Home/Posts Tagged ‘Britain’
Posts Tagged ‘Britain’
Conservation, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 29th, 2011,
As many native European species face extinction, some conservation experts believe Britain to be an ideal “assisted regional colonization area” or ARC. An ARC is a bit like Noah’s Ark, in the sense that an endangered animal or plant would be moved to a non-native area in order to facilitate its survival. Some scientists believe that species that are not able to migrate in order to survive dryer, hotter climates associated with climate change could use a helping hand. Animals like the Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle (can’t it just fly somewhere nicer? I hear you ask) are…
Tags: ARC, assisted regional colonisation area, Britain, Climate change, Conservation, Iberian Lynx, invasive species, Spanish imperial eagle
Politics, Pollution, Feb 17th, 2011,
Two bits of good eco-news in the UK this week: Despite the fact that these islands are largely going down the tubes as they become more and more a playground for the rich while the rest form a scrum for the crumbs, we have a couple of points of light. First, there will be no massive US-style factory farm in Lincolnshire due to fierce opposition from locals. The giant mega-dairy was feared to be a font of pollution and a harbinger of more factory farms to come. Despite this small victory, there is another plan for a similar farm in…
Tags: Britain, cows, dairy, factory farm, forest, protest, sell off, UK
Green living, Politics, Videos & Documentaries, Sep 25th, 2010,
Generally considered to lag far behind many other European countries when it comes to generating renewable energy – in the EU only Malta and Luxembourg produce proportionally less – the UK has just opened the biggest offshore wind farm in the world. The opening of the Thanet wind power project, located off the coast of Kent, means that in one fell swoop, Britain now produces more power from offshore wind than the rest of the world put together. Even larger wind farms are planned up the English coast and in the Thames estuary. We have enough energy to power all…
Tags: Britain, energy, Kent, power, renewables, Scotland, Thanet, UK, wind farm
Science & Technology, Videos & Documentaries, Aug 29th, 2010,
Know any female scientists? 90% of 18-24 year olds in the UK don’t, according to a recent poll by the Royal Society. Sure, everyone knows who Albert Einstein is – well, the poll shows that almost half do, anyway – but few can name French/Polish chemist and physicist Marie Skłodowska Curie. What about primatologist Jane Goodall? You know, the one you see on the BBC hanging out with chimps? Oh, you only watch Britain’s Got Talent and MTV. I won’t even bother asking about Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, then. From a BBC News report: Just…
Tags: Britain, Curie, female, madame, poll, scientist, UK
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Aug 28th, 2010,
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), aka the widespread disappearance of honeybees, is a worrying and mysterious threat to the European honeybee population, which we are dependent on for much of our food supply. Honeybee colonies pollinate many monoculture crops such as fruits, nuts, vegetables, flowers, seeds, beans and spices. If we lose them, the farming economy suffers, as does our food production. Though the cause of CCD are not certain, studies have linked the decline in honeybee populations to certain pesticides and even climate change. The main suspect for killing the bees, however, is the varroa mite, a bee parasite that…
Tags: beekeeper, bees, Britain, CCD, European, honeybee, Hoskins, mite, UK, Varroa
Conservation, Wildlife & Flora, Aug 19th, 2010,
A study by the University of Worcester in England and Britain’s National Trust has found the bees that live in towns and cities eat a more varied diet than those living in rural locations. Country bees rely mostly on monocrop farms, while urban and suburban bees have a wider range of flowers to feed on. From a BBC News report: Hives from Kensington Palace in London showed evidence of eucalyptus and elderberry, while suburban sites such as those around the University of Worcester – where the researchers who carried out the study work – showed a rich mix including lily,…
Tags: BBC, bee, Bee Part of It, Britain, country, flower, National Trust, oilseed rape, rural, suburban, University, urban, Worcester
Climate Change, Green living, Politics, Aug 10th, 2010,
Britain’s energy secretary Chris Huhne has lifted the ban on local authorities selling back surplus electricity into the national power grid. The plan is to encourage local councils to generate their own renewable energy by installing solar panels and wind turbines on council owned property, including both homes and public buildings. Any extra electricity can be sold back to the grid and provide much needed income to local authorities. From an article in the Guardian: At present only 0.01% of electricity in England is generated by local authority-owned renewables. In Germany the equivalent figure is 100 times higher. The hope…
