Climate scientists have told the Guardian they expect catastrophic levels of global heating. Here’s what that would mean for the planet
World is on edge of climate abyss, UN warns
Climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target
Global heating is likely to soar past internationally agreed limits, according to a Guardian survey of hundreds of leading climate experts, bringing catastrophic heatwaves, floods and storms.
Only 6% of the respondents thought the 1.5C limit could be achieved, and this would require extraordinarily fast, radical action to halt and reverse the world’s rising emissions from fossil fuel burning.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
05/10/2024 - 23:00
05/10/2024 - 19:00
Loss of habitat and food sources driving fruit bats closer to urban centres, leading to bat deaths, power outages
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It’s an increasingly frequent occurrence on Australia’s east coast – a fruit bat foraging for food lands on a power line to rest.
The flying fox (as it’s also known), spreading its wings before taking flight, touches a second power line and is electrocuted.
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05/10/2024 - 18:38
The climate crisis can seem intractable – especially in an election year. But the remarkable actions of individuals are reason for hope
The hottest year on record. Extreme drought, wildfires and flooding. Despairing scientists, wildlife loss and rampant waste. The sheer scale of the climate crisis can feel overwhelming.
And when it comes to taking serious action, politicians move at a glacial pace, and the very real possibility of another Donald Trump presidency could stymie progress even further.
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05/10/2024 - 09:11
Fire chief says incorrect disposal of devices powered by lithium-ion batteries are ‘disaster waiting to happen’
Fires caused by batteries in waste have gone up by 71% in the UK since 2022, as the rise of disposable vapes and other portable battery-powered devices leads to more lithium-ion batteries ending up in the bin.
An increase in the number of these devices being thrown in household rubbish bins has led to more than 1,200 fires in the waste system in the past 12 months, compared with 700 in 2022, according to research conducted by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and the campaign group Recycle Your Electricals.
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05/10/2024 - 09:07
Group says two women in their 80s took hammer and chisel to protective glass at British Library
Two Just Stop Oil protesters have smashed the glass around Magna Carta at the British Library.
The Rev Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, a retired biology teacher, targeted the protective enclosure with a hammer and chisel on Friday morning.
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05/10/2024 - 09:00
All designers who have gone through carbon audit are eligible for consideration for green award
A green medal for sustainability is to be introduced at the Chelsea flower show, rewarding gardens with the lowest carbon impact.
Landscape designers are reporting that clients are commissioning them to make their gardens more wildlife-rich and eco-friendly, and that nature-friendly gardening is becoming increasingly important.
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05/10/2024 - 07:05
British-grown fruit much bigger after unusual winter and spring conditions led to slower ripening
Tennis fans may be treated to juicier strawberries at Wimbledon this year after a wet and dark winter slowed growing times, resulting in bigger and more flavoursome fruits.
Growers said the further wet and cold weather this spring, as well as less sunlight, had delayed the British strawberry season by a fortnight, with the main harvest expected at the end of this month.
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05/10/2024 - 07:00
One way to mitigate the eco-guilt of a to-go habit is to choose restaurants that serve food in sustainable containers
Getting restaurant meals to go often comes with a side of guilt: “Did I need to supersize? I should have saved the money and cooked at home.” And the final sting, perhaps muttered while hovering over the trash and recycling bins deciding where to toss the empty boxes: “Oh, the waste.”
Dietary and budgeting concerns notwithstanding, one way to mitigate the environmental impact (or the eco-guilt) of a takeout habit is to choose restaurants that serve their food in more sustainable containers.
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05/10/2024 - 06:00
Trust builds passes under road bisecting Berkshire commons for increasingly endangered venomous snake
How did the adder cross the road? It didn’t – it was too scared.
Now, however, road-shy populations of the increasingly endangered snake are being given a helping hand with the construction of Britain’s first adder tunnels.
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05/10/2024 - 04:00
NFU’s director of strategy asked for review of EU-derived protections as part of post-Brexit loosening of rules
The National Farmers’ Union lobbied to increase the amount of pesticides allowed in the UK’s drinking water and to allow farmers to spread manure more frequently as part of a post-Brexit loosening of environmental regulations, it can be revealed.
Nick von Westenholz, the director of strategy for the lobby group, met Timothy Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, the Earl of Minto, who is the minister of state for regulatory reform, last year and asked him to review EU-derived environmental protections.
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