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

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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

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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

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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

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Plastic straws now officially banned

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 

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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 progess to be made in the capital 

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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

News in brief: 10 February - 16 February 2020

Storm Dennis hits the UK
The UK has suffered further high wind speeds and extremely heavy rainfall especially in some areas asa result of Storm Dennis; people have had to evacuate their homes in parts of south Wales and Herefordshire due to rapidly rising floodwaters

Coronavirus continues to spread
China reported a rapid increase in the number of cases of coronavirus this week, although this seems to have plateaued over the last couple of days; current figures now state that 68,470 are infected with 1,663 dead and 9,326 recovered

Antarctica is warming
Antarctica's temperature has been recorded as above 20 degrees celsius for the first time; scientists have described this as being incredibly abnormal and that it is a worrying indicator of what is happening to climate around the world

Sydney bushfire concert
A large concert has been held in Sydney, Australia to raise money to help communities that have been devastated by the recent bushfires; the concert aimed to raise around A$10 million which will go towards supporting rural fire services and wildlife that have been affected

The UK leads the fight against illegal logging
As part of UN climate talks later this year, the UK will lead the way in addressing the issue of illegal logging and deforestation; cutting timber down is a significant source of carbon emissions and also destroys the habitats of the wildlife that live within it

News in brief - Monday 21st October

Acidification of the oceans will cause mass extinction
A new report has shown that acidification of the oceans from carbon dioxide absorption will significantly reduce the amount of wildlife that can be sustained within it; scientists are warning of an 'ecological collapse' which could occur if species such as coral and phytoplankton were to die out

Promising future of solar power
Growth in the use of solar power could mean that the solar power industry will grow by 50% in the next 25 years; this would bring an end to the rise in use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil

In pictures - Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition winner

This confrontation between a fox and a marmot in China has won the award of Wildlife of the Year competition (Image credit: Yongqing Bao)

>> What do you think could be happening in this photo? Lots of people have been creating funny captions to go with this photo; can you think of one?!

News in brief - Wednesday 16th October

Humpback whale population recovering
The number of humpback whales in the southwest Atlantic has risen back up to 25,000, around 90% of its total original level before commercial whale hunting and fishing began; in the 1920s, the number of whales was so low that hunters went after different species and humpback whales were given protected status

Summer temperature records broken
During the summer of 2019, almost 400 temperature records were broken in the northern hemisphere; most of the record highs were in Germany, France and the Netherlands, and many scientists believe that this is trend that is set to continue

In pictures - aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis

Authorities in Japan are still dealing with flooding and homelessness after the typhoon last week (Image credit: Reuters)

>> What are the secondary impacts of a tropical storm such as this? How long do you think it will be until normal life resumes in a country like Japan?

News in brief - Tuesday 15th October

New government environmental bill
The UK government has published a new list of environmental priorities which include improving air and water quality, reducing plastic pollution, restoring wildlife and targeting the causes of climate change; an independent watchdog is set to monitor these targets and make sure the government is held accountable

Promising future of renewables
Rapid progress in renewable energy innovation may bring an end to fossil fuels earlier than previously thought; in the last year, the UK saw greater energy production from renewable sources than ever before

In pictures - Typhoon Hagibis makes landfall

Typhoon Hagibis moves towards Japan bringing high winds and heavy rain (Image credit: Cyclocane)

>> How could a country like Japan prepare for these typhoons? Why do you think these storms are getting worse?

News in brief - Friday 11th October

Typhoon Hagibis set to hit Japan
One of the strongest tropical storms in recent decades is set to hit Japan this weekend; people have been warned to take precautions as the 140mph winds sweep across the country brining heavy rain

The problem of microplastics
Scientists are investigating what the real risks of eating microplastics might be to our health; researchers are looking into how microplastics are invested by animals such as lungworms and can easily move up the food chain to seafood which humans might eat

California state bans animal fur
From 2023, people living in California will not be allowed to make or sell any items that contain real animal fur; this move is something for which animal rights campaigners have been calling for sometime

News in brief - Tuesday 8th October

Whale makes a visit to the Thames
A humpback whale around 5 m in length has been spotted swimming in the River Thames; it is not thought to be lost, and experts predict that it will soon make its return journey out to sea again

