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Environment – Articles, Analysis, Comment

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Risky business: Shell’s Kulluk rig had to be evacuated when it couldn’t hack the Arctic. US Coast Guard

It’s time to draw a line in the Arctic ice over oil and gas

I have a great respect for National Geographic. I’m a card-carrying member with an annual subscription, and I appreciate the balance, depth and understanding they bring to revealing the links between the…
Diversity is the key. Agricultural Research Service

Protect a sixth of the land, save two thirds of species

The scene was typical for an international gathering of governments: bureaucrats, sat behind nameplates and speaking through interpreters. But the less than typical result of the votes cast at this 1992…
It may not look like much, but subglacial lakes hold answers about extreme conditions. NASA/JPL-Caltech

What lies beneath … evidence of life under the Antarctic ice

That extreme lifeforms might exist in the cold and dark lakes hidden kilometres beneath the Antarctic ice sheet has fascinated scientists for decades. Understanding how life can exist in the most extreme…
China’s industrialisation has followed the same path, but the rules of the game have changed. Jonathan Kos-Read

China’s industrial revolution is happening on a new planet

What can two periods of industrialisation nearly two centuries apart tell us about how economies change and the demands their change place on the planet? Today, China leads the wave of emerging economies…
Your footprint is bigger (and messier) than you’ve been led to believe. KR1212

Carbon footprint is not as small as you think

The UK government has made much of claims that its climate policies have been successful in reducing carbon emissions. This claim is based on the data used to create the national inventories required under…
‘You take the front, I’ll take the back.’ EPA/Massimo Percossi

Righting the Costa Concordia: how to flip a half-sunk ship

The huge Costa Concordia cruiseship is due to be righted in preparation for finally being towed away from the Italian island of Giglio. But why has lifting and removing the wreck taken so long, given that…
Looks like an oil slick, but the similarity ends there. Badagnani

Sharks haven’t turned up in Hawaii for the toffee

Swimmers in Hawaii have been warned out of the water for fear of shark attacks after around 1,400 tonnes of molasses - treacle - leaked from a pipe into the sea while being transferred to a tanker from…
Two’s company, three’s a crowd, one is the entire Green Party. Chris Radburn/PA

What’s the point of the Green Party?

Comparatively speaking, these are successful times for Britain’s Green Party. They have their first elected MP at Westminster, two Members of the European Parliament, two Members of the London Assembly…
Drilling in Balcombe and in Lancashire, pictured, has caused a frack load of fuss. Cuadrilla

Fracking earthquakes and flaming water: but not in the UK

Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey, reignited the row over fracking this week, when he insisted this method of extracting shale gas was no “great evil” and could act as a bridge to a “green…
Global carbon emissions, by country - climate legislation helps. Distantbody

In praise of Britain’s Climate Change Act

Approved with overwhelming support from all political parties, the Climate Change Act came into force in 2008 and was hailed as a ground-breaking piece of legislation that would guide Britain’s transition…
Electric mountain - the reservoir at Ffestiniog power station, Wales. Arpingstone

A renewable-powered future will need energy storage

The way we generate, transfer and use energy is changing, and our energy systems and infrastructure have come under increasing pressure to cope. Black-outs strike where we would expect reliable supplies…
Who’s hands is palm oil really in? World Bank Photo Collection

Two ways to value sustainable palm oil

What is the value of sustainable palm oil? For some, it is the conservation of tropical forests and wildlife in highly biodiverse regions. For others, it is US$3. That’s the latest price of certificates…
Skate, or “skate”? Andrew M Griffiths

Unchecked food fraud threatens vulnerable fish

The deliberate act of falsely representing, labelling or advertising food, known as “food fraud”, is not a recent phenomenon. The deceitful adulteration of food has a long history based on the promise…
These blue-green algae - cyanobacteria - would be the only winners from a warming ocean. Joydeep

If warming oceans leave algae hungry, we’ll go hungry too

Global warming is having a significant impact on marine life, as many marine organisms are adapted to live only within the average temperature range of their habitats. This applies to larger fish and sea…
Beautiful – but most greenbelt is on private land. Barry Batchelor/PA

Greenbelt myth is the driving force behind housing crisis

What a strange place the UK is - when the most important thing Britons spend money on becomes even less affordable, it’s received as good news. Because that is what “confidence returns to the housing market…
Trawlermen making the seabed a better plaice. Julien Behal/PA

A bottom-trawling ban could see fish stocks fall

Bottom trawling by fishing fleets has caused widespread concern over the environmental damage done to seabed habitats and marine life. It seems obvious that powerful boats towing large heavy nets that…
You can try and control it, but radiation is everywhere. John Von Radowitz /PA

Explainer: How much radiation is harmful to health?

Radiation is everywhere. We catch it from the sun’s rays in the sky, and from the rocks beneath our feet. It comes from television sets, radios and mobile phones. We absorb it from certain fruits, vegetables…
Bioplastics of the future come in all shapes, colours and sizes. Achim Raschka

Creating renewable plastics that don’t cost the Earth

Imagine a future where packaging is made entirely from waste material and biodegrades to harmless by-products. Or where your home’s cavity wall insulation foam is made from captured CO2 emissions. Or where…
The single well drilled in Balcombe caused more protest than thousands drilled in the US. Gareth Fuller/PA

As US shale industry falters, a UK fracking boom is unlikely

While the discovery of what appear to be substantial gas resources under UK soil is an intriguing opportunity for the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the country’s energy companies, lessons…
Syria’s ancient fortifications are sadly in use once again, and have been heavily damaged. Emma Cunliffe

In Syria’s ruined relics lies the history of human civilisation

What makes us human? Whatever it is, it can be found in Syria. When the earliest hominids first came from Africa they passed through Syria, and their remains, together with the tools they made, can still…