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Giant Jurassic-era insect rediscovered outside Walmart in Arkansas
Once-abundant giant lacewing was believed extinct in eastern US but mislabelled specimen hints at surviving populations
A giant Jurassic-era insect missing from eastern North America for at least half a century has been spotted clinging to the side of a Walmart big box in Arkansas.
The identification of the giant lacewing – Polystoechotes punctata – in an urban area of Fayetteville, Arkansas, sent scientists into raptures. The discovery of a species that was abundant in the age of the dinosaurs but which was thought to have disappeared from large swaths of North America has stoked speculation that there may be entire populations tucked away in remote parts of the Ozark mountains.
Continue reading...River Ouse may become first in England to gain legal rights
Lewes council passes motion recognising Sussex river’s rights to protection, amid growing concerns over pollution of waterways
The River Ouse is on course to be the first river in England to be granted legal rights, as part of a growing movement to bolster protection for nature through the law.
Lewes district council passed a rights of river motion acknowledging the rights of nature as a way of improving the health of local rivers by giving them similar protection to people, and agreed there was “a case to be made for considering our interactions with our local waterways”.
Continue reading...Forestry credits must rise to $30-50 range to have real impact -UNEP
Deflecting sun’s rays to cool overheating Earth needs study, scientists say
More than 60 US scientists, including James Hansen, renowned former Nasa climate researcher, sign open letter
The controversial concept of purposely deflecting the sun’s rays to cool down an overheating Earth should be further studied, according to a group of scientists headed by James Hansen, the renowned former Nasa climate researcher.
An open letter from more than 60 scientists across the US, Canada and Europe warns that it is “increasingly unlikely” the world will remain below 2C of heating beyond pre-industrial times, due to a failure to slash greenhouse gas emissions, requiring a “rigorous, rapid scientific assessment” of previously outlandish proposals for solar geoengineering to provide rapid cooling.
Continue reading...Euro Markets: Midday Update
India must avoid carbon market pitfalls, think-tank says
Why are eggs so expensive? Because an avian flu killed 43 million hens | Gene Baur
A global pandemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza is driving deaths in the egg industry. And factory farming is largely to blame
The increased cost of eggs has been in the news, but the cause has largely been absent in mainstream media. A global pandemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), a form of bird flu (H5N1), has resulted in the deaths of over 43 million hens in the egg industry, causing a drop in the supply of eggs and higher prices for consumers. While industry and government officials are feverishly working on getting this outbreak under control, the more significant issue is that confining animals by the billions in cruel and stressful conditions exacerbates the spread of disease. The problem is getting worse, and agribusiness needs to stop distracting consumers with messages about high egg prices and be held accountable for its irresponsible conduct.
On factory farms across the US, animals used to produce meat, milk and eggs for human consumption are crowded by the thousands in unsanitary conditions, and they’re fed a steady diet of pharmaceuticals to ward off the resulting illness. This helps keep animals productive and alive long enough to reach market, benefiting agribusiness in the short term, but it is contributing to the development of more virulent forms of resistant pathogens that jeopardize the wellbeing of both human and nonhuman animals. As a study published in 2018 warned: “The golden age of antibiotics (the 1950s through 1970s) marked the beginning of the arms race between humans and bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance is now among the greatest threats to human health.”
Continue reading...Trader accreditation, price floor needed to help govern scaled-up biodiversity market -report
Neoen to spend more on longer duration batteries as storage makes mark on the grid
Neoen to more than double its average battery storage duration as it looks to more firming projects and a new 20GW capacity target for 2030.
The post Neoen to spend more on longer duration batteries as storage makes mark on the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.
EDP posts surge in coal and gas burn in 2022 results
Japan adds J-credit methodology for paddy rice cultivation
Driest February in England since 1993 signals drought ahead, say experts
With little rain forecast for spring and reservoirs still not refilled, drought could be worse than last year
The government risks sleepwalking into drought, experts have said, after England experienced an extremely dry February with very little rain forecast for spring.
Last year, most of England was plunged into drought conditions, with farmers struggling to plant and harvest crops, and hosepipe bans in action across the country. Water companies were preparing to take drastic action, including banning the filling of public swimming pools and cleaning non-domestic buildings.
Continue reading...When the climate crisis brings despair, I cultivate my inner connection to nature – and find hope | Claire Ratinon
As this cold British winter recedes, every day brings change, and with it a reminder of the beauty and resilience of the natural world
This weekend, I sowed the first of my seeds of the season. Five varieties of tomato and two different kinds of aubergine. I’m not one for sowing seeds early, but tomatoes and aubergines need every day of the growing season in this country to offer up the best possible harvest. Last summer, the tomatoes were incredible: they thrived in that mind-bending heatwave. They more than made up for the year before when blight obliterated every plant before even one tomato had dared to ripen. No two years are ever the same in the veg patch.
Gardeners and growers are well versed in the nature of change. Understanding how the shifting seasons and weather patterns affect our plants enables us to determine when our interventions will be most timely. This year, gardeners at the Royal Horticultural Society, who have been studying buds across the country, are reportedly expecting a bumper blossom in spring. The combination of last year’s heat and light with the cold snap this February is expected to produce ideal conditions for flowering.
Claire Ratinon is an organic food grower and writer
Continue reading...Australia joins Vanuatu bid for international court to rule on obligation to prevent climate harm
Pacific island country will put resolution to UN general assembly seeking opinion on international legal obligations that countries have to act on the crisis
Australia will co-sponsor Vanuatu’s historic bid for the international court of justice to rule on the climate crisis, including the legal consequences for causing significant environmental harm.
The Pacific island country will soon put a resolution to the UN general assembly seeking an opinion on the international legal obligations that countries have to act on the climate crisis.
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Continue reading...US firm to bid to turn DRC oil permits in Virunga park into conservation projects
Exclusive: company plans to sell carbon and biodiversity credits in endangered gorilla habitat and Congo basin rainforest as alternative to drilling for fossil fuels
A New York investment firm is to launch a $400m (£334m) bid for oil concessions in the Congo basin rainforest and Virunga national park with plans to turn them into conservation projects, the Guardian can reveal.
EQX Biome, a biodiversity fintech company, has sent an expression of interest to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government for 27 oil exploration blocks put up for auction last July, some of which are in critical ecosystems.
Continue reading...Canadian government urged to test sick patients for herbicide
Patients in New Brunswick with array of symptoms ‘show signs of exposure to glyphosate’, says neurologist
A neurologist who believes his patients are suffering from a suspicious illness has pleaded with the Canadian government to carry out environmental testing he thinks will show the involvement of the herbicide glyphosate.
For more than two years, dozens of people in the Canadian province of New Brunswick have experienced a distressing array of neurological symptoms, initially prompting speculation that they had developed an unknown degenerative illness – and that figure is believed to be far higher than official reports.
Continue reading...AGL chair repeats “lights will go out” coal threat as gas lobby goes into overdrive
How do you know when the tide is turning on climate and renewables? When the fossil fuel scare campaign lurches back into gear.
The post AGL chair repeats “lights will go out” coal threat as gas lobby goes into overdrive appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Australia strikes ocean eDNA biodiversity partnership with major philanthropic group
CP Daily: Tuesday February 28, 2023
Could zebra stripes steer birds clear of offshore wind turbines?
A flickering black and white effect could further reduce bird collisions with offshore wind turbines.
The post Could zebra stripes steer birds clear of offshore wind turbines? appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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