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Banana appeal: Australia’s first genetically modified fruit sent for approval
Cavendish made to resist fungus threatening variety worldwide is seen as safety net for growers if industry wiped out
Scientists have submitted Australia’s first genetically modified fruit – a Cavendish banana – to regulators for approval, saying it has been engineered to withstand a deadly fungus that poses a threat to banana growers worldwide.
The banana, known as QCAV-4, has been genetically modified to resist a fungus known as Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4), which is threatening the multibillion-dollar Cavendish industry globally.
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Continue reading...Wealth tax of 0.5% could cover UK’s share of loss and damage fund, says charity
International fund set up at Cop27 is intended to provide compensation to countries worst hit by climate breakdown
A tax on wealthy Britons of just 0.5% could more than meet the UK’s entire “fair share” contribution to the international loss and damage fund established to support countries worst hit by global climate breakdown, a charity has suggested.
Taxing 5p of every £10 of individuals’ wealth over £1m would raise £15bn a year by 2030, well in excess of an estimated $15bn (£12bn) UK contribution to the new fund, according to an analysis by the anti-poverty campaigners Christian Aid.
Continue reading...Classic first date stuff: what men could learn from bowerbirds and their courting efforts | Rebecca Shaw
While the bar for boy birds is high, the bar for boy humans seems pretty low – as seen in a trend on TikTok where men are praised by women for doing … very little
A few nights ago I watched the Netflix nature documentary Dancing with the Birds, about, you guessed it, Abraham Lincoln. Just kidding, it’s about dancing birds! This is why I get the big bucks.
While watching the cute profiles of various bird species that all incorporate dance into their mating schemes, I cleverly noticed a running theme. In each case, when it came to the effort of courting and relationships, it was exclusively the male birds that had to put in the work.
Continue reading...Albanese government approves first new coal mine since taking power
Environment activists condemn expected decision by Tanya Plibersek to give green light to the Isaac River mine in central Queensland
The Australian government has approved a new coal mine development for the first time since it was elected last year.
Tanya Plibersek, the federal environment minister, indicated she would give the green light to the Isaac River coal mine in Queensland’s Bowen basin. It was announced late on Thursday.
Continue reading...Artificial rockpools in south of England successfully attract sea creatures
Creatures like crabs, barnacles, molluscs are drawn to havens built in Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight
Artificial rockpools in Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight have successfully attracted sea creatures, which have made them their home.
Scientists have hailed the discovery, saying the false crevices can be added to sea defences and other human-made coastline developments to create habitats for sealife such as crabs, barnacles, molluscs, small fish, sea squirts and seaweed.
Continue reading...Rescue workers struggle to recover bodies after deadly floods and landslides in DRC – video
More than 400 people were killed during flash floods caused by high rainfall in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to official reports.
The DRC floods happened days after deadly flooding in Rwanda, on the other side of Lake Kivu, which killed roughly 130 people. Uganda also experienced flooding, which caused 18 deaths and left thousands displaced.
Extreme weather events are occurring with increased frequency in the region, from a severe drought in the eastern Horn of Africa to excessive rainfall in other parts of east and central Africa
Continue reading...New US rules could stem emissions from coal and gas power plants
Environmental groups laud the regulation, which would advance clean power in the US – if it survives expected legal challenges
The US is set to impose new carbon pollution standards upon its coal- and gas-fired power plants, in a move that the Biden administration has hailed as a major step in confronting the climate crisis.
Under new rules put forward by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), new and existing power plants will have to meet a range of new standards to cut their emissions of planet-heating gases. This, the EPA predicts, will spur facilities to switch to cleaner energy such as wind and solar, install rarely used carbon capture technology or shut down entirely.
Continue reading...Aquawatch Australia to issue world’s first water quality forecasts
Project will use data from satellites and sensors to provide warnings on algal bloom, blackwater and runoff contamination
AquaWatch Australia is a project that will issue the world’s first water quality forecasts. Researchers will combine data from satellites and sensors on the ground to provide early warning of potentially harmful events such as algal bloom, blackwater and runoff contamination.
These events are driven by rainfall, temperature and other weather factors. Blackwater occurs when floods wash organic material into rivers, turning the water black. As the material decomposes it can take all the oxygen out of the water, producing hypoxia which kills fish and other creatures.
Continue reading...How The Good Guys got it wrong on the risks of gas cooktops, and Bob Katter’s new vest | Temperature Check
The sales pitch for new cookers ignored concern about the danger of burning fossil fuel in your home, and the move towards electric induction hobs
Australian retailer The Good Guys removed an article on its website this week that had described gas cooktops as efficient and affordable without mentioning the growing health and climate concerns of burning a fossil fuel in your kitchen.
The article, which was pulled after this column sent in questions, is nevertheless archived and had compared gas stoves to new electric induction cooktops.
Continue reading...Soap can make humans more attractive to mosquitoes, study finds
Researchers say mosquitoes may be attracted to soap because when not feeding on blood they supplement sugar intake with nectar
Lathering up with soap might seem a reasonable mosquito-evasion strategy on the basis that if they can’t smell you, they can’t bite you.
However, a study suggests that rather than helping you go incognito, soapy fragrances could make you a more attractive target, with mosquitoes favouring the scent of volunteers who washed with three out of four popular soap brands tested.
Continue reading...Sound artist eavesdrops on what is thought to be world’s heaviest organism
Artist records underground sounds generated by Pando, a huge group of aspens in Utah considered to be a single organism
When it comes to the world’s heaviest living organism, it is a “forest of one tree” that is thought to take the crown. Now a sound expert is listening into the quiet grove in an attempt to hear its secrets.
