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If the government cuts farmers’ subsidies, what will the rest of the UK lose?
There are certain environmental benefits only farmers can provide; a weakened subsidy system will dissuade their efforts
It was perhaps the most significant pre-Brexit tie between Britain and the European Union: for decades, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has provided supportive subsidies to EU farmers, consuming 40% of the EU’s annual budget in the process, almost £3bn of which went to the United Kingdom each year.
CAP’s system of subsidies works to incentivise farmers to produce more food, so the EU can remain food secure, and also funds those who set aside land for environmental protection instead of cultivation. But CAP’s inability to fully deliver on its ambitious goals has made it a controversial policy, one that both bolstered and undermined Britain’s relations with the EU.
Continue reading...Trump resumes fight against windfarm near Scottish golf course
US presidential candidate said planning conditions associated with Aberdeenshire project had not been satisfied
Donald Trump has vowed to continue fighting the windfarm development off the coast from his Aberdeenshire golf course, branding the project an act of “public vandalism”.
The US presidential candidate returned to the fray after Swedish energy company Vattenfall confirmed on Thursday that it is going ahead with its £300m investment, despite last month’s EU referendum vote.
Continue reading...Telecopes: A giant leap for Africa
Hot June, Kosovo coal and Andrea Leadsom's appointment – green news roundup
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...Sunburned dolphin spotted in Moray Firth
Diving enthusiasts could be used to measure ocean temperatures
Decompression computers worn by recreational and commercial divers provides accurate data, study shows
Millions of holidaying scuba divers are able to become citizen scientists and take vital measurements of ocean temperatures, which are being driven up by climate change.
More than 90% of the heat trapped by global warming goes into oceans, where it drives hurricanes and disrupts fish stocks. Satellites can measure surface temperature when there are no clouds, but getting data from below the surface is much harder and more expensive.
Continue reading...Shy dragonfly of the boggy moss
Delamere Forest, Cheshire Red and blue damsels drift around me like filaments on the breeze but I am here to see a rarer species: the white-faced darter
I skirt the edge of lower Doolittle Moss, in Delamere Forest, treading through soft peaty soil and batting away the pungent bracken that has grown almost as tall as me. Hard green fruit are starting to appear on the brambles, and bumblebees are making the most of the last blossoms.
Surrounded by forest on all sides, the moss is black acidic water devoid of fish. Not the least bit inviting, even as the temperature climbs. But it is a boggy beauty spot in its own right. Half submerged islands of vivid lime-green sphagnum moss break the surface. Stands of cotton grass and sedge shoot upwards, and above them the sunlight catches on flakes of silver and gold.
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