News in brief: 16th - 22nd November 2020
Banning petrol cars by 2030
As part of the UK's move to become more carbon neutral, the government announced that it plans to ban the sale of petrol cars by 2030 meaning that electric cars will dominate the market; this is great news for the environment but there are concerns around ensuring that there is enough infrastructure to cope with the numbers of cars and vehicles that will need regular recharging
As part of the UK's move to become more carbon neutral, the government announced that it plans to ban the sale of petrol cars by 2030 meaning that electric cars will dominate the market; this is great news for the environment but there are concerns around ensuring that there is enough infrastructure to cope with the numbers of cars and vehicles that will need regular recharging
Click here to read more...
Oil pollution in the Arctic
New rules around shipping in the Arctic have been recently brought in to protect it from oil pollution which can threaten wildlife; it appears, however, that some of these rules don't go far enough as there are several loopholes that allow ships from Arctic coastal states to sail around which will mean that some oil will still enter the waters
Click here to read more...
New global map of bees
Bees play a hugely important role in pollinating plants which helps to keep our ecosystems thriving; scientists have created a new map which shows the distribution of all 20,000 bee species and this will help inform further efforts to conserve bees and ensure their survival
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 2nd - 8th November 2020
The UK's carbon-free future
It is thought that the UK will need specific rules if it is to meet its carbon reduction targets in the future; suggestions are that households appliances will need to have strict standards in energy efficiency, all new homes should be carbon neutral, and new cars should be electric or hybrid
Click here to read more...
Raw sewage dumped onto UK beaches
It has become apparent that water companies in the UK have been dumping raw sewage onto bathing beaches around 3,000 times a year; this occurs as a result of overflows after heavy rainfall and there are concerns about the health implications this may have on beach users and sealife
Click here to read more...
Danish mink under threat
The Danish government has announced that all mink must be culled after it was suspected that a strain of covid has mutated and passed between cages minks; this is devastating for the mink industry in Denmark but scientists believe that if this does not happen then it will undermine the efforts to find an effective covid vaccine in the future
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 26th October - 1st November 2020
Heavy rain hits England and Wales
Parts of the UK are bracing for heavy rain and strong storms this weekend and into next week; Wales is thought to be hit the worst and the environment agency has issued several flood warnings to help people prepare and stay alert
Parts of the UK are bracing for heavy rain and strong storms this weekend and into next week; Wales is thought to be hit the worst and the environment agency has issued several flood warnings to help people prepare and stay alert
Click here to read more...
Earthquake strikes Turkey
A deadly earthquake has struck just off the coast of Turkey and Greece with a magnitude of around 7.0 on the Richter Scale; it is thought that 20 people have died with a further 786 injured and rescue teams are on the search for any survivors who may be buried in the wreckage
Earthquake strikes Turkey
A deadly earthquake has struck just off the coast of Turkey and Greece with a magnitude of around 7.0 on the Richter Scale; it is thought that 20 people have died with a further 786 injured and rescue teams are on the search for any survivors who may be buried in the wreckage
Another hurricane has hit the south coast of America this week with wind speeds of around 100mph; buildings have been severely damaged and power cables have brought down meaning that around 2.6 million people were without power for some time
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 19th - 25th October 2020
Saving ancient forest from HS2
Many areas of forest, some incredibly ancient, are being cut down to make way for the high speed rail link HS2; the company behind the tree cutting is attempting to move the rich woodland soils, saplings and small animal species to other sites so that the biodiversity of these areas is not lost, however scientists are doubting the efficacy of the project
Click here to read more...
Arctic ice refreeze uncertain
Each year, the Arctic ice goes through a cycle of melting and refreezing, but this year the data shows that the ice has not started refreezing when it should; warming air and warming waters in Siberia are thought to be the cause of the delay in refreezing as this area has seen a protracted spell of warm weather conditions over summer and into the autumn
Click here to read more...
Norway publishes rainforest maps
Norway is continuing to pave the way with forest conservation by creating and publishing a satellite dataset on the world's tropical rainforests for free; the data is available to anyone who wishes to view it and offers a realtime understanding of how much deforestation is occurring rather than counting how much has been lost at the end of a period of time
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 5th - 11th October 2020
UK to invest more in wind power
Boris Johnson is to pledge to increase wind power for the whole of the UK with the intention that every home will be powered by wind within the next decade; this push towards green energy will form part of the government's plan to invest in a green future and create thousands of new green jobs, particularly as there will be a rise in unemployment due to coronavirus
Boris Johnson is to pledge to increase wind power for the whole of the UK with the intention that every home will be powered by wind within the next decade; this push towards green energy will form part of the government's plan to invest in a green future and create thousands of new green jobs, particularly as there will be a rise in unemployment due to coronavirus
Click here to read more...
Threat of extinction to whales
A letter has been signed by hundreds of scientists and conservationists calling for the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises; although saving whales has been an issue since the 1970s and 1980s, the issues around overfishing and illegal fishing have not been resolved and more action is needed to ensure that these species don't become extinct in the near future
Click here to read more...
