The Independent - Environment RSS Feed

Man vs marine in the Chagos Islands

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

A major conservation row is developing over proposals for Britain to establish the biggest and most unspoiled marine nature reserve in the world. The issue of the Chagos Islands raises the increasingly difficult question of how to weigh up the protection of the best remaining parts of nature, in a rapidly degrading world, against the needs and rights of people.

Fabricated quote used to discredit climate scientist

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

For climate sceptics it was a key piece of evidence showing that the scientists behind global warming could not be trusted. A quotation by one of the world's most eminent climate scientists was supposed to demonstrate the depths to which he and his ilk would stoop to create scare stories exaggerating the threat of global warming.

Michael McCarthy: You needn't travel far to find a monster

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

I saw a monster at the weekend. It came from the depths. It filled me with awe. It almost filled me with dread. There was certainly a bit of dread in there somewhere.

Goodbye Galapagos, you're too warm for us

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Marine scientists are reporting that a colony of sea lions, previously unique to the Galapagos Islands, has unexpectedly decamped 900 miles south-east to an island just off the coast of Peru in what may be another symptom of global warming.

Palm oil deal 'a threat to the rainforest'

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Hundreds of millions of tonnes of palm oil look set to be pumped into Britain's vehicles despite scientific evidence showing that chopping down rainforests to make way for plantations exacerbates climate change, according to a leaked report.

Electronics in the list of top ten products people are looking to recycle

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In 2009 eco-friendly consumers searched the web for information about how to recycle products that were at the end of their life cycle. Consumer electronics featured prominently within the items people were looking to recycle; computers, batteries and televisions were at the top of the list.

Hilly areas are better for butterflies

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Research using satellite images has shown rugged, hilly areas with a mix of habitats such as woodland and grassland can help maintain more stable butterfly populations, scientists said today.

A kingfisher's dive caught in the act

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

An amateur wildlife photographer has finally caught in action what has proven nearly impossible to see with the naked eye: a kingfisher diving for and eating its prey. Ady Groves managed to coax his local wild kingfishers to dive into a glass tank of minnows that he had set up on a riverbank in Dorset. He built a perch for the birds to sit on and operated his cameras remotely from some way away to catch the moment. "They are such shy birds which is why I hit on my plan," he said.

Climate row scientist 'contemplated suicide'

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

The scientist at the centre of the "climategate" row contemplated suicide after hackers leaked his emails suggesting that he was selectively releasing information to fit his theories of climate change.

Here's looking at dew: spiders snare water from the air

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Fog-catching nets which provide precious water in rain-starved parts of the world may be poised for a high-tech upgrade thanks to the spider.

Here's looking at dew: spiders snare water from the air

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Fog-catching nets which provide precious water in rain-starved parts of the world may be poised for a high-tech upgrade thanks to the spider.

Think-tanks take oil money and use it to fund climate deniers

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

An orchestrated campaign is being waged against climate change science to undermine public acceptance of man-made global warming, environment experts claimed last night.

Green light for show homes to sell eco-town project

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

One hundred "eco-show homes" are to be built to allow people to "test drive" green living as ministers try to convince the public that controversial eco-towns can work.

International Plastic Quilt Project now seeking square-makers

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Now through March 15, the International Plastic Quilt Project is accepting applications for "square-makers" to contribute to a quilt made entirely from plastic waste. US-based organization Leave No Plastic Behind created the project to increase awareness of the environmental harm caused by single-use plastic products.

Before the snow drops again, book a trip to see the snowdrops

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

With much of Britain still feeling the full force of one of the most severe winters in living memory, and with more snow forecast, summer might seem a long way away.

Heavy rains bring Spanish wetlands back to life

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

An environmentally valuable expanse of Spanish wetlands that dried up through mismanagement of water resources and drought is once again awash with water due to heavy rainfall, an official said Tuesday.

Explore the earth’s oceans without getting your feet wet

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A new feature on Google Earth lets you virtually dive with dolphins and follow the migratory paths of whales as they navigate their way through great blue oceans.

Global warming good for trees, bad for ducks: studies

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Global warming is good news for trees, which are thriving in higher temperatures and longer growing seasons, but bad news for ducks and other waterfowl, whose wetland habitat may dry up and disappear, two studies show.

UN wildlife agency backs ban on bluefin tuna trade

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The UN's wildlife trade agency on Friday said it backed a proposed ban on the international trade in bluefin tuna, a prized delicacy in Asia, which is due to be examined by 175 countries next month.

UN climate change boss Rajendra Pachauri vows to resist pressure to quit

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:37:46 GMT

A high-profile error in an international report on climate change does not undermine the scientific case for man-made global warming, the head of the United Nations' panel on the issue insisted today.

Green energy will not meet world demand, warns BP boss

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Policymakers are fooling themselves if they believe greener sources of energy alone can adequately meet Britain's needs for the next decade, the chief executive of BP warned last night.

Climate change: shoot the messenger – not the message

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:01 GMT

It was supposed to have been a small side event at the Copenhagen climate conference but it quickly turned into an ugly slanging match that eventually had to be resolved by burly security guards escorting one of the protagonists from the room. But for Stephen Schneider, a veteran climatologist, it was yet more evidence of the deeply divisive nature of climate science.

Wanted: language tutor for panda

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:12:37 GMT

Moving abroad is often hard, but for singletons facing a language barrier it is even more difficult. It may be with this in mind that one of China's top panda breeding centres is seeking a language teacher, as well as a mate, for a female panda who flies to China from the US this week. Three-year-old Mei Lan, whose name means Beautiful Orchid, has been living at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia since her birth in September 2006. At her new home in Chengdu, where she will join a breeding programme, it is believed that a teacher will help her adapt faster.

Green DIY tutorials: Give plastic bags a second life

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In Guatemala, a volunteer led the construction of a new schoolhouse using plastic bags as insulation, reported Planet Green last week. And now through March 15, the International Plastic Quilt Project is looking for participants to turn plastic waste into quilt squares. In these tutorials, clever DIYers demonstrate a few more ways of reusing plastic bags.

France wants tuna trade ban in 18 months

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

France wants a ban on international trade in bluefin tuna to come into force in 18 months time in order to protect the over-fished species, a government source said Wednesday.