environment news
Nasa’s Curiosity Mars rover senses methane spike
Image copyright NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS Image caption The Curiosity rover carries an onboard lab to measure the chemistry of the atmosphere The American space agency’s Mars rover Curiosity has recorded its largest measurement yet of methane. The robot frequently “sniffs” the Red Planet for the gas but has never before seen so high a concentration – of …
CO2 and how it links manure and fizzy drinks
Scientists from round the world are meeting in Germany to discuss how to money can be made from carbon dioxide. The aim is to transform some of the CO2 that’s overheating the planet into products to benefit humanity instead. While the technology may not solve climate change, they insist it will help a little. BBC …
The women fighting for Lapland
As climate change affects the livelihoods of Finland’s indigenous Sami people, a proposed new Arctic railway, forestry and mining could change Lapland forever. Climate change affects the Arctic more than any other part of the Earth, and it’s been damaging reindeer-herding and fishing – the traditional livelihoods of the indigenous Sami people. Produced by Erika …
‘Friendly’ bacteria could help save frogs from disease
Image copyright Getty Images Bacteria living on the skin of frogs could protect them against a deadly virus, according to research. The work by scientists at the University of Exeter and Zoological Society of London could help save species such as the European common frog from being wiped out by a disease. Amphibians have been …
How recyclable is your food shop?
New research suggests almost half of packaging used by major UK supermarkets can’t be easily recycled or recycled at all. Food is wrapped in packaging to make it last longer but a consumer group says that a lot of it is unnecessary, that more sustainable materials should be used and that recycling labels should be …
British orchids thriving in Dunstable Downs ‘sunken trails’
Image caption The slopes of the sunken trails on Dunstable Downs were carpeted by orchids in June Acres of arable fields left to revert to meadow three years ago have become a hotbed for rare British orchids. Eight species of the flower are in bloom on the slopes of sunken trails etched out by sheep …
The chart that defines our warming world
Is this the simplest way to show what is meant by global warming? The chart below organises all the countries of the world by region, time and temperature. The trend is unmistakeable. Each line of coloured pixels is the temperature record of an individual nation within its region, stacked one atop the other. Blues are …
‘I want to be a guinea pig to help others’
Image copyright Tim Gander/Bath University Image caption John had an amputation after years of pain John Roberts says he is happy to be a “guinea pig” if he can help others. “There are people a lot worse off than me who have lost limbs,” says the grandfather from Gloucester, who recently had part of his …
‘Clean electricity’ will dominate power supply
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The past decade has seen a huge surge in wind and solar capacity For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, Britain is set to obtain more power from zero-carbon sources than fossil fuels. National Grid has revealed that the milestone will be passed by the end of the …
UK climate emergency: What does it mean for how we live?
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Making homes more energy efficient is on the climate emergency “to do” list The Welsh and UK governments have declared a climate emergency but what could that mean in practical terms? Wales, like most industrialised economies, has been highly dependent on fossil fuels and reaching zero carbon emissions by …