New 'Earthshot' Prize to encourage environmental innovation
A new Earthshot Prize has been announced by Prince William and Sir David Attenborough which offers five awards of £1million a year for ten years to the best environmental solutions or strategies to help save our planet; the goals are centred around protecting nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste free world and fixing our climate
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 28th September - 4th October 2020
Trees felled due to ash die back
Ash die back is a fungus that affects ash trees and has been spreading throughout the UK for some years; more ash trees than ever will be felled this year as the dry spring conditions and lockdown delays have allowed the fungus to grow and spread
Ash die back is a fungus that affects ash trees and has been spreading throughout the UK for some years; more ash trees than ever will be felled this year as the dry spring conditions and lockdown delays have allowed the fungus to grow and spread
A ban on single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds has now come into force in England; it is hoped that the ban will save the use of 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds every year
Click here to read more...
Air pollution falls in London
The air quality in London has significantly improved since 2016 due to the banning of high-pollution vehicles in central London and the introduction of cleaner vehicles, particularly clean buses on the most polluted routes; thousands of people were thought to have been dying early due to high levels of pollution, and although improvements have been made there is still more progress to be made in the capital
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 14th - 20th September 2020
UK river water quality worsens
The Environment Agency has recently announced that water quality levels in rivers have not improved since the last monitoring figures were released; although water quality has not declined, it is thought that chemicals from farming, sewage discharge, and industries were still higher than desirable and need to be reduced in order to make rivers cleaner for plants and wildlife
Click here to read more...
Areas of Siberian ground that are normally permanently frozen (permafrost) are beginning to thaw out according to scientists who are monitoring the area; as the ground thaws, the soil shifts downwards leaving the landscape covered in lumps and bumps called thermokarsts where water can pool and form lakes
Click here to read more...
Greenland ice shelf shatters
A piece of a large ice shelf in Greenland has broken off and shattered into many pieces; the section is thought to be 110 km squared in size and is yet another piece of evidence of rapid climate change in the area which is thought to have warmed by around 3 degrees since 1980
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 7th - 13th September 2020
Motorways speed limits introduced to cut down air pollution
Sections of four different UK motorways will trial speed limits of 60mph towards the end of this month to see what impact it has on reducing air pollution; nitrogen dioxide is released in car exhaust fumes and is a key contributor to greenhouse gases which are causing climate change
Click here to read more...
Wildfires are now extending further out of California and have reached the state of Oregon; two large fires merged near one of the most populated part of Oregon towards the suburbs of Portland and around half a million people are under some kind of evacuation order
Click here to read more...
Global wildlife extinction worsens
Global wildlife extinction worsens
Sir David Attenborough has spoken more strongly again about the risk of global wildlife extinction; since 1970, all vertebrate animals including birds, mammals and amphibians have decreased by 60% due to habitat destruction, poaching, and the drive for human development
Click here to read more...
Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
A selection of the best comedy wildlife photos have been displayed; these light-hearted moments are a fantastic celebration of all that we love about the animal world, and want to protect!
Click here to see more...
News in brief: 31st August - 6th September 2020
Badger culling to continue
Around 60,000 badgers may be killed in England as part of a plan to control their population and reduce the risk of spreading TB to cattle herds; groups have campaigned against this practice as it is cruel to animals and may unbalance the nature ecosystem
Click here to read more...
Protests against HS2
The High Speed rail link proposal has been in the headlines again as protesters have tried to raise their concerns about the project; although the railway is intended to reduce carbon emissions and take cars off the road, many feel that it is too costly and will destroy valuable patches of ecosystem in the wake of its construction
Click here to read more...
Increasing organic food and drink consumption
During lockdown, it was noticed that consumption of organic food and drink increased; this is a positive move as organic produce is better for the environment as it uses far less pesticides and fertilisers which can do a lot of harm and damage to the environment if introduced in large quantities
Click here to read more...
Next week....
It is Zero Waste Week! Why not start by watching the BBC programme 'War on Plastic' to get an idea of some of the problems and what you can do to help
Click here to watch...
News in brief: 24th - 30th August 2020
Storm Francis causes widespread flooding
Strong winds and heavy rain brought by Storm Francis has caused widespread flooding across large parts of the UK and particularly Wales; the Met Office put out extreme weather warnings and evacuated people from some areas as wind speeds reached up to 75mph
Click here to read more...
The price of bread may rise after the worst wheat harvest in the UK in 40 years; extreme weather has affected crop growth, with flooding causing problems with sowing last autumn and dry spells in the summer limiting nutrient uptake
Thousands of people have gathered to march in protect about the large oil spill off the coast of Mauritius last month; it is thought that around 1,000 tonnes of oil have been spilt into a precious wildlife area, and that the government has done little to clean up the spill or prevent it from happening in the first place
Click here to read more...
Click here to read more...
A good season for butterflies
All the warm weather over spring and summer this year has made it an excellent season for a number of butterfly species; lots of British native species have been seen in abundance although there are still several that are in decline overall
Click here to read more...
