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: 2nd November - 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

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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

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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

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World's wildlife facing a crisis

If you watched David Attenborough's latest programme called 'Extinction: The Facts' on Sunday night, you will be fully aware of the problems facing the world's wildlife.  Most of these have been caused by our human actions and decisions we have made, often when we are far away from the consequences.  It is only when we see programmes like these that we become fully aware of the bigger picture and the harm that is happening to wildlife and also to people who live in the most poverty-stricken areas of the world. 

Deforestation is a huge issue, and is the most common cause of most loss of wildlife.  This is driven by the need to farm cattle, sheep and goats, or to grow animal feed crops such as soya which requires huge amounts of land, fertiliser and water.  It is usually cheaper to just clear new land than to help recover and reuse previously farmed land.  

Fishing is another problem.  Fish are caught inside huge industrial nets which catch many other fish and sea life, not just the desired species that they are after.  Quotas may be in place but are not monitored or enforced properly.  Many animals each year are entangled in fishing-related equipment or consume plastic items which remain inside their stomachs and cause death if they are unable to feed successfully. 

Animal poaching is a hidden problem that continues to happen without much detection.  Many animals such as rhinos, elephants and pangolins are trapped and killed for their horns, tusks or scales in the belief that they will cure diseases such as cancer, and they can sell for thousands of dollars on the black market.  Animals may also be kept alive in terrible conditions and have very poor quality of life. 

The UN announced in a report yesterday that the world has failed to meet any of its targets set out in Japan in 2010 to protect wildlife and reverse the damage that has already been done.  They have said 'humanity is at a crossroads' and that it is up to us to take the next steps.  Some progress has been taken in some areas, but large areas of vegetation and habitat are still being destroyed and many species are still at risk of extinction particularly in areas such as South America.  

Governments can make decisions that will help put laws in place, but it is also up to us as individuals to take actions that will reduce our impact on the planet.  To find out more visit the links below:

👉 Age of extinction - article

👉 BBC player - Extinction: The Facts

👉 The World Wildlife Fund

👉 Greenpeace

👉 The Wildlife Trusts 

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

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 - 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

News in brief - Monday 16th September

Ozone layer repairing
The hole in the ozone layer is the thinnest it has been for three decades; the ozone layer is important in protecting the earth from the sun's harmful radiation and had grown thinner as a result of the use of substances containing chlorofluorocarbons which are now banned

US not expected to attend climate summit
President Trump is expected to give the UN Climate Change summit a miss on Monday 23rd September; it is thought that the US is not intending to commit to any climate change reduction targets as they already pulled out of the Paris Agreement in 2016

Smog pollution across south-east Asia
Every year, around this time in September, the skies of south-east Asia are full of smog and pollution; this is due to farmers who use a slash-and-burn clearance method to burn forests and make space for new palm oil and paper plantations

In pictures - the threatened Tongass Forest region, Alaska

While the Amazon burns, Trump threatens to approve logging of one of the world's largest intact forests (Image credit: American Forests)

>> Why do you think people could be interested in development of this area? What harm might this cause?

In pictures - the endangered red wolf

The American red wolf faces extinction under the Trump administration (Image credit: National Geographic)

>> What happens when we lose species from an ecosystem? What knock on effect might this have?