Energy regulator’s investigation found ‘inadequate data governance’ over sourcing of wood to fuel power station
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The power generator Drax has agreed to pay £25m after the energy industry regulator found it had submitted inaccurate data on the sourcing of wood pellets used at its massive plant in North Yorkshire.
An investigation by Ofgem, which was launched last year, concluded there was “an absence of adequate data governance and controls in place” when it came to profiling the sources of wood used by Drax from Canada between April 2021 and the end of March 2022. This kind of profiling data is used to determine, for example, whether wood pellets had come from sawmills or forests.
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08/29/2024 - 03:58
08/29/2024 - 03:35
Greek authorities have started collecting hundreds of thousands of dead fish that poured into a tourist port in the central coastal city of Volos this week after being displaced from their usual freshwater habitats during flooding last year. 'It spans kilometres,' a city council member, Stelios Limnios, told Reuters. 'It’s not just along the coast, but also in the centre of the Pagasetic Gulf,' he said, referring to the waters off Volos, where the coast is lined with holiday homes. There have been warnings that the rotting fish could create an environmental disaster for other species in the area
Greece tourist port flooded with hundreds of thousands of dead fish
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08/29/2024 - 03:27
Absence of legally binding targets for greenhouse gas reductions from 2031-49 deemed unconstitutional
South Korea’s constitutional court has ruled that part of the country’s climate law does not conform with protecting the constitutional rights of future generations, an outcome local activists are calling a “landmark decision”.
The unanimous verdict concludes four years of legal battles and sets a significant precedent for future climate-related legal actions in the region.
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08/29/2024 - 03:00
As multinationals and researchers harvest rare organisms around the world, anger is rising in the global south over the unpaid use of lucrative genetic codes found on their land
Even in the warm summer sun, the stagnant puddles and harsh rock faces of Ribblehead quarry in North Yorkshire feel like an unlikely frontier of the AI industrial revolution. Standing next to a waterfall that bursts out from the fractured rock, Bupe Mwambingu reaches into the green sludge behind the cascade and emerges with fistful of algae.
Balancing precariously on the rocks, the researcher passes the dripping mass to her colleague Emma Bolton, who notes their GPS coordinates and the acidity, temperature and light exposure on a phone app.
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08/29/2024 - 00:23
A day after agreement was ratified at the Pacific Island Forum, the country’s climate minister says ‘root cause of climate change’ must be addressed
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Tuvalu’s climate minister has declared that “opening, subsidising and exporting fossil fuels is immoral and unacceptable”, just a day after Australia ratified a climate and security deal with the low-lying Pacific nation.
The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, welcomed the agreement with Tuvalu on Wednesday, saying Pacific island countries were “fully aware of the commitment that we have to climate action” but gas would continue to play a role.
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08/29/2024 - 00:00
Research for South Western Railway finds passengers who listened to natural soundscapes reported 35% reduction in stress levels
At the end of summer even adults suffer that “back to school” feeling as they resume stressful commutes on packed trains. But instead of listening to a podcast or music, opting for a nature soundtrack of birdsong or waterfalls could be the key to a “zen” commute, according to a study.
The research, undertaken by South Western Railway (SWR) on one of its trains and analysed by Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, measured the impact of listening to nature soundscapes on passengers’ stress levels and relaxation.
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08/28/2024 - 23:01
Researchers warn Asia will become an increasingly dangerous place to live until fossil fuels are replaced
The “hyper-violent” Typhoon Gaemi was made fiercer and more likely to strike by the climate crisis, scientists have found. They said “Asia will become an increasingly dangerous place to live until fossil fuels are replaced”.
The typhoon hit the Philippines, Taiwan and Hunan province in China in late July, with floods and landslides destroying homes, killing at least 100 people and affecting millions. Winds reaching 145mph (233 km/h) sank two large ships, while floods in Manila were as deep as a one-storey building.
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08/28/2024 - 21:25
Climate scientist Bill Hare says it was a shock to see the headline which he described as ‘laughable’, accusing the ABC of ‘innovation in greenwashing’
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ABC News has changed the headline of an interview with the Woodside Energy chief executive that read “How to save whales and produce gas” as an environmental advocate accuses the broadcaster of a political advertorial masquerading as journalism.
The interview with Meg O’Neill, which was temporarily taken down from YouTube, iView and ABC News, was later republished with an editor’s note that read: “This interview has been reposted with an updated headline and thumbnail to better reflect the content of the interview.”
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08/28/2024 - 19:04
Authorities in Volos say affected area spans kilometres and could cause environmental disaster for other species
Greek authorities have started collecting hundreds of thousands of dead fish that poured into a tourist port in the central city of Volos this week after being displaced from their usual freshwater habitats during flooding last year.
The floating carcasses created a silvery blanket across the port and a stench that alarmed residents and authorities who raced to scoop them up before the odour reached nearby restaurants and hotels.
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08/28/2024 - 18:55
Glaciologist says ‘he’s totally fine’ after video of rapper tasting water goes viral and viewers warn of contamination
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges sparked concern from some social media followers when he knelt on an Alaska glacier, dipped an empty water bottle into a blue, pristine pool of water and drank it.
Video of the rapper-turned-actor tasting the glacial water and proclaiming: “Oh my God!” got millions of views on TikTok and Instagram. Some viewers expressed concern that he was endangering his life by drinking the untreated water, warning it might be contaminated with the parasite giardia.
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