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 17th - 23rd August 2020
California wildfires at critical level
Wildfires have been sweeping across the state of California as a result of a heatwave and lower than average rainfall; President Trump has now declared the area as a major disaster zone with nearly 1 million acres of land now burnt
Click here to read more...
Greenland lost an unprecedented amount of ice by melting in 2019; changing weather systems have meant that it has experienced longer periods of high air pressure which increases melt rates and contributes to sea level rise
Click here to read more...
Dams limit sea level rise
It is now though that large scale dams have helped to limit sea level rise in some areas over recent decades; despite increased overland flow from melting glaciers and river floods, the amount of water reaching the sea is about 12% lower than it might have been because of the dams
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 10 - 16 August 2020
Mauritius oil spill worsens
The Japanese bulk carrier that began spilling oil last week has now broken into two pieces; hundreds of tonnes of oil have spilt into the area since the end of July and large numbers of volunteers have now stepped up to help with the clean up effort
The Japanese bulk carrier that began spilling oil last week has now broken into two pieces; hundreds of tonnes of oil have spilt into the area since the end of July and large numbers of volunteers have now stepped up to help with the clean up effort
Click here to read more...
Plans for renewable heat networks
Two projects have been given extra funding to supply buildings in south Wales with waste heat generated from industrial sites; a system of underground pipes will transfer the heat from the site to the buildings, and this will help to save both carbon emissions and costs of heating
Click here to read more...
Arctic ice shelves breaking up
New satellite photos from the Plant-Earth observation company have shown a worrying break in the Milne Ice Shelf in the Arctic; this is one in a series of many break-up events over the last 15-20 years and as such is yet more evidence of the rapidly warming climate
Click here to read more...
Oil spill in the Indian Ocean
A ship has begun leaking fuel off the coast of Mauritius after running aground on a coral reef; Mauritius has now declared a state of emergency with thousands of sealife at risk which may affect both the animal and human populations in the area
Click here to read more...
Beavers in England
A group of beavers have been allowed to remain on the River Otter in east Devon after a five-year reintroduction trial; beavers are a great help to the environment as they build dams which helps to slow flooding and they can also boost local wildlife populations
Click here to read more...
Rising risk of extreme droughts
Climate change is increasing the risk of extreme droughts across central Europe which will have a significant impact on crop production; central Euope suffered the biggest droughts in 2018 and 2019 which caused rivers to dry up, crops to be ruined and more frequent wildfires than normal
Click here to read more...
News in brief: 9 March - 15 March 2020
Coronavirus pandemic
The global spread of the coronavirus has led to worldwide panic and recent lockdowns of major cities in Europe; many flights are being cancelled and people are being barred from entering foreign countries
Pressure to plant more trees
The government has promised to plant 30 million trees a year in a bid to become greener and take carbon dioxide out of the environment; however, it is important that tree planting is done responsibly as new saplings need to be cared for and there may be conflict with landowners who want to use the land for a different purpose
Sea ice melting faster than ever
Records show that Greenland and Antarctica are losing mass six times faster than they were in the 1990s, losing 6.4 trillion tonnes of ice between 1992 and 2017; this has implications for sea level rise around the world which could cause catastrophic flooding
Allowing the roadsides to grow wild
Modern farming methods have reduced the number of wild flower species what grow alongside the edges of fields or beside roads; new projects that are encouraging the growth of wild flowers are seeing a substantial increase in the number of plant, animal and insect species that are growing in these areas and are raising the general biodiversity level
Could Coronavirus help fight climate change?
It appears that the changes we are making as a result of the coronavirus could be having a positive knock-on effect on carbon emissions; with people self-isolating and not going into work, traffic pollution and emissions from industry have lowered, with significantly decreased air pollution being recorded in Italy and China
News in brief: 17 February - 23 February 2020
Flooding worries continue
The UK is not experiencing any let up in flooding concerns as heavy rain and wind continues to sweep across the country; heavy overnight rain has meant that residents of towns in the Yorkshire Dales had to be evacuated from their homes overnight
Controversy over domestic fuels
The UK is introducing a ban on coal and wet wood (wood that has not been seasoned or dried for 1-2 years) being used in homes for domestic fires; the trend for log burners in homes is leading to a reduction in air quality and it is thought by controlling the type of fuel used it may make it more environmentally friendly
Rise in blue whale population
The number of blue whales spotted near Antarctica has risen dramatically according to recent observations; a 23-day survey carried out recorded seeing 55 animals, an amazing number considering the area was an epicentre for whaling in the early 20th century
Greta Thunberg to visit Bristol
The Swedish environmental activist is to visit Bristol next week for a youth climate protest; Bristol has previously received an award for being a European Green Capital in 2015 and has backed a commitment to being carbon neutral by 2030
Is spring arriving early?
Weather watchers and nature lovers are noticing that spring has arrived incredibly early this year with daffodils and snowdrops flowering as early as the end of January; in some places, flowers are coming out all at once instead of being staggered throughout the spring