If we're going to make a change, it has to start at grass roots level and include such things as simply recycling at home. Everyone can recycle the following items:
Italy’s cruise liner tragedy turned into an environmental crisis Monday, as rough seas battering the stricken mega-ship raised fears that fuel might leak into pristine waters off Tuscany that are part of a protected sanctuary for dolphins, porpoises and whales. The ship’s jailed captain, meanwhile, lost the support of the vessel’s Italian owner as he [...]
Zimbabwe Prohibits sale of used women’s underwear.
China tripled its solar energy generating capacity last year and notched up major increases in wind and hydropower, government figures showed this week, but officials are still struggling to cap the growth in coal burning, which is the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the world. The latest evidence of China’s promotion of renewable [...]
A new species of brightly coloured snake has been found in a remote area of Tanzania in East Africa. The striking black-and-yellow snake measures 60 cm (2.1 ft) and has horn-like scales above its eyes. The newly discovered snake, named Matilda’s horned viper, has been described in the journal Zootaxa. The exact location of the [...]
Wind power is ‘crippling expensive’ and preventing the UK from effectively reducing carbon emissions, says a new report. Leo Hickman , with your help, investigates. Get in touch below the line, email your views to leo.hickman@guardian.co.uk or tweet @leohickman 11.32am: A new report published on Monday by Civitas , a social policy thinktank that promotes a “free and democratic society”, is claiming that wind power is “inordinately expensive and ineffective at cutting CO2 emissions”
New plug-in hybrid models, battery leasing and more charge points mean the UK is primed for an electric car boom It’s time to hold up our hands: electric cars just didn’t live up to the hype during 2011.
This year we must use our subsidy more wisely, and if industry, NGOs and government pull together, solar will shine in 2012 This has been the most challenging few weeks to date in the life of the nascent UK solar sector. After a short burst of unprecedented sales growth, with installations more than doubling between June and October, we had to intervene very quickly indeed to ensure the entire subsidy for this and other exciting micro-generation technologies supported by feed-in tariffs, wasn’t swept away by excessive returns for a lucky few. At 43p/kWh, your average domestic solar PV panel