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Circular runways
Birth of last baby orca in captivity filmed at SeaWorld
Senate committee debates shark cull after fatal attack in WA
Green Investment Bank sell-off: only time will tell how green it is
The government has secured green ‘commitments’ after the £2.3bn sale. In reality it has secured only ‘good intentions’
The charge that Macquarie is a ruthless asset-stripper that, given half a chance, would dismember the Green Investment Bank clearly stung. As the government unveiled the inevitable sale, for £2.3bn, to a consortium led by the Australian finance house, all sides were anxious to emphasise the buyer’s long-term enthusiasm for its new purchase.
GIB will survive as a discrete entity in Edinburgh. Macquarie will throw a few of its own assets – a couple of windfarms and a waste and biomass plant – into the mix for it to manage. It will report on progress in honouring GIB’s green investment principles. It will aim to invest £1bn a year in green energy projects, more than the £700m-ish that GIB was achieving via taxpayer funding. “We look forward to seeing these commitments from Macquarie delivered, in full, in the months and years ahead,” said Lord Smith of Kelvin, GIB’s chair.
Continue reading...What's made Canada's Slims River disappear?
Chris Packham jostled by hunter on Gozo, Malta – video report
Chris Packham has released the video that shows his encounter with a Maltese hunter and police on the island of Gozo, after being cleared of charges of assault by a Maltese judge on Thursday. The video shows Packham filming with his crew before being accosted by the hunter and police, leading to the incident. The judge threw out the case and criticised the police for the charge. Packham has said he will not press charges
Continue reading...Green Investment Bank sell-off dubbed a disaster by critics
Greenpeace says £2.3bn sale to controversial Australian bank Maquarie risks climate targets while Lib Dems says bank was sold too fast and too cheap
The UK government’s decision to sell the Green Investment Bank to Australian bank Macquarie for £2.3bn has been attacked by critics including the Liberal Democrats and Greenpeace as “politically dubious” and a “disaster”.
A consortium led by Macquarie, which also includes the bank’s European Infrastructure Fund 5 and the Universities Superannuation Scheme, a UK pension scheme for university professors, agreed to buy the GIB, established in 2012 by the coalition government to fund green infrastructure projects.
Continue reading...Cut-back crew for ISS launch
It's good to hear cycling to work reduces your risk of dying. But that's not why I do it | Laura Laker
The latest study on the health benefits of cycling suggests it can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease. It’s also the most fun you can have on your daily commute
It may not be a surprise to see another study suggesting that cycling to work can drastically reduce your chances of getting cancer and heart disease – those who ride bikes for transport already know how good it makes them feel. However, it’s perhaps yet another motivation for those who don’t, to dust off their bikes – and remember some other reasons cycling to work is so great.
In a five-year study of 263,450 UK commuters, published in the BMJ, researchers at Glasgow University found regular cycling cut the risk of death from any cause by 41%, and the incidence of cancer and heart disease by 45% and 46% respectively.
Continue reading...Can the Aral Sea be saved?
New Zealand earthquake gives unexpected benefit
Wildflowers in the hill country of Texas – in pictures
Think of Texas and it’s most likely you imagine rocky, red desert. But each spring the hill country of central Texas is awash with a riot of colour, as millions of wildflowers bloom
Continue reading...Meet the man who watches volcanoes
Unknown ancient reptile roamed the Pyrenees mountains
'Perfect storm' threatens Europe's salamanders
Shark inquiry told culling and drum lines would not reduce number of deaths
Surf Life Saving Western Australia rejects accusations from News Corp that mitigation plan is too timid
Lifesavers in Western Australia say they have seen no evidence that shark culling would be effective in reducing attacks and have hit out at claims their mitigation plan is “timid”.
The Senate inquiry into shark deterrence and mitigation began its hearing in Perth on Thursday.
Continue reading...Millions of native oysters to be returned to the Solent
New project aims to restore what was once Europe’s largest oyster fishery, off the south coast of England
Millions of native oysters are to be put into the Solent, once the site of Europe’s largest oyster fishery.
The five-year project aims first to restore a thriving oyster population to the waters between the south coast and Isle of Wight. Oyster beds provide habitat for many other species and the shellfish filter vast volumes of water – 200 litres per oyster – helping to clean up pollution. Once re-established, significant oyster fishing could resume.
Continue reading...A utilities’ guide for a brown to green transition
Coastal scrub and grassland alive with birds
Seaham, Durham Impressions of movement, colour, sound and the scents of spring left an abiding sense of wellbeing
Along the well-worn cliff-edge path from Dawdon to Hawthorn Dene, blackthorn was in full bloom, the air laden with the coconut scent of gorse, and the ground spangled with primroses and dog violets.