through the lungs of lab animals into many major organs, including the brain and testicles. This raises the possibility that the health damage caused by toxic air is even greater than currently known.

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Send us your tips for reducing food packaging waste

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-03-03 18:46

Guardian Cook is looking to source tips on keeping food packaging waste to a minimum. Share yours via GuardianWitness

For Cook’s green issue next week, we’re asking: how do you keep your use of food packaging to a minimum?

Related: Modern life is rubbish: we don't need all this packaging

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Scientists create 'artificial embryos'

BBC - Fri, 2017-03-03 17:48
Scientists have created a functioning mouse embryo in the lab
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Laxton kites claw back their heritage

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-03-03 15:30

Laxton, Northamptonshire The red kite thrives, and surely there’s no other prodigal English species that brings such pleasure

Kites soar and circle above the small limestone village mentioned in the Domesday book but rebuilt a little over 200 years ago to a design by Humphry Repton. There is a substantial red kite roost near the village, and 40 of them bring the sky to life with their twists and turns, tails contorting and long wings clawing the air.

Related: Red kites exported after success of reintroduction programme in Britain

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Wind, solar to fill grid services as incumbents cash in while they can

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-03-03 13:24
Wind farms and new solar parks in Australia are expected to take an increasingly prominent role in providing grid stability services. But not before the fossil fuel incumbents make the most of FCAS costs that have risen five-fold since 2014 – for no apparent reason.
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Australian regulators warned they could cripple battery storage industry

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2017-03-03 12:55
CEC warns Australian regulators not to 'jump at shadows' or 'overreach' on home battery storage guidelines.
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'Clean coal', CCS and CSG will not save fossil fuels – their game is up | Ian Dunlop

The Guardian - Fri, 2017-03-03 12:32

As the Finkel review submission deadline arrives it’s time to accept the inevitable and fix the shambles that is our energy policy

Every few years the fossil fuel industry pressures politicians to force “clean coal”, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and more recently coal seam gas (CSG) on an increasingly sceptical community to justify its continued expansion.

This cycle started with the promotion of Adani’s massive Carmichael coalmine in Queensland, for coal export to India. The South Australian blackout followed last September when violent storms blew down transmission towers, prompting instant federal government accusations that excessive reliance on renewable energy was the cause, despite clear advice to the contrary. This also prompted a review of the energy system, led by Dr Alan Finkel, with final submissions due on Friday.

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