Known as Pando – Latin for “I spread” – the 47,000 genetically identical quivering aspens in south-central Utah are considered to be a single organism, with the “trees” actually branches thought to be connected by a shared root system.
Continue reading...Somerset: major incident declared after flash flooding
Heavy thunderstorms cause dangerous driving conditions, blocked roads and damage to homes
Flash flooding in parts of south-west England following torrential rain has led to a major incident being declared in Somerset.
Heavy thunderstorms on Tuesday evening resulted in Devon and Somerset fire and rescue declaring a major incident in the Galhampton, North Cadbury, and South Cadbury areas.
Continue reading...British public urged to help map and protect sweet chestnut trees
Campaign aims to teach people how to recognise the tree and signs of the pest and disease that threaten it
The UK’s sweet chestnuts are facing a double threat from pests and disease, and the government is calling on the public to learn to identify and protect the trees.
The trees were first recorded in Britain in the 12th century and provide food and habitat for a diverse range of wildlife. However, two problems are increasingly threatening sweet chestnuts: the oriental chestnut gall wasp (OCGW) and a fungus, chestnut blight.
Continue reading...UK tops list for fossil fuel sites in nature protected areas
Globally, fossil fuel extraction and exploration is taking place at almost 3,000 sites in conservation areas, analysis shows
Fossil fuel extraction and exploration is taking place at almost 3,000 sites in protected areas around the world, analysis has revealed, with the UK having the highest number of fossil fuel sites in protected areas.
Globally, the activities affect more than 800 areas established to defend nature. The coal, oil and gas at the fossil fuel sites would lead to 47bn tonnes of climate-heating carbon dioxide if fully exploited, four times the annual emissions of China, the world’s biggest polluter.
Continue reading...Australia needs to set date to end petrol car sales to speed up EV transition, energy experts say
Governments urged to roll out chargers, reduce prices and recruit celebrities to mobilise public as one in four new vehicle sales predicted to be electric by 2025
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One in four new cars bought by Australians could be electric as early as 2025 but governments should set a date for the end of petrol car sales to speed up the transition, energy experts recommend.
Australia also needs new policies to roll out vehicle chargers and put pressure on electric car prices, they say, and should recruit celebrities and sports stars to create the “biggest public mobilisation the nation has ever seen”.
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Continue reading...Outdated IT systems threaten UK food security and air quality, say MPs
Some systems at Defra are so old they have no protection from cyber-attacks, says public accounts committee
UK politics live – latest updates
Food security and air quality in the UK are being put at risk by outdated IT systems at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), a parliamentary committee has found.
MPs have said the situation “cannot continue” as officials are having to use paper forms rather than digital systems to track fast-moving animal disease and keep food, air and water safe.
Continue reading...Drone footage shows Spanish reservoirs dry amid hottest April on record – video
Spain is facing one of its worst droughts in recent history, which is becoming increasingly visible through drone footage.
Last month was the driest April in five decades and the warmest on record since 1961, according to the state agency Aemet. This has caused reservoirs and wetlands across the country to be affected, with many looking much emptier than they did the same time last year.
In northern Catalonia, the Rialb, Baells and La Llosa del Cavall reservoirs are now below 25% of their capacity, with the Rialb reservoir particularly badly affected, showing cracked ground and only holding 5.69% of its capacity
Spain braced for record April temperature of 39C as extreme heat causes misery
Catalonia’s farmers face threat of drought … and a plague of hungry rabbits
April Mediterranean heatwave ‘almost impossible’ without climate crisis
Water chiefs not taking their mini bonuses? Hurrah for small mercies
Relying on a boss’s embarrassment is a bad way to structure performance pay at utilities
Contain your excitement at news that bosses of a few water companies won’t be taking their bonuses this year. In all three cases – South West Water, Thames Water and Yorkshire Water - acceptance of any bonus at all would rightly have provoked general outrage. These firms were at, or near to, the bottom of the league table in the Environment Agency’s last set of annual environmental performance ratings.
At the most sludgy end, South West joined Southern in scoring the lowest possible one star out of four, which the chair of the EA – a body that itself has hardly excelled during three decades of under-regulation – translated into plain English. It meant the companies’ environmental performance “was terrible across the board”. Thames and Yorkshire were two of four companies getting two stars, which indicated a need for “significant improvement”, so still deeply in cruddy territory.
Continue reading...Italian oil firm Eni faces lawsuit alleging early knowledge of climate crisis
Exclusive: Company accused of ‘lobbying and greenwashing’ for more fossil fuels despite knowing of risks
The Italian oil major Eni is facing the country’s first climate lawsuit, with environmental groups alleging the company used “lobbying and greenwashing” to push for more fossil fuels despite having known about the risks its product posed since 1970.
Greenpeace Italy and the Italian advocacy group ReCommon aim to build on a similar case targeting the Anglo-Dutch oil major Royal Dutch Shell in the Netherlands to force Eni to slash its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030.
Continue reading...Many soft contact lenses in US made up of PFAS, research suggests
Testing of 18 popular kinds of contact lenses found extremely high levels of organic fluorine, a marker of ‘forever chemicals’
Many soft contact lenses in the US are largely made up of compounds called fluoropolymers that are by definition PFAS “forever chemicals”, new research suggests.
Testing of 18 popular kinds of contact lenses found extremely high levels of organic fluorine, a marker of PFAS, in each.
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