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LISA Pathfinder: Time called on Europe's gravity probe

BBC - Wed, 2017-07-19 05:22
The European Space Agency turns off one of its most successful ever missions - LISA Pathfinder.
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Illegal trade in rhino horn thriving in China, NGO investigation reveals

The Guardian - Wed, 2017-07-19 02:46

Elephant Action League’s sting operation shows how horns are trafficked from Africa and enter into China via Vietnam, alleging official complicity

Rhinoceros horn can be easily bought in China despite it being illegal since 1993. The rhino horn products in antiques shop are far from antique. They are new and most likely been illegally trafficked from Africa to Vietnam and then into China.

A new report from Elephant Action League (EAL), Grinding Rhino: An Undercover Investigation on Rhino Horn Trafficking in China and Vietnam, shows how rhino horn makes its way into shops in China, the largest illegal market for rhino horn in the world. EAL’s 11-month investigation, called Operation Red Cloud, targeted the supply chain, exposing the players, the networks, and the means by which rhino horn is trafficked into China.

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Rise of mega farms: how the US model of intensive farming is invading the world

The Guardian - Wed, 2017-07-19 01:06

Demand for cheaper food and lower production costs is turning green fields into industrial sheds to process vast amounts of meat and poultry

Since the days of the wild west frontier, the popular image of American farming has been of cowboys rounding up steers on wide open ranches, to whoops, whips and hollers. Today, the cowboys on their ranches under wide open skies have been replaced by vast sheds, hulking over the plains, housing tens of thousands of animals each, with the noises and smells spreading far beyond their fences.

The US has led the world in large-scale farming, pioneering the use of intensive livestock rearing in hog farms, cattle sheds and sheep pens. There are now more than 50,000 facilities in the US classified as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), with another quarter of a million industrial-scale facilities below that threshold.

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Heavy rainfall floods Istanbul Metro – video

The Guardian - Tue, 2017-07-18 23:29

Heavy rain in Turkey’s biggest city have caused substantial flooding on its roads and Metro network. Commuters attempting to get to work captured the scenes as rainwater invaded the city’s underground transport system, submerging rail tracks and rushing down flights of stairs. Rainfall is expected to decrease in the next 18 hours

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Scottish osprey chicks moved to Spain

BBC - Tue, 2017-07-18 22:04
The birds were collected under licence for translocation to a part of Spain where they have not bred for years.
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Mighty T. rex 'walked rather than sprinted'

BBC - Tue, 2017-07-18 21:00
New research suggests the dinosaur could go no faster than a very brisk walking pace.
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California votes to extend cap-and-trade climate law to 2030

BBC - Tue, 2017-07-18 20:50
Legislators vote to extend a programme that charges firms for releasing pollutants to the year 2030.
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Cabinet support for new Home Affairs department

ABC Environment - Tue, 2017-07-18 18:06
Federal Cabinet has approved the biggest overhaul of Australia's national security architecture in 40 years.
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M&S slashes plastic use in food packaging to cut waste

The Guardian - Tue, 2017-07-18 15:01

More than 140 products including crisps and popcorn put in smaller, redesigned packets with reduced air pocket, but same amount of food

A major UK supermarket has slashed the amount of packaging used for its popular snacks such as crisps and popcorn by reducing the pocket of air at the top of the bag.

As a result of so-called ‘Project Thin Air’, more than 140 of Marks & Spencer’s best-selling products have been redesigned and repackaged in smaller, less bulky packets containing the same amount of food as before.

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Polluted air 'poisoning thousands' across north of England, warns report

The Guardian - Tue, 2017-07-18 15:01

Air pollution is ‘the tobacco of the 21st century’ says report, which calls on government to introduce radical measures to improve air quality

Dangerous levels of air pollution in towns and cities across the north of England are threatening the health of hundreds of thousands of people and stifling economic growth, according to a new report.

The analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) North describes air pollution as “the tobacco of the 21st century” and says that while there has been a growing concern about the problem in London, many residents in regional towns and cities are unaware of the threat to their health.

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NSW launches home battery guide, as race to “plug hole” threatens industry

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-07-18 14:36
New South Wales issues set of home battery storage guidelines, as industry warns against "jumping to an endgame" on safety.
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Peer-to-peer electric vehicle charging network launched in Sydney

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-07-18 14:34
Sydney start-up Everty launches P2P platform allowing electric vehicle owners to rent out their parking space, and home charger, to others.
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Meet the thistle propagator-in-chief

The Guardian - Tue, 2017-07-18 14:30

Blackwater, Norfolk Pollinated flowers means more plants next year – and more thistles means more bees

After explaining to a visitor the lengths to which I go to encourage marsh and spear thistles on my fen, I was amused to hear her describe the troubles she takes to keep them from her garden. I know they’re prickly customers, but why do people dislike them?

What I cherish most is the sheer architectural grandeur of the summer plant. Each fully open flowerhead has a kind of declarative beauty – a blend of spine-fringed awkwardness and inner sensuous velvet. No wonder nations have hitched their wagons to the thistle’s star-like bloom. Even in autumn, when they are desiccated and devoid of seed floss, and possibly enwrapped in old spider’s web, they retain an aura of dignity.

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Barnaby’s warning: Biggest threat to renewables is lights out in Sydney

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-07-18 14:28
Deputy PM says Sydney blackout could be end of road for renewables, although NSW Coalition minister earlier praised role of wind and solar in preventing blackout.
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GE: Some Australia regions to be 100% renewable within 5-10 years

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-07-18 13:02
GE says some regions in Australia will soon get all their electricity from renewables - at least for a few days a year - and utility business models will be severely disrupted.
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AGL’s Vesey: Clean Energy Target should recognise Paris climate agreement

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-07-18 12:48
AGL adds pressure to Turnbull government, saying CET needs to be adopted, and needs to reflect Paris climate targets.
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Australia’s $10 billion renewable energy boom: But then what?

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-07-18 12:05
A $10 billion clean energy investment boom in 2017 could quickly fade without longer term policies. Labor tries to wedge Turnbull on climate policy, just as it did in 2009, while the Greens also say they would look at a Clean Energy Target.
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Clean-tech stocks outperform general market again, as smart investors buy in

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-07-18 12:03
It is no surprise that, regardless of the fickleness of environmental politics, smart investors are buying into the businesses that are redefining how we live.
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Coal, nuclear and renewable bombshells from Trump’s grid study

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-07-18 11:57
US energy department debunks Trump attack on renewables, shows ageing fleet of coal and nuclear plants not economic to operate anymore.
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Coal has lost the energy war, so why are we still fighting?

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2017-07-18 11:30
The political fight for coal power in Australia is already lost. Meanwhile, we are missing all the clean energy opportunities that have fallen into our lap.
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