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Bane of the oceans

BBC - Wed, 2016-08-24 20:38
MPs have recommended banning the tiny particles of plastic called "microbeads" which are used in a number of cosmetics and cleaning products. But why have they taken the move?
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Air pollution threat hidden as research 'presumes people are at home': study

The Guardian - Wed, 2016-08-24 20:00

Previous investigations fail to reveal impact of ‘world’s largest human health threat’ because they do not account for people’s movement, researchers say

The true impact of air pollution has been obscured by the failure to consider people’s exposure as they move around during the day, according to a new study that has mapped the hotspots of New York’s air pollution based on where people gather for work or recreation.

The research cites air pollution as “the world’s single largest environment and human health threat” but laments that the problem has not previously been “considered spatially and temporally”, with most studies basing a person’s pollution exposure on where they live.

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Balkan countries unite in a war on waste

The Guardian - Wed, 2016-08-24 18:51

Trash activists from former war-torn countries formed some of the world’s largest cross-border civic movements against rubbish and pollution

Balkan countries once divided by war, nationalism and religion have been quietly uniting to confront a common foe: rubbish.

Under the rubric of the Let’s Do It campaign, Albanian and Kosovar activists jointly cleared their border area and the polluted Lake Vermica last April, in a Wombles-style campaign that has involved more than 5% of Albania’s population, and 7% of Kosovo’s.

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Yuval Noah Harari: "We are probably one of the last generations of Homo sapiens."

BBC - Wed, 2016-08-24 18:09
Historian and author of the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari speaks about the future of humanity.
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The best and worst of worlds in my Kenya

The Guardian - Wed, 2016-08-24 16:41

Paula Kahumbu: When will we learn that wildlife conservation is part of wealth creation and not an obstacle to it?

Three days spent in Samburu Reserve to celebrate World Elephants Day with 91 children from Kenya’s poor neighbourhoods, slums and rural areas were probably the most moving experience of my life.

A team of staff, interns and volunteers from my NGO WildlifeDirect put on an ambitious three-day programme of discovery, play and learning for the children. The children experienced a real safari, in a four-wheeled-drive vehicle. They camped for the first time in their lives. They met wild animals in the wilderness of Samburu, and talked to rangers and scientists involved in wildlife conservation.

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China unveils 2020 Mars mission probe and rover

BBC - Wed, 2016-08-24 14:43
China gives the world a first glimpse of the space probe and rover it plans to use in its first mission to Mars in 2020.
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Young rabbit considers us as a threat

The Guardian - Wed, 2016-08-24 14:30

Wenlock Edge The rabbit we watched watching us was taking its sentry duty seriously, and had the makings of a dominant adult – if it survived long enough

All ear and eye, the rabbit was as alert as an exclamation mark. It remained still and watchful, as if it thought it was invisible when in fact its attention was so intense it seemed as obvious as a warning beacon in an otherwise languid August afternoon.

The young rabbit was assessing the distance of this particular threat – two people and a dog – the distance to the burrow in the hedge, an escape route across the field, the position of the other rabbits, other potential threats from land and sky.

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Mojo agrees with AGL – Disruptors set to take their business

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2016-08-24 14:23
Mojo today said it agreed with AGL Energy Chief’s Executive’s comment that the big retailers take their loyal customers for granted and are vulnerable to disruptors.
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Labor ready to sacrifice ARENA for medal in budget Olympics

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2016-08-24 14:17
In a decision that will rank top of the Stupid List, Labor appears to have accepted Coalition plans to strip $1bn from ARENA.
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New transmission line will open up wind farm opportunities

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2016-08-24 14:08
Spark Infrastructure has first hand experience of the impact that renewables have on the wires and poles business and the opportunities and challenges that presents.
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UNHCR's 'Blue Dot' hubs

The Guardian - Wed, 2016-08-24 14:01

In response to the increasing number of women and children fleeing the war in Syria, UNHCR has set up a number of special support centres, also known as “Blue Dot” hubs, along the route through Greece and the Western Balkans specifically catering to their needs.

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Five years to zero emissions – Australia’s climate reality check

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2016-08-24 13:45
If Australia fails to move on its climate policies, it may have no choice but to cut emissions to zero within five years to meet its share of the global effort to avoid a climate crisis. But it's not something that policy makers want to admit.
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Investors controlling $13tn call on G20 leaders to ratify Paris climate agreement

The Guardian - Wed, 2016-08-24 13:34

Investors say countries that move first will attract investments and call for regulators to force disclosure of climate-related risks

A group of 130 institutions that control US$13tn of investments have called on G20 nations to ratify the Paris agreement this year and accelerate investment in clean energy and forced disclosure of climate-related financial risk.

Countries that ratified the Paris agreement early would benefit from better policy certainty and would attract investment in low-carbon technology, the signatories said in a letter before the G20 heads of government meeting in September.

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Tesla Model X arrives in Australia, with news of bigger battery

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2016-08-24 13:32
Tesla's safe yet sexy "family car", the Model X SUV, has arrived in Australia, alongside news of a bigger battery pack and more ludicrous speeds.
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Tesla claims world’s fastest car* with new 100kWh battery pack

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2016-08-24 13:20
Tesla confirms 100kWh battery pack available for Model X and Model S, offering more ludicrous 0-100km/h times at "obviously more expensive" price.
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Australia needs to cut emissions by 65% by 2030 to meet Paris target

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2016-08-24 11:12
New research suggests that limiting global warming to 1.5℃ rather than letting it reach 2℃ could make a significant difference to the severity of extreme weather events in Australia, and could make all the difference for the Great Barrier Reef.
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Solar PV strikes new record low in Chile, first US offshore wind farm completed

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2016-08-24 10:44
The solar PV cost reduction spiral reached its lowest point yet at an auction in Chile last week, where a Spanish developer won contracts to sell power from a solar plant high in the Andes for $29.10/MWh.
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Depression: A revolution in treatment?

BBC - Wed, 2016-08-24 10:43
Can treating the immune system lead to a revolution in treating depression?
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Seals help show how Antarctica's melting ice shelves affect the deep ocean

ABC Science - Wed, 2016-08-24 10:38
SEAL SCIENCE: A group of elephant seals in Antarctica has helped show how freshwater from melting ice shelves affects a key part of the engine that drives the circulation of the world's oceans.
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Perfume traces could help to solve crimes

BBC - Wed, 2016-08-24 09:48
Detecting traces of perfume could help in the fight against crime, a study suggests
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