One
of Ireland's rarest birds under threat of extinction
They may be the bane of the gardener’s life but weeds such as
the dandelion and thistle could be the key to the survival of one of Ireland’s
rarest native birds.
A rare bird was deliberately poisoned and then dumped to look
like a road kill. The red kite had ingested a large quantity of agricultural pesticide
and had its identity rings removed.
Blue
tits are singing again. They have a little trill, like running one’s thumb nail
along the teeth of a comb. Courting has also begun, with two males often chasing
a female through the twigs.
Nuclear reactor shut down at Torness power station
A nuclear reactor "tripped" at Torness Power station and had
to be shut down. Reactor One at the plant in East Lothian went down unexpectedly
on Monday afternoon and is set to be out of commission for weeks.
Tidal
energy in the Solway Firth could generate power for hundreds of thousands of homes
but would need significant financial support to proceed, according to a new study.
Loss
of species hits economy; new U.N. goals needed
Losses of animal and plant species are an increasing economic
threat and the world needs new goals for protecting nature after failing to achieve
a 2010 U.N. target of slowing extinctions, experts said Friday.
Seals are hot at chilly G7 Canadian Arctic meeting
Seals are hot at the G7 meeting in Canada's Arctic this weekend,
whether it's the sealskin mitts artisans are trying to sell, or the raw seal meat
on the menu at a community feast on Saturday.
Atlantic bluefin tuna CITES listing supported by UK Government
`
WWF–UK have expressed their delight
that the UK Government has taken a strong position calling for an international
trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna.
How different species can evolve the same colors and pattern
has always puzzled biologists. Now, scientists at Cambridge University have found
"hot spots" in the butterflies’ genes that might one of the most extraordinary
examples of mimicry in the natural world.
The
roof of the world is heating up, according to a report today that said temperatures
in Tibet soared last year to the highest level since records began.
The Indian government has established its own body to monitor
the effects of global warming because it “cannot rely” on the United Nations’
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the group headed by its own leading
scientist Dr R.K Pachauri.
The U.N.'s panel of climate experts said on Friday it was reviewing
whether it wrongly said that more than half of the Netherlands is below sea level
in a new glitch after exaggerating the thaw of Himalayan glaciers.
Public sector greenhouse gas emissions rose by 6.25% in 2008
despite overall UK emissions falling by almost 2%, analysis of government figures
showed today.
The increasing acidity of the world's oceans - and that acidity's
growing threat to marine species - are definitive proof that the atmospheric carbon
dioxide that is causing climate change is also negatively affecting the marine
environment ...
Scant Arctic ice could mean summer
"double whammy"
Scant ice over the
Arctic Sea this winter could mean a "double whammy" of powerful ice-melt next
summer, a top U.S. climate scientist said on Thursday.
Climate change policy just got a whole lot harder. Once again,
the culprit is the science. New research suggests that forests are not the carbon
sinks they were assumed to be.
