Feed aggregator
Kenyan President urges African countries to join new partnership to boost renewable energy
El Nino prevented Amazon from acting as carbon sink, study finds
A sea urchin: they are method actors, acting out The Waste Land | Helen Sullivan
Their five jaws are arranged in a shape Aristotle described as a ‘lantern’ but should have called a ‘horrible beak’
Sea urchins are as sinister as they appear. Ten years ago, in California’s vast, wavy kelp, sea urchins started to eat and breed, and eat and breed, and over seven years destroyed most of the underwater forests. Then they settled on the floor of their wasteland, forming spiny purple carpets, clicking urchin barrens along 150km of coastline. A major marine heatwave had damaged the kelp and a “sea star wasting syndrome” killed the urchins’ main predator, sunflower sea stars.
Could they be eaten by us or by otters? They could not. They had entered a zombie state and contained very little uni, the rich meat inside the urchin’s shell. And they are prepared to stay that way: dormant, alone – until they spot any kelp sprout that dares to breed out of the dead land and eat it before another urchin can. They are method actors performing The Waste Land, and we are students in an English lesson late on a hot afternoon, trying not to fall asleep as we listen to the poet’s voice on the scratchy recording, a recording that sounds like it was made in a room full of urchins, faintly clicking their spines:
What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water.
UK should implement EU-style CBAM to keep trade going strong in Northern Ireland, says study
Invasive species No 1 driver of biodiversity loss in Australia – and feral cats have biggest impact, report finds
National response urgently needed to prevent further extinction of native flora and fauna, advocates say
Advocates are calling for an urgent and coordinated national response to the threat of invasive species after the co-authors of a major international report identified it as the leading driver of biodiversity loss in Australia.
The report, from the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), was produced by 86 experts from 49 countries and details the impacts of invasive flora and fauna on ecosystems globally.
Continue reading...Korean forestry IGO to receive funds from Dutch bank for agroforestry projects in Asia
Investment pours into Africa’s voluntary carbon market on first day of climate summit
African leaders at odds over climate plans as crucial Nairobi summit opens
Oil-producing African nations argue they should be able to use fossil fuel resources for economic growth
African leaders and campaigners are at odds over the way forward for the continent as a critical climate summit begins in Nairobi.
Some countries, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa, have been expanding their renewable energy access and leading transition efforts on the continent, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Continue reading...Kenya-based platform launches with a 2 million trade
UK bees in danger as Asian hornet sightings rise
The true damage of invasive alien species was just revealed in a landmark report. Here's how we must act
UN panel brands invasive species as global economic threat
Invasive species cost humans $423bn each year and threaten world’s diversity
At least 3,500 harmful invasive species recorded in every region on Earth spread by human activity, says UN report
Invasive species are costing the world at least $423bn every year and have become a leading threat to the diversity of life on Earth, according to a UN assessment.
From invasive mice that eat seabird chicks in their nests to non-native grasses that helped fuel and intensify last month’s deadly fires in Hawaii, at least 3,500 harmful invasive species have been recorded globally in every region, spread by human travel and trade. Their impact is destructive for humans and wildlife, sometimes causing extinctions and permanently damaging the healthy functioning of an ecosystem.
Continue reading...Hundreds of academics call for 100% plant-based meals at UK universities
Open letter backs student-led campaign for vegan catering to fight climate crisis
More than 650 academics have called on British universities to commit to 100% plant-based catering to fight the climate crisis, saying that the institutions have “for centuries, been shining lights of intellectual, moral, and scientific progress”.
The open letter, organised by the student-led Plant-Based Universities campaign, likened the move to meat-free food to the fossil fuel divestment to which 101 UK universities have already committed.
Continue reading...Asian hornet likely to have become established in UK, say experts
Sharp rise in sightings of the invasive species this year prompts fears for native bees on which they prey
It is likely the Asian hornet has become established in the UK, conservationists fear, as a record number of nests have been found.
There has been a sharp rise in sightings of the invasive species in the UK this year; the previous two years only had two sightings each, whereas there have been 22 confirmed so far in 2023. In total there have been 45 sightings since 2016.
Continue reading...Euro Markets: Midday Update
State-backed disinformation fuelling anger in China over Fukushima water
Reports of abusive behaviour towards Japanese citizens in China in response to wastewater release at nuclear site
Fake news and state-backed disinformation are fuelling Chinese anger at Japan over its release of treated wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant.
In the last week, there have been reports of rocks and eggs thrown at Japanese schools in two Chinese cities, abusive phone calls to Japanese businesses and social media campaigns to boycott Japanese products including cosmetics. It has prompted Japan’s government to summon the Chinese ambassador and urge caution among its China-based citizens.
Continue reading...Climate change threatens Quebec’s boreal forests, but sustainable management offers hope, study finds
Chandrayaan-3: Isro puts India's Moon lander and rover in 'sleep mode'
Lords to debate mandating swift bricks in new UK homes
Hollow bricks are ‘easy win’ to help several endangered species, say experts and Zac Goldsmith who is tabling amendment
An amendment to make swift bricks mandatory in new housing will be debated in the House of Lords this week in what campaigners call a “golden opportunity” for the government to halt wildlife decline.
The change to the controversial levelling up bill is being tabled by the Conservative peer Zac Goldsmith, who resigned from government over Rishi Sunak’s “apathy” towards environmental issues.
Continue reading...