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Exclusive: National Energy Action says progress on energy efficiency is too slow and not well targeted at fuel-poor households

The government’s home insulation scheme would take 190 years to upgrade the energy efficiency of the UK’s draughty housing stock, and 300 years to meet the government’s own targets to reduce fuel poverty, according to industry calculations.

Critics of the Great British Insulation Scheme, which aims to insulate 300,000 homes a year over the next three years, have raised concerns that the plan does not go far enough to reach the 19m UK homes that need better insulation.

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The 188-year-old coastguard’s tower in Cornwall is to be moved 100m inland to save it from coastal erosion

Perched on an exposed clifftop above the Atlantic, which gnaws ominously at the sandstone and shale foundations below, Bude storm tower in Cornwall has helped to save many mariners from strife over the past two centuries. But now this cherished coastguard’s lookout is to be rescued itself.

The 188-year-old Grade II-listed tower at Compass Point, affectionately known as the Pepperpot, will be carefully deconstructed and rebuilt 100 metres inland later this month to avoid its otherwise inevitable loss over the cliffs to coastal erosion.

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Light pollution is everywhere, obscuring stars, bewildering bats and making insect decline worse. Is finding dark corner becoming a luxury?

Here’s a prediction for the next few years (possibly the only prediction not best expressed by a melting smiley emoji and a guttural wail): dark will become the new luxury. For once, I’ll be ahead of the curve. I love the dark, it’s one of my fussy mid-life obsessions. I’m moderately insomniac and obsessed with eliminating every sliver of light from the bedroom. My curtains have thicker linings than a radiographer’s apron, so heavy they regularly fall off the rail. I want to spend my nights like a troll in a hole; a bear in a burrow. Unfortunately, my husband is intent on filling our house with home-optimising gadgetry; you could night-land a 737 in our hallway with all the flashing and blinking digital displays. I’ve banned them from the bedroom, but they bleed in through the gap under the door, disturbing me: I’m the princess and the pea, but for pea read LED. I might have to resort to a rolled-up towel under the door: I already use that hack in hotels, and travel with Blu Tack to cover up impossible to extinguish TV, AC or fire alarm lights, red, white and blue pinpricks of irritation. Don’t suggest a sleep mask: I’d need a Vantablack balaclava.

It’s not, traditionally, seen as a Good Thing, the dark. Scripture and literature have told us for centuries that light is what we’re after: “the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light”, the Enlightenment, “Juliet is the sun” and all that. There are solid evolutionary reasons. Light has been fairly useful for our survival as a species – photosynthesis served us well for not starving to death, for a start – and we associate it with warmth. Then in the dark we were vulnerable: bad things happened there, so fearing it was rational and useful. Women still feel vulnerable in the dark as we walk towards the safety of brighter, busier places. Figures from 2016 suggested half of women felt unsafe in the dark on quiet streets.

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Greens and Murdoch media say Safeguards deal is the end of new coal and gas. The share market disagrees because - for all the political posturing - there is flexibility in the deal.

The post The Safeguard Mechanism deal: How hard are the caps and do they matter? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Scientists warn of more marine heatwaves, leading to increased risk of extreme weather

The temperature of the world’s ocean surface has hit an all-time high since satellite records began, leading to marine heatwaves around the globe, according to US government data.

Climate scientists said preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) showed the average temperature at the ocean’s surface has been at 21.1C since the start of April – beating the previous high of 21C set in 2016.

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Distressed mammal was reported at lunchtime on Friday, but marine rescue service arrived too late to save it

A sperm whale is feared to have died after it washed up on the Lincolnshire coast.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) was called at about 12.15pm on Good Friday to help with a “large stranded whale” on the beach at Cleethorpes. The charity said the whale had been spotted “upright in the water” at about midday, but by the time it reached the beach, it was stranded on its side.

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Increasing number of trees draw large crowds as National Trust plans 4m blossoming trees across England

Tourists have long travelled to Japan to see its famous cherry blossom in spring.

But the UK could soon have its own industry as the increasing number of the trees in the country draw large crowds each year when in bloom.

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Hormone-disrupting chemicals are entering our bodies. We eat 44lbs of plastic in our lifetimes

When it comes to keeping off extra pounds, watching what we eat may not be enough – we have to keep an eye on our food’s packaging, too.

Rates of obesity among US adults have increased from 14% in 1980 to 42% today, and half the world is expected to be overweight or obese by 2035, with children and teens facing the sharpest increase in obesity and its consequences. Because data doesn’t support the idea that overeating and lack of exercise are squarely to blame, the scientific community is exploring other factors that may contribute – including metabolic disruption caused by eating products packaged in plastic.

Adrienne Matei is a freelance journalist

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Data from 100,000 US Major League games reveals higher temperatures lead to more balls hit out of park

Steroids once gave many of baseball’s sluggers a power boost. Now research suggests that today’s home run hitters are seeing their shots turbocharged by the climate crisis.

A study by researchers at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire used data from 100,000 Major League Baseball games and 220,000 individually hit balls to show that higher temperatures increase the number of balls hit out of the park.

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Exclusive: Sultan Al Jaber aims to use UN talks to set out how private sector can limit greenhouse gas emissions

The world needs a “business mindset” to tackle the climate crisis, the president of the next UN climate summit has said.

Sultan Al Jaber, the president-designate of the Cop28 summit to be hosted in the United Arab Emirates later this year, said he aimed to use the UN talks to set out how the private sector can limit greenhouse gas emissions and give businesses and governments a clear set of tasks and targets.

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Research found that ‘forever chemicals’ had ‘no practical benefit’ in repelling water and stains as compared with untreated fabric

A new peer-reviewed study calls into question how well PFAS-based products repel water and stains in furniture, shoes, clothing, carpeting, outdoor gear and other consumer goods made of fabric.

Most water and stain repellents applied to fabrics worldwide use toxic PFAS as a main ingredient, and though the controversial chemicals are in thousands of products, water and stain repellency are two of their main consumer functions.

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A new study finds people in Menorca got high on hallucinogenic drugs during the Bronze Age.

The spot price in China’s emissions trading market has plunged to its lowest level in 15 months with trading volume halving from the previous week, as cooling demand continues to weigh on the market in the absence of key regulations.

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs, including a rare leopard, very deep-swimming fish and baby ducks

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A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

A peer-reviewed study connects the virus with animals sold in the market linked with early cases.

The sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market will see a 30-fold surge in production by 2030, analysts predict, growing to a value of nearly $30 billion.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices fell following an up and down week driven by macroeconomic sentiment, while Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) values continued to set new record highs due to limited supply.

A summary of legislative, regulatory, and policy action on carbon, clean fuel standard, and clean energy markets at the US federal and subnational levels this week, including further progress to block North Carolina’s RGGI plans, a market-based climate policy bill in Connecticut, a Washington state bill to exempt farm fuels from carbon pricing, and a California proposal to restrict Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) crediting from dairy digesters.

A third of the volume offered at Nova Scotia’s June carbon market sale will come from a reserve account as the Canadian province winds down its cap-and-trade programme, according to a notice published Thursday.