environment news
HS2 high-speed rail project begins underground tunnel
The largest tunnelling machine ever used on a UK rail project is officially starting work. Florence – named after Florence Nightingale – will spend the next three-and-a-half years cutting through the chalk beneath the Chiltern hills in Buckinghamshire. The tunnel will form part of controversial high-speed rail project HS2’s first phase, which will link London …
Wastewater is ‘polluting rivers with microplastic’
While the water company, United Utilities, declined to be interviewed, Jo Harrison, the company’s director of environment said in a statement: “We understand that wastewater will be a contributing factor to microplastics pollution. We are involved in a wider two-year study, beginning this summer… to understand the sources and consequences of microplastics in the environment.” …
Animal welfare plan unveiled by government
Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the RSPCA, said: “These announcements will make a real and lasting difference to animals’ welfare, so we’re pleased the Government is committed to improving animals’ lives in the UK and abroad. We can no longer ignore the inextricable link that exists between the way we treat animals, our own health …
Sir David Attenborough: Problems that await greater than the epidemic
Sir David says the problems that await the world in the next five to 10 years because of climate change are greater than the coronavirus pandemic. His comments come as he is named People’s Advocate for climate change ahead of the UN COP26 summit in Glasgow in November. The meeting is viewed as crucial to …
Indonesia coral reef partially restored in extensive project
Around 40,000 sq m of coral reef has been restored as part of a collaboration between local groups, conservation organisation The Nature Conservancy and pet brand Sheba. It’s part of a plan to restore 185,000 sq m of the world’s coral reefs by 2029. One partially restored reef off the coast of Indonesia has since …
How rising sea levels are threatening my home
Hereiti, 17, lives on Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. She says the ocean is the “lifeblood” of her community, and that when it is “healthy”, the people are too. But she worries that rising sea levels and pollution are threatening the health of the ocean. “Life Below Water” …
Then and now: When silence descended over Victoria Falls
In our monthly feature, Then and Now, we reveal some of the ways that planet Earth has been changing against the backdrop of a warming world. Here, we look at the effects of global heating on Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world – and how Sub-Saharan Africa is learning to cope …
Space junk map tracks 200 ‘ticking time bombs’
Thousands of human-made objects orbit earth and the majority of them no longer work. There’s a risk this space debris could collide with functioning satellites, which provide vital services like GPS and weather warnings. To track and predict its behaviour, Prof Moriba Jah and his colleagues built AstriaGraph – a near real-time map of where …
Brazil: Environment police battle for Amazon rainforest
Brazil’s environmental police force, IBAMA, is facing new challenges due to government policy changes, an anonymous senior officer has told the BBC. Cuts to government funding and equipment from abroad, as well as the coronavirus pandemic and rioting have left the authority with little resources to protect the Amazon from illegal logging and mining. The …
What is the Paris climate agreement and why did the US rejoin?
By Helen BriggsScience correspondent, BBC News The US has pledged to cut carbon emissions in half, compared with 2005 levels, by the end of this decade. The new target will be unveiled at a virtual summit of 40 global leaders. The announcement comes after President Joe Biden reversed predecessor Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the …
