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The Ghanaian villages destroyed by climate change – in pictures

The Guardian - Sat, 2016-10-08 01:10

Worsening coastal and riverine erosion is sweeping away homes and livelihoods on the Ghana coast. Photographer Nyani Quarmyne visited the small fishing village of Totope, which was once three miles from the sea but has now virtually disappeared

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The week in wildlife – in pictures

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-10-07 23:00

A snacking water vole, two-towed sloths and humpback whales and among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

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Hadfield: 'You should be afraid of the dark'

BBC - Fri, 2016-10-07 21:13
Astronaut Chris Hadfield discusses with Sarah Montague the importance of fear.
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Delay to curbs on toxic shipping emissions 'would cause 200,000 extra premature deaths'

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-10-07 20:47

Unpublished study warns of the global health consequences of delaying by five years a cap on the sulphur content of shipping fuels

A push by the shipping and oil industries for a five-year delay to curbs on toxic sulphur emissions would cause an extra 200,000 premature deaths from lung cancer and heart disease, according to an unpublished International Maritime Organisation (IMO) study.

Fatalities from illnesses such as asthma were not covered by the leaked paper, which was based on shipping satellite data and modelling work.

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North Sea or Great Australian Bight, oil drilling is always a risky business | John Sauven

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-10-07 20:32

As BP pushes ahead with plans to drill in the pristine Bight, the oil leak off the coast of Scotland serves as a timely reminder of the company’s track record on environmental disasters

Monday’s news of an oil leak at a BP platform off the coast of Scotland could not have come at a worse time for the company. This latest stain on BP’s environmental record coincides not only with Hollywood reminding everyone of BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, but with the company’s faltering efforts to secure Australian regulatory approval to open up the pristine Great Australian Bight for oil drilling.

“Small spills” during oil operations are part and parcel of the business – even in the North Sea, where BP has decades of experience, and established infrastructure. BP’s response was predictably bland, keen to downplay any potential impacts.

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Hurricane Matthew: Matt Drudge conspiracy comments kick up storm

BBC - Fri, 2016-10-07 19:41
Conservative US blogger Matt Drudge suggests warnings over Hurricane Matthew are a government conspiracy, but critics say his comments are wrong and dangerous.
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Whale calf seen pushing stranded mother off sandbank

BBC - Fri, 2016-10-07 17:29
A humpback whale which was stranded on a sandbank off Australia frees itself after its calf was filmed apparently pushing her into deeper water.
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Hounds hot on the heels of poachers in rhino country

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-10-07 16:00

Tracker dogs trained on human scent are the latest weapon being used to help catch criminals in South Africa’s Kruger national park, the epicentre of the rhino poaching epidemic

“I am ready to die for conserving the rhino,” says Wisdom Makhubele. But the brave young ranger now has another weapon in the war against rhino poaching: the extraordinary nose of tracking hounds.

The trained dogs can run poachers to ground far faster than people, sometimes even being set free in packs and followed from helicopters. The new canine training unit at the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC), near Acornhoek, opened earlier this year and dogs have already brought armed poachers to heel in Kruger national park, the epicentre of the rhino poaching crisis.

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Blueprint for energy security in the National Electricity Market

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-10-07 15:25
Terms of reference for an independent review have been released on the COAG Energy Council web site.
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COAG Energy Council meeting communique

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-10-07 15:21
The 6th meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Council was held on 7 October 2016 in Melbourne.
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Rattle and screech as jays and magpies go on raptor alert

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-10-07 14:30

Dibbinsdale, Wirral The alarm builds, then we hear a plaintive whistle from on high, the birds take flight and we glimpse the buzzard

Entering Thornton Wood you have to watch your feet, treading cautiously through crisp leaves to avoid disturbing the bumblebees burrowing into the soft soil of the bank. This is one of the wildest patches of the Dibbinsdale woodland and there are no accessible footpaths or signed trails to lead the way.

Brambles and nettles are running rampant after summer growth spurts. The valley drops steeply down but there are plenty of ivy-wrapped tree trunks to help keep explorers upright. At the bottom Clatter Brook defies its name and progresses almost soundlessly over the smooth black stones.

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Finkel to lead NEM review, but states hold to renewable targets

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2016-10-07 14:12
Alan Finkel to lead a review of Australia's electricity market, but states hold to individual renewable targets after Coalition failed to offer a post 2020 target. Battery storage a major focus.
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Whale calf nudges stranded mother in effort to free her from sandbank – video

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-10-07 12:18

Aerial footage shows a humpback whale calf desperately nudging its mother in an apparent attempt to free her from a sandbank off North Stradbroke Island, Queensland. The mother is eventually able to free herself and the pair are seen swimming away from the shallow water

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Invitation to comment - Recovery team governance and reporting template

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-10-07 12:16
Invitation for public comment on the Draft best practice guidelines for recovery team governance and reporting template closes 7 November 2016.
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World-first solar tower powered tomato farm opens in Port Augusta

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2016-10-07 12:06
Sundrop Farms' world-leading greenhouse project, using solar thermal electricity, heat and desalinated seawater to grow tomatoes in the SA desert, is in full operation.
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“Internet of Energy” start-up named as Australian Tech Comp winner

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2016-10-07 12:06
Two Australian innovators – Wattwatchers and Independent Products – named as finalists in Australian Technology Comp.
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Coal generation up, emissions up 4.8% since carbon price scrapped

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2016-10-07 12:05
Demand on NEM stayed flat in September, with a slight rise in coal generation and electricity emissions. Wind, meanwhile, reached its highest ever generation level, both in absolute terms and as a share of total NEM generation.
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The economics of the future energy system

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2016-10-07 11:01
As we work through challenges in the aftermath of SA's electricity blackout, let's make sure our responses enhance rather than truncate our opportunities.
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - Call for nominations for Sixth Assessment Report scoping authors

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-10-07 10:38
The IPCC has issued a call for nominations for experts to participate in the scoping meeting for the Sixth Assessment Report.
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - Call for nominations for Sixth Assessment Report scoping authors

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-10-07 10:38
The IPCC has issued a call for nominations for experts to participate in the scoping meeting for the Sixth Assessment Report.
Categories: Around The Web

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