Tags: authorities, Britain, British, buildings, carbon, council, developers, energy, government, Green, grid, homes, local, plant, power, renewable, Solar, UK, wind
Climate Change, Politics, Aug 4th, 2010,
You might think you can do a better job than the UK government at cutting CO2, becoming more energy efficient and deciding how Britain should move towards a low carbon economy. Well the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change let’s you try it out – in a computer simulation, of course. The Independent’s environment editor loves it, as he explains in a recent article: Doing it yourself gives an unusual and vivid insight into the difficulties faced by real policymakers in grappling with our energy future. The software tool that makes it possible is called the 2050 Pathways Calculator…
Tags: Britain, carbon, Climate change, cuts, DECC, Department, emissions, energy, environmental, government, Green, Guardian, Independent, McCarthy, policy, power, schemes, UK, wind
Politics, Jul 30th, 2010,
The UK’s new Conservative lead coalition government is doing more or less what Tory governments are expected to do: make public spending cuts. But this is the ‘new’ Tory leadership, softened by cuddly Liberal Democrat partners and promises to be Britain’s greenest government yet, albeit a belt-tightening one in a time of economic crisis and ‘necessary’ fiscal austerity. Well, here is an example of this compromise vis-à-vis Britain’s electric car scheme, first announced in March by the previous Labour government. Two articles from the UK press put a different shine on the proceedings. From a short, but positive article in…
Tags: Britain, car, coalition, cut, electric, government, Grant, Labour, scheme, Tory, transport, UK, vehicles
Climate Change, Wildlife & Flora, Jul 25th, 2010,
Butterflies in the UK are on the decline due to human activity and now the British public is being urged to participate in a nationwide survey called The Big Butterfly Count. During Save Our Butterflies Week – July 24th to August 1st – residents of the UK are asked to take 15 minutes to go out and count butterflies in cities, parks, forests and fields. But it’s not just because butterflies are pretty insects, they also play valuable roles in ecosystems and are seen as environmental bellwethers. From an article in the Guardian: Butterflies and moths are sensitive to environmental…
Tags: big, Britain, butterflies, butterfly, change, climate, count, damselflies, England, environmental, moth, survey, UK
Climate Change, Politics, Jul 21st, 2010,
The UK’s independent advisory body established under the Climate Change Act has stated that Britain needs to invest more in low carbon technologies in order to meet its goal of cutting 1990 emissions levels by 80% by the year 2050. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) was established with the purpose of reporting to the UK’s parliament regarding the country’s progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The fear is that Britain will be left behind if it does not fund technological development in green industries such as solar and wind. The CCC’s report comes after the UK’s new coalition government…
Tags: Britain, carbon, CCC, change, climate, committee, emissions, energy, government, Green, invest, low, Solar, tech, technologies, UK, wind
Climate Change, Politics, Jul 1st, 2010,
An independent report commissioned by the UK’s Conservative Party – when they were in opposition – has found that Britain needs a green investment bank in order to meet its emissions goals for 2020. The report, entitled ‘Unlocking investment to deliver Britain’s low carbon future’ discusses low carbon investment, issuing ‘green bonds’, tax incentives to help clean energy industries and levies on consumer fuel bills. From a Reuters Africa report: The scale of the investment required to meet UK climate change and renewable energy targets is unprecedented. –Green Investment Bank Commission report The report also states that the bank should…
Tags: bank, Britain, carbon, Climate change, Conservative, energy, Green, investment, UK
Politics, Videos & Documentaries, Weird Stuff, Jun 29th, 2010,
In a bold statement against arts institutions co-operating with unethical companies, a group of activists poured molasses and threw feathers onto the steps to the entrance of the Tate Britain art gallery in London on Monday. The activist-artists, calling themselves ‘The Good Crude Britannia’ appeared during a protest outside the BP-sponsored Tate Britain summer party, which commemorated 20 years of BP’s support for the Tate. They were clad in black and carrying buckets of molasses emblazoned with the BP logo, which they emptied over the stone entrance to the Tate, stunning partygoers and causing cameras to flash. The act was…
Tags: activists, BP, Britain, entrance, molasses, oil, party, protest, spill, Tate
Climate Change, Jun 28th, 2010,
