The Guardian
How Slovenia is helping its ‘baby dragons’
Postojna Cave in Slovenia is one of Europe’s longest cave networks and one of the world’s most spectacular subterranean tourist sites. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come here every year to gaze at its wonders: its huge stalactites and stalagmites, its curtains of coloured rock and bridges that have been carved out of the local limestone by the river Pivka over millions of years.
Given such glories, it is not surprising that few tourists take note of the two concrete huts draped with black polythene that have been erected in a shadowy alcove in one obscure part of the 24km-long labyrinth. But the huts contain wonders of their own. In racks of trays of water, scientists have placed specimens of one of the world’s strangest creatures: the blind aquatic salamander Proteus anguinus – or olm, as it is known locally. It constitutes a project that could have profound implications for the future of these remarkable creatures.
Continue reading...The eco guide to zero wasters
The zero-waste revolution has been postponed, except on Instagram. But there are some constructive steps to be taken
I’ve been hearing about a “zero waste” world for half my life. What would it look like? It would be rubbish-free for starters, no more single-use plastic being shovelled into landfill. Shelves would be full of intelligent products designed to have a second useful life. Materials that couldn’t be reused would gently turn into compost, nourishing the earth as they broke down.
The high priestess of waste-free living is Californian Bea Johnson, whose home produces remarkably little waste
Continue reading...Bee inspired: why Oslo has put cological riches at the heart of the city
Norway wants urban gardeners to cultivate wildflowers and keep hives to reverse a decline in biodiversity
On a sloping meadow near the centre of Oslo, red-tailed bumblebees gather pollen from hairy violets, spiders spin webs between maiden’s tears while hoverflies buzz between yellow daisies and white yarrow.
Such a bucolic scene might normally be associated more with a rural past than an urban future, but it is part of a thoroughly modern attempt to reverse the decline of bee populations and put biodiversity at the heart of city planning in Norway’s capital.
Continue reading...Patagonia joins forces with activists to protect public lands from Trump
Native Americans and environmental advocates get help from outdoor retailers as they battle proposal to change monuments’ boundaries
Environmental activists, Native American groups and a coalition of outdoor retailers have vowed to redouble their efforts to protect public lands, after the US interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, recommended on Thursday that Donald Trump change the boundaries of a “handful” of national monuments.
Related: US public lands: Trump official recommends shrinking national monuments
Continue reading...The bees are already sealing their hives for the winter ahead
Ryall, Dorset The wax cells are studded with pollen gems in carnelian, citrine, garnet – an almanac of the seasons
The bees think it’s autumn. Since mid-July they have been reducing their numbers and sealing up the hives with propolis. Dark brown, sticky when fresh, brittle as cinder toffee when dry, propolis is a glue bees make from tree sap. It’s antimicrobial and despite its bitter taste some beekeepers chew it as a remedy for a sore throat.
Bees use propolis to fill small gaps in the hive and to mummify any invaders that are too big for them to carry outside. Occasionally, you find a dead mouse inside a hive its body shrouded in propolis, pieces of varnished bone showing through as if fossilised. The ancient Egyptians revered bees and it is thought they might have learned the principle of mummification from them.
Continue reading...Why the IPA's claim global warming is natural is 'junk science' | Graham Readfearn
An Institute of Public Affairs-sponsored journal article has been seized on by conservative media outlets. But there are a few problems
People who work for climate science denial thinktanks tend not to spend all that much time worrying about getting stuff into scientific journals.
Perhaps because it’s easier, people who are paid to tell the public and policy makers that human-caused climate change is overblown bunk would rather pump out newspaper columns, do softball interviews or push out their own self-published reports. There’s a lot less scrutiny in that kind of public relations.
Continue reading...London zoo weigh-in – in pictures
Each year the keepers at the zoo record the animals’ vital statistics to monitor their health and general wellbeing
Continue reading...Taxpayers spend £500,000 on radios for badger cull marksmen
Police call for cull shooters to be given same hi-tech system they use – but activists buy counter-devices to disrupt shooting
Hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ pounds have been spent on equipping badger cull marksmen with radios that link them directly to police, the Guardian has learned.
Police have advised the government to invest in the same communications system they use to make it easier for officers to get to conflicts with cull saboteurs in remote areas where the mobile phone signal is poor.
Continue reading...The week in wildlife – in pictures
A shag in the Farne Islands, coral reefs in recovery in Belize, and a fox near Chernobyl are among this week’s images from the natural world
Continue reading...Fallen police and fake sheep: news from everywhere – in pictures
What do you do if smog has made your fields unfit for grazing? Put sculptures of sheep on them instead. Lu Guang’s shot of phoney livestock in China is just one of many intriguing images from the International Festival of Photojournalism in Perpignan, France
Continue reading...Rhino horn sales: banking on extinction
Paula Kahumbu: The sale of rhino horn in South Africa won’t help save rhinos, but it will benefit organised crime
South Africa has just launched the first ever legal rhino horn auction. If you are based in South Africa and would like to buy some rhino horn you can place your bid here.
