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Watchdog investigates Defra over authorisation of bee-killing pesticide
Neonicotinoid was given emergency clearance under Conservative government in 2023 and 2024
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is being investigated by the environmental watchdog after Conservative ministers authorised a bee-killing pesticide that was banned by the EU.
The investigation into Defra was launched after the campaign group ClientEarth submitted a complaint to the Office for Environmental Protection, which was set up after Brexit to replace the EU’s framework for punishing environmental offences by governments in the bloc. On Monday, the OEP announced it would be investigating the emergency authorisation of a neonicotinoid pesticide in 2023 and 2024.
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Smelly planet 'reeks of rotten eggs'
Electric vehicles could help ease Australia’s energy instability by sending power back to the grid
Researchers say EV models with vehicle-to-grid capability will be a huge and flexible resource able to respond to emergencies
On 13 February, when freak winds brought down a transmission line in Victoria and shut down the state’s largest power station, a fleet of electric cars plugged into a charger in Canberra 500km away stirred.
Within six seconds, 16 vehicles started discharging their batteries, sending power back into the grid. While the contribution – part of a pioneering research project – was minuscule compared with the 90,000 households who lost electricity, the experiment showed how EVs could help ease grid calamities of the future.
Continue reading...German steelmaker pursues renewable hydrogen
Record-breaking heatwave grips many US states: ‘Avoid time outside of AC’
Heat warnings or advisories in effect for states on west coast, east coast and south, with more extreme highs forecast
A fierce heatwave that shattered records this weekend will again grip much of the US on Monday, with more than 36 million Americans under excessive heat warnings.
The dangerous temperatures caused the death of a motorcyclist in California’s Death Valley. And they posed challenges for firefighters working in sweltering conditions to battle a series of wildfires across the state.
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Suriname drafts guidelines for developing Paris-aligned carbon credits -media
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Euro Markets: Midday Update
Labour lifts Tories’ ‘absurd’ ban on onshore windfarms
Rachel Reeves says she will revise planning policy and decisions should be taken ‘nationally, not locally’
The effective ban on onshore windfarms has been dropped by the Labour government, in news that has delighted environmental and energy experts.
The ban was caused by two footnotes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the rules which govern the building of homes and infrastructure.
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