Feather report: the swifts that
nest at Oxford University
The swifts
are back again over my garden in North London. I never tire of watching them in
the evening as they sweep across the sky, first gliding, then propelling themselves
with a fevered burst of wing beats.
They are normally
found in the balmy waters of sub-tropical coral reefs. But this moray eel got
a bit lost – it was trawled up from the bracing waters off the Cornish coast.
The waiting is part of it, of course, and so is the uncertainty.
I know this little patch of steep earth pretty well, a miniature valley devoid
of any human logic.
This
weekend the Scottish Renewables Festival is taking place exploring how the power
of the wind, sun and water can be used to provide electricity in a more environmentally
friendly way.
Half the lead produced in the world ends up discharged into the
environment and Ireland and the UK are among the biggest culprits, a study of
52 countries shows.
Filey Golf Club has bagged a
hole in one for its impressive green credentials, becoming one of just a handful
in clubs in Yorkshire to win an award under the English Golf Environment Scheme.
No cover for sunk vessel
due to 'act of terrorism'
The Marine
Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) is unlikely to investigate the circumstances
surrounding the sinking of a shellfish boat off Erris Head, Co Mayo, two days
ago as it was “not accidental”.
A
recent surge in weakened and malnourished sea lions found along the Northern California
coast is mystifying scientists and keeping workers hopping at the newly expanded
Marine Mammal Center here.
The United States and Canada say they will update a key agreement
to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species, climate change and other established
and emerging threats to the world's biggest surface freshwater system.
Alaska's Rat Island is
finally rat-free, 229 years after a Japanese shipwreck spilled rampaging rodents
onto the remote Aleutian island, decimating the local bird population.
President Barack Obama launched a plan on Friday to protect the
oceans, U.S. coasts and Great Lakes from the threats of climate change, pollution
and overfishing.
Endangered right whales identified where they were presumed locally
extinct
Using a system of underwater
hydrophones that can record sounds from hundreds of miles away, a team of scientists
... has documented the presence of endangered North Atlantic right whales in an
area they were thought to be locally extinct.
1 moose, 2
moose: Scientist seeks correction in number of species
It is a misinterpretation of the application of the bedrock of
scientific naming with regard to the number of moose species that Kris Hundertmark
... seeks to correct.
Hopes of securing a new international agreement to tackle climate
change appear to have been scuppered, as major polluters, including Japan and
China, have refused to cap their carbon emissions.
No side of politics is
showing any signs of budging on the proposed emissions trading scheme as the Senate
prepares to debate the legislation this fortnight.
Australia calls for aviation
to be part of climate change treaty
The
prospect of a worldwide carbon tax for airline passengers is gathering pace after
the Australian government demanded the inclusion of the aviation industry in the
global climate change treaty.
New
scientific research suggests that climate change is taking place faster than foreseen
in studies considered so far, according to environmental experts at a forum on
climate change called by the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment
(GLOBE).
Met Office predict likelihood of climate change on your doorstep
The most detailed set of climate
change projections ever produced will show the risks of sea level rise, droughts
and floods in Britain over the next 80 years to within 16 miles of your front
door.
UN climate talks make limited progress,
hard work still ahead
Negotiators
from 183 nations on Friday concluded another round of climate talks with limited
progress towards a new UN treaty to curb global warming, but huge differences
are still to be ironed out in future negotiations.
US expects China to cut emissions
after a 'peak year'
The United States
wants China to accept slow increases in its greenhouse gas emissions until it
hits a "peak year," beyond which a real decrease must occur, US negotiator Todd
Stern said Friday.