This is not a government auction, although it is sanctioned by the South African government. It has been organised by private rhino rancher, John Hume, who took the government to court and won the right to sell 265 rhino horns weighing about 500 kg. Trade in rhino horn is illegal in most countries, but the black market value of one kilogram is said to be USD 100,000—more than the price of platinum.
Continue reading...The tent is a trap for a wasp used to flying up out of danger
West Knoyle, Wiltshire It skitters up the fabric to the pinnacle, dropping down several feet then looping back up again, and again, and again
Taking respite from the hubbub of milling outdoor and bushcraft enthusiasts attending the Wilderness Gathering, I lie back under the shade of a conical bell tent. Gazing upwards into the canvas peak I watch a wasp skittering up the ivory fabric to the pinnacle, dropping down several feet then looping back up again, and again, and again.
Related: Conservationists slam 'hateful' survey promoting wasp killing
Continue reading...Australian firm unveils plan to convert carbon emissions into 'green' concrete
Initiative to convert CO2 into solid carbonates aims to produce building materials on commercial scale by 2020
An Australian pilot project capturing carbon emissions and storing them in building materials aims to have a full-scale production plant by 2020.
Mineral Carbonation International, an Australian company developing carbon-utilisation technology will officially launch its technology and research program at the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources on Friday.
Continue reading...Under threat: the three national monuments in Trump's sights
As interior secretary recommends boundary changes to Donald Trump, three national monuments are reportedly at risk of being reduced in size
In April, Donald Trump ordered a sweeping review of 27 national monuments, from Maine to Oregon. The monuments were set aside over the last three decades by Bill Clinton, George W Bush, and Barack Obama. Trump’s review sought to explore whether the protected land should be opened up to create economic opportunities for industries such as oil, gas, mining and timber.
Related: US public lands: Trump official recommends shrinking national monuments
Continue reading...Coal in decline: Adani in question and Australia out of step
Special report: India and China are shifting away from coal imports and coal-fired power while a mega-mine is planned for Queensland. Where does this leave coal in Australia?
- Coal in decline: an industry on life support
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The Paris-based International Energy Agency was born in a crisis. In the wake of the 1973 oil shock, as Arab petroleum producers withheld supply from countries that supported Israel in the Yom Kippur war, the then US secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, called on the OECD to set up a new body to ensure its members would always have the reliable and affordable energy they needed.
Over time, as the agency has expanded its focus to map broader energy trends, it has sometimes faced accusations of conservatism – that it has underestimated the uptake of renewable energy, and has been overly bullish about the future of fossil fuels. But last month it released a report that pointed to a rupture more far reaching than the 70s oil embargo.
Continue reading...Do you work tackling air pollution for a council? Share your experience with us
We want to hear from people who monitor air quality data and inspect other forms of pollution locally. Get in touch with us here
The issue of air pollution has recently been thrust into the news after the UK government lost court cases over illegally dirty air. It has been estimated that poor air quality contributes to the shortening of the lives of around 40,000 people a year.
Councils are required to monitor the air quality in their district under the Environment Act 1995. Local authorities must conduct regular reviews and assessments and submit their findings to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Brazil abolishes huge Amazon reserve in 'biggest attack' in 50 years
Brazilian president has dissolved Renca to attract investment in region thought to contain gold, with critics warning of irreversible damage
The Brazilian president Michel Temer has abolished an Amazonian reserve the size of Denmark, prompting concerns of an influx of mineral companies, road-builders and workers into the species-rich forest.
The dissolution of the Renca reserve – which spans 46,000 sq km on the border of the Amapa and Para states – was described by one opposition senator Randolfe Rodrigues of the Sustainability Network party, as the “biggest attack on the Amazon of the last 50 years”.
US public lands: Trump official recommends shrinking national monuments
Interior secretary Ryan Zinke says his recommendations include boundary adjustments for some locations among 27 national monuments
Conservation safeguards on a “handful” of national monuments across the US could be rolled back following the delivery on Thursday of the White House’s long-awaited review of such public lands, interior secretary Ryan Zinke said.
Related: Trump's day of doom for national monuments approaches
Continue reading...Russian tanker sails through Arctic without icebreaker for first time
Climate change has thawed Arctic enough for $300m gas tanker to travel at record speed through northern sea route
A Russian tanker has travelled through the northern sea route in record speed and without an icebreaker escort for the first time, highlighting how climate change is opening up the high Arctic.
The $300m Christophe de Margerie carried a cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Hammerfest in Norway to Boryeong in South Korea in 22 days, about 30% quicker than the conventional southern shipping route through the Suez Canal.
Continue reading...Satellite eye on Earth: July 2017 – in pictures
Wildfires in the US and Africa, tropical storms, and Bolivian salt flats are among the images captured by Nasa and the ESA last month
Pakistan’s Makran coast meets the Arabian Sea where the dry terrain contrasts sharply with the water. Sometimes coast and water overlap and sediment pours into the sea. Once river water and sediment reach the ocean they are swept along by currents. Inland, the landscape is rugged. Narrow valleys provide pastures for sheep amid the desert.
Continue reading...