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Wildlife boosted by England’s nature-friendly farming schemes, study finds

The Guardian - Fri, 2024-08-09 16:00

Areas where farmers provide good habitats show notable increase in butterflies, bees, bats and breeding birds

Butterflies, bees and bats are among the wildlife being boosted by England’s nature-friendly farming schemes, new government research has found.

Birds were among the chief beneficiaries of the strategy, particularly ones that largely feed on invertebrates. An average of 25% more breeding birds were found in areas with more eco-friendly schemes.

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Beijing air pollution study could unlock solution to persistent smog

The Guardian - Fri, 2024-08-09 15:00

Particle pollution in China’s capital has fallen by 60% in 10 years, but it remains six times higher than WHO guidelines

Photographs of smog enveloping Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium became one of the defining images of the first decade of this century. China’s annual air pollution deaths reached 2.6 million people a year in 2005. At the time, Beijing was crowned smog capital of the world and concerns for the health of athletes overshadowed preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games.

But rapid improvements followed, with clean-up technologies fitted to coal-burning power stations and industrial plants, followed by their conversion to fossil gas. New vehicles were fitted with tighter emissions controls and fuels were improved.

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Biomass power station produced four times emissions of UK coal plant, says report

The Guardian - Fri, 2024-08-09 15:00

Drax received £22bn in subsidies despite being UK’s largest emitter in 2023, though company rejects ‘flawed’ research

The Drax power station was responsible for four times more carbon emissions than the UK’s last remaining coal-fired plant last year, despite taking more than £0.5bn in clean-energy subsidies in 2023, according to a report.

The North Yorkshire power plant, which burns wood pellets imported from North America to generate electricity, was revealed as Britain’s single largest carbon emitter in 2023 by a report from the climate thinktank Ember.

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California CDR bill faces long road to resolving outstanding question marks

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2024-08-09 11:41
A California senate bill on CO2 removal (CDR) regulations has yet to resolve key considerations as it weaves through the legislative process, while little progress on the implementation of carbon, capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) legislation stalls it further.
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Canadian partnership to test robotic tree planting for carbon offsets

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2024-08-09 10:46
Two Canadian companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Thursday to test and validate an autonomous tree planting technology for the generation of voluntary carbon offsets.
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Canadian offset project financier rakes in $11.2 mln from Rwandan, Vietnamese projects

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2024-08-09 10:42
A Toronto-headquartered carbon project financier announced Thursday that it has received $11.2 million from the sale of carbon credits from its Vietnamese household device and Rwandan cookstove projects.
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US DOE gives out $44 mln towards geologic CO2 storage

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2024-08-09 10:35
The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced Thursday it is allocating $44.5 million in funding towards nine university- and industry-led projects to advance knowledge of the potential of geologic basins to permanently store CO2 emissions.
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WCI Markets: CCAs rebound from YTD lows, but continue to trail WCA prices

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2024-08-09 10:27
California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices reversed course from year-to-date lows this week, but remained below Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) figures amid the ongoing WCI market bearishness due to programme reform implementation delay.
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Liked to death? The social media race for nature photos can trash ecosystems – or trigger rapid extinction

The Conversation - Fri, 2024-08-09 10:01
It feels harmless to share a photo of a rare species. But social media can drive great damage to nature, from poaching to baiting to trampling. Robert Davis, Senior Lecturer in Wildlife Ecology, Edith Cowan University Bill Bateman, Associate Professor, Behavioural Ecology, Curtin University Claire Greenwell, Adjunct Associate in Ornithology and Marine Ecology, Murdoch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Drax is the UK’s biggest source of carbon despite receiving half a billion in green subsidies -report

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2024-08-09 09:01
Drax - the UK’s largest generator of power from biomass - is by far the country’s largest source of carbon emissions, despite receiving more than half a billion pounds in green subsidies, according to a new report published on Friday.
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Clive Hamilton says dreams of a safe climate are ‘wishful thinking’ – but the young and the vulnerable will keep fighting

The Conversation - Fri, 2024-08-09 06:20
In the book Living Hot, Clive Hamilton and George Wilkenfeld argue humanity should stop trying so hard to reduce emissions, and adapt instead. But we must do both. Blanche Verlie, Horizon Research Fellow and Lecturer, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Peel those apples: washing produce doesn’t remove pesticides, study finds

The Guardian - Fri, 2024-08-09 05:06

Another report found pesticide levels posing ‘significant risks’ in 20% of tested fruits and vegetables

A new scientific report lends weight to consumer concerns about pesticide residues on food, presenting fresh evidence that washing fruit before eating does not remove various toxic chemicals commonly used in agriculture.

The paper, published on Wednesday in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters, comes amid ongoing debate over the extent of pesticide contamination of food, and the potential health risks associated with a steady diet that includes pesticide residues.

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July ends 13-month streak of global heat records, but experts warn against relief

The Guardian - Fri, 2024-08-09 04:38

Climate scientists say that the world is continuing to warm, despite brief respite in record breaking temperatures

Earth’s string of 13 straight months with a new average heat record came to an end this past July as the natural El Niño climate pattern ebbed, the European climate agency Copernicus announced on Wednesday.

But July 2024’s average heat just missed surpassing last year’s July, and scientists said the end of the record-breaking streak changes nothing about the threat posed by the climate crisis.

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The Guardian view on wind energy and the UK: Labour plays catch-up | Editorial

The Guardian - Fri, 2024-08-09 03:40

The new government has made a fast start in mobilising Britain’s most obvious natural asset, but big challenges remain

In its pomp during the 1970s, Ardersier port near Inverness was a behemoth of Scottish industry. During the North Sea oil and gas boom, thousands worked on one of the largest rig construction sites in the world. Disused since 2001, the port is making a triumphant comeback, to be reconfigured as a giant hub for the turbines that will harness wind power off the Scottish coast. If Sir Keir Starmer’s government is to achieve its goal of fully decarbonising electricity by 2030, this huge investment project in the Highlands will need to be matched by similar ambition elsewhere.

Wind energy is fundamental to meeting Britain’s net zero commitments, generating growth and reducing energy costs. But under Rishi Sunak, the sector suffered a lost year in 2023, when the government failed to award a single offshore wind contract. In July, the Climate Change Committee estimated that by 2030, the number of annual offshore and onshore wind installations needed to at least triple and double, respectively.

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