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The vanishing swifts from the sky above my shed are a sad omen | Henry Porter
On 7 May, I tweeted that swifts had appeared in the skies over the shed where I write on the same day in 2022, and predicted, if they kept to their schedule, they would leave overnight on 7 August. My excitement was short-lived. I’ve seen no more than three or four breeding pairs over the village of Blockley, Gloucestershire, whereas last year I estimated 16 to 20 pairs and an end of season exodus of between 50 and 60 birds.
My figures are hardly scientific, but they suggest a decline of between 75% and 85% on last year, an acceleration in an established trend that shows a loss of 60% of swift numbers since 1995.
Continue reading...More than 40,000 hectares of nationally vital koala habitat marked for potential logging in NSW
Analysis shows area includes 9,000 hectares where there was already active logging as pressure grows on government to end practice
Conservationists say forest areas that include 41,000 hectares of nationally important koala habitat have been identified for potential logging on the north coast of New South Wales in the region’s 12-month logging plan.
The analysis, by the North East Forest Alliance, comes as pressure grows on the NSW government to cease logging of native forests after the Victorian government announced logging in its native forests would end in December, six years earlier than planned.
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Continue reading...Just Stop Oil protesters stop play at Twickenham rugby final – video
Just Stop Oil protesters forced a stoppage in play during the Gallagher Premiership final at Twickenham. Two men invaded the pitch midway through the first half of the match between Saracens and Sale, throwing orange powder on to the field. Fans jeered the duo before cheering as stewards escorted them from the stadium. Twickenham Stadium later confirmed two men had been arrested and that the incident is now a police matter.
Continue reading...Just Stop Oil protesters invade pitch and stop play at Twickenham rugby final
Gallagher Premiership match between Saracens and Sale delayed after two men throw orange powder during match
Just Stop Oil protesters have forced a stoppage in play during the Gallagher Premiership rugby union final at Twickenham.
Two men invaded the pitch midway through the first half of the match between Saracens and Sale, throwing orange paint powder on to the field.
Continue reading...Recycled and reused food contact plastics are ‘vectors’ for toxins – study
Research provides a unique review of contact chemicals in packaging, utensils, plates, etc and how they contaminate food
Recycled and reused food contact plastics are “vectors for spreading chemicals of concern” because they accumulate and release hundreds of dangerous toxins like styrene, benzene, bisphenol, heavy metals, formaldehyde and phthalates, new research finds.
The study assessed hundreds of scientific publications on plastic and recycled plastic to provide a first-of-its-kind systematic review of food contact chemicals in food packaging, utensils, plates and other items and what is known about how the substances contaminate food.
Continue reading...York groundsel blooms again in Britain’s first-ever de-extinction event
Yellow flower that only grows in York went extinct in 1991 brought back to life by Natural England experts
York groundsel was a cheerful yellow flower that slipped into global extinction in 1991, thanks to overzealous application of weedkiller in the city of its name.
But now the urban plant has been bought back to life in the first ever de-extinction in Britain, and is flowering again in York.
Continue reading...Number of ‘coronation meadows’ marking queen’s reign tops 100
Scheme that began to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee in 2012 has thrived, project audit finds
Wildflower meadows planted a decade ago to celebrate 60 years of the late queen’s reign have thrived, with 101 new fields of flowers created since the scheme was launched.
King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, worked with Plantlife and the Wildlife Trusts to launch ”coronation meadows”, identifying 60 species-rich meadows from which to take donor seeds – one meadow for each year of the queen’s reign at the time.
Continue reading...30 water treatment works released 11bn litres of raw sewage in a year, study suggests
Exclusive: Researchers analysed works run by nine water and sewerage companies in England and Wales
Eleven billion litres of raw sewage were discharged from a sample of 30 water company treatment works in one year, new research suggests.
The study aimed to reveal the volume of discharged effluent released from storm overflows by water firms. Companies are not forced to reveal the volume of raw sewage released during discharges. They are only required by regulators to provide data on the number of discharges and the length of time they lasted.
Continue reading...CP Daily: Friday May 26, 2023
Speculators raise RGGI net position to 5-mth high, compliance shores up across North American cap-and-trade markets
Coastal ecosystems’ CO2-absorbing abilities offset by other GHG emissions, study finds
EU member states hand out minimal quantity of free 2023 carbon allowances in May
Antarctic animals are facing troubled waters | Fiona Katauskas
It gives a whole new meaning to ‘going with the flow’
Continue reading...US Carbon Markets and LCFS Roundup for week ending May 26, 2023
Two more firms drop use of offsetting claims amid German court cases -NGO
First DEBs-tagged California Carbon Offset futures trade at premium to other credits
The Guardian view on water politics in Europe: a new fault line | Editorial
As drought beacomes the norm, creative solutions must be found to deal with a new, parched reality
In April, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, suggested that severe drought would become “one of the central political and territorial debates of our country in the coming years”. That stark warning surely applies to southern Europe as a whole, as the prospect of another summer crisis looms, following a disastrously dry winter.
An absence of melting snow from the Alps has left Italy’s Po River as shallow as during last year’s searingly hot summer. In January and February, France recorded the highest number of rain-free days since records began, and water restrictions are in place in the Pyrénées-Orientales region. About 90% of mainland Portugal is suffering from drought, judged to be severe in one-fifth of the country. In Spain, from Catalonia to Andalucía, unseasonable heat has contributed to reservoirs drying up and a disastrous drop in olive oil production. By the middle of this month, southern Spain had received barely 30% of expected rainfall. As temperatures continue to rise, and Europe warms faster than the global average, drought across vast swathes of territory is simply becoming the norm.
Continue reading...Nigeria under pressure to start carbon credit scheme after touting $50 bln of fossil fuel investment
ANALYSIS: EU steel rebound limited to short-term as risks dominate outlook
Sewage spills blamed as E coli forces Cornish shellfish sites to close
Producers accuse government of failing to tackle pollution after ‘very high’ levels of bacteria found
“Very high” levels of E coli found in oysters and mussels have led to the closure of 11 shellfish production zones in Cornwall.
In an email seen by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations, the Cornwall Port Health Authority (CPHA) told food business operators they “must not collect the affected animals from this area by any method. It is unsuitable for their production for health reasons and has been temporarily closed.”
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