Efforts needed to maintain reduction in ozone hole
Scientists have said that people must not become complacent despite the significant progress in reducing the hole in the ozone layer; efforts are needed to make sure that gases are not released that could do it harm

Extinction Rebellion activists protest in London
The group of climate change protestors are meeting in London to make their concerns known about climate change; the are campaigning for the prime minister to act quickly and make changes that will help to save the planet

News in brief - Friday 4th October

Cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
A large free-floating boom has successfully captured plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch; much of the plastic in our oceans comes from the fishing industry or has been discarded from ships

Mangroves damaged in Australia 
A scientific trip to monitor mangroves has found 400km of badly damaged mangroves the north of Australia's Northern Territory and Queensland states; the remote area appears to have experienced rising sea levels, heatwaves, and back to back cyclones which has caused the devastation 

News in brief - Tuesday 1st October

Heavy rain across the UK
Torrential rainfall across the UK has brought road closures, floods and evacuations to some areas; the Environment Agency has published flood warnings and coastal surges in Cornwall meant that people had to leave caravans and seaside properties until at least tomorrow

Plastic washes up on remote south Atlantic island
A huge number of plastic bottles (mostly from China) have been found washed up on a remote island lying between Africa and South America; it is thought that many bottles have been discarded from passing ships, and it highlights just how bad the problem of plastic waste has become

In pictures - the D28 iceberg breaks free

A picture of the iceberg before and after it broke free from Antartica (Image credit: Copernicus Data/Sentinel-1)

>> Why are we seeing increasing numbers of icebergs of this size? What danger might they pose to people and wildlife?

News in brief - Wednesday 25th September

UN oceans report warns of climate change impacts
A new report from the United Nations is showing that climate change is having devastating impacts on our seas and oceans; melting ice is causing the release of significant amounts of carbon dioxide and warming seas are leading to the mass migration of wildlife

Mont Blanc glacier in danger of collapsing
Reports that around 250,000 cubic metres of ice are at risk of breaking away from a Mont Blanc glacier have caused road closures and evacuations in the area; local people are saying the mountain is changing due to global warming and that the glacier is moving more quickly than normal

North Sea cod population falls
Recent data is showing that the numbers of cod in the north sea are declining and that fisherman may no longer be allowed to catch it; this comes two years after the fishery was given the 'blue tick' eco-label to certify sustainability 

News in brief - Tuesday 24th September

Oceans declared in a 'state of emergency'

A new report by scientists states that sea ice melt is causing sea level rise that puts millions of people who live in coastal communities around the world in danger; not only this, but the acidification of the oceans from increased carbon dioxide concentrations will make it harder for wildlife to exist in the water

Companies unlikely to reach carbon emissions targets

A recent analysis has shown that four out of five of the world's biggest companies are unlikely to reach their carbon emissions targets by 2050; many other companies have not disclosed their climate agreements or targets, but it looks unlikely that the 1.5 degrees of warming allowed by the Paris Agreement may be exceeded

Labour promises new wind farms

The Labour Party is promising £83 billion wind farms as part of their new campaign promise; this move towards wind farms as a source of clean energy is part of their drive towards a green industrial revolution with new jobs and a chance to boost the economy

In pictures - Pakistan earthquake

A tremor of 5.8 magnitude occurred in Pakistan, causing damage to roads and 19 deaths (Image credit: Geo.tv)

>> What might be the primary and secondary impacts of this earthquake? How can countries be more prepared for earthquakes?

News in brief - Monday 23rd September

Scientists say climate change is accelerating
Climate data from the past five years shows that 2014-2019 has been the warmest period on record; sea levels have also risen significantly, as have atmospheric carbon emissions

UK tree planting campaign
The Woodland Trust is behind a campaign to get 1 million people to plant trees by 2025; a number of sites are being prepared for the end of November and councils are being asked to give permission for people to plant trees on their land

Proposed spaceport in the Hebrides
Plans for a new spaceport on North Uist in the Hebrides has caused some controversy; the RSPB has put forward its serious concerns for the birdlife in the area as well as the significant noise pollution that would impact on this very remote island