Ethical investment consultant firm Eiris has judged 300 of Europe’s top companies in terms of their contribution to global warming and found that more than half are UK-based. Eiris found that the number of British companies determined to have a ‘very high impact on global warming’ was double that of any other country. Of those companies in the top 300 dedicated to solving or mitigating the problems of climate change, only 3% were located in Britain. Eiris’s findings come at a time when BP, one of the UK’s best-known companies, has attracted bad publicity worldwide over the Gulf of Mexico…
Tags: 300, Britain, British, Climate change, companies, Eiris, Europe, firm, global warming, oil, survey, UK
Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 24th, 2010,
Due to concerns over the rapid decline in the population of Britain’s insect pollinators in recent years, a research program was launched on Tuesday, allotting £10m (€12m) to the discovery of why bees and other insects are dying off. If all insect pollinators in the UK became extinct, it would cost the national economy £440m (€534m) per year. And although honeybees get most of the attention, they are just one of Britain’s many crucial pollinator insect species. From an article in the Guardian: According to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, three of the 25 British species of bumblebees are…
Tags: bees, Britain, bumblebees, decline, economy, honeybees, insect, insects, pollinators, program, research, UK
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 14th, 2010,
The UK – particularly London – has been buzzing with wildlife news of late. There’s been a lot of man vs. beast, invasive beast vs. native beast and even man vs. himself. The biggest of these stories has to be the case of the urban fox attacking twin baby girls in an east London house. The young fox slipped into the open house one unusually warm evening and viciously bit the babies about the arms and face as they slept in their upstairs bedroom. The incident has inspired strong reactions – sometimes bordering on the hysterical – public debate and…
Tags: Britain, endangered, fox, foxes, grey, invasive, london, moles, red, species, squirrel, UK, urban
Climate Change, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 8th, 2010,
Only in Britain? In what may be one of the biggest wildlife relocation projects ever, some 300 water voles; 350 great crested newts and 30,000 smooth newts, along with thousands of snakes and lizards, are being moved to facilitate the construction of a deep-sea container port on the Thames River on the eastern outskirts of London. The port project, named London Gateway, is the first of its kind in the UK and is owned by the company DP World. In total, over 150,000 wild animals are to be relocated for the river port project. From an article in the Independent:…
Tags: Britain, desalinization, DP, Gateway, london, newts, plant, port, relocation, river, Thames, UK, voles, water, wildlife
Climate Change, Jun 2nd, 2010,
Climate change, by its very definition, suggests that geographical areas become hotter or drier or wetter as the case may be. Some places even become colder, while others experience severe fluctuations in weather, such as an increase in storms or droughts. Anthropogenic climate change – climate change caused by human activity – is predicted to affect weather conditions throughout the globe, the most vulnerable being hot countries that already experience extreme weather. According to the World Bank’s list of the 12 countries most at risk from climate change, Bangladesh is most susceptible to floods, Malawi to droughts and the Philippines…
Tags: barrier, Britain, climate, Climate change, drought, flood, flooding, floods, london, Met Office, Thames, UK
Climate Change, Science & Technology, ,
Marek Kohn is a British science writer who has written about topics including evolution and drug use. In his latest book, Turned Out Nice: How the British Isles will Change as the World Heats Up, Kohn takes on the topic of climate change and how Britain and Ireland might turn out after a century of global warming. A review in the Independent summarizes Kohn’s vision of London 2100′s: His account of London is sobering. The best guess is that the metropolis will become as much of a meteorological as a cultural hotspot, with summer temperatures regularly in the 40s. Parks…
Tags: 2100, book, Britain, climate, Climate change, future, global warming, hot, Independent, Kohn, london, Marek, park, science, Turned Out Nice
Climate Change, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 27th, 2010,
A new major environmental book, entitled Silent Summer: The State of Wildlife in Britain and Ireland, offers up disturbing facts and figures about the human impact on nature in the British Isles. Celebrated naturalist, broadcaster and national treasure Sir David Attenborough has penned the forward to the book, a collaborative effort by 40 UK ecologists, which outlines the impacts of pesticides, population growth and intensive farming on British and Irish flora and fauna. The 600-page book, edited by Norman Maclean, emeritus professor of genetics at Southampton University, lays bare the grim reversal in the populations of many butterflies, bees, flies…
Tags: Attenborough, Britain, British, David, ecosystems, environmental, pesticide, Silent Spring, Silent Summer, Times, UK
