Exclusive: Figures reveal just 16% of company-controlled sites of special scientific interest are in good condition
Water companies are allowing important natural landscapes they own to fall into disrepair, data shows, with only 16% of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) under their control in good condition.
The companies have been accused of “polluting for profit” by not investing to improve the status of their SSSIs.
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08/31/2024 - 01:00
08/30/2024 - 19:00
Heat building up in country’s centre and driving south-east is causing ‘really unusual’ heatwave that is breaking winter records
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Australia’s winter runs from June to August, but swathes of the country have felt like summer the past week with temperatures topping 40C and records tumbling.
“It doesn’t matter how you slice and dice it,” said Dr Linden Ashcroft, a climate scientist at the University of Melbourne. “The temperature records have been gobsmacking.”
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08/30/2024 - 19:00
Photographer Paul Hilton shadowed Captain Robert Bergholz on his boat Restless to see how a local prawn trawler’s day unfolds
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08/30/2024 - 19:00
Environment minister’s cultural site declaration draws accusations of torpedoing a $1bn NSW project but she insists it was vital to protect Aboriginal heritage
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A goldmine in the central-west of New South Wales attracted plenty of heated headlines this week.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, expressed disappointment over a decision by the federal environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, that has put the future of the proposed project in doubt.
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08/30/2024 - 13:00
Australian scientists hail finding as a step in unlocking secrets of planet’s protective magnetic field
By travelling to the centre of the Earth via seismic waves scientists have discovered a ring-like structure within the swirling pool of molten metal known as the outer core.
Research published in the journal Science Advances has identified a doughnut-shaped region within the outer core, parallel to the equator.
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08/30/2024 - 08:00
Many of the roughly 100,000 units are illegal and do not conform to codes, making them a hazard for fires and floods
Josh Alba had lived in an illegal basement apartment in Queens, New York, for almost five years. Despite the low ceilings, he savored his chance to afford housing without roommates. But his tenure there ended during Hurricane Ida.
He’d been asleep on his couch as the rain started falling. He only woke up when his cat smacked him in the face, and he noticed water coming in from outside, rising to at least an inch on the floor.
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08/30/2024 - 06:45
Defra sources say some licensed culls will continue until 2026 but it is highly unlikely any new ones will be granted
Badger culling will end in England by 2029, the government has said.
Some culls under existing licences will continue until 2026, according to sources at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), but it is highly unlikely any new ones will be granted.
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08/30/2024 - 05:01
Etienne Stott among Extinction Rebellion protesters to call for citizens’ assembly to tackle climate crisis
An Olympic gold medal-winning canoeist will be among climate activists protesting in Windsor this weekend to demand the Labour government takes climate action seriously.
Extinction Rebellion, which is organising the three-day event, which began on Friday, said it had been disappointed by the new administration’s lack of action on reducing fossil fuel emissions.
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08/29/2024 - 23:00
Discovery of Apis florea in Malta raises fears of devastating impact on native bee populations
The red dwarf honeybee has established a colony in Europe for the first time, scientists have found.
The bee, Apis florea, is native to Asia and its discovery has raised alarm among local beekeepers and conservationists, who fear the potentially devastating impact on native bee populations.
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08/29/2024 - 20:30
Sydney passes 30C on Friday while Brisbane expected to reach mid-30s during weekend
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Sydney has recorded its hottest August day since 1995 as parts of Australia swelter through a warm and windy end to winter, and what is almost certain to be the country’s hottest August on record.
The city’s official weather station at Observatory Hill recorded a maximum of 30.3C at 2.48pm. The city’s overall record August temperature set in 1995 was 31.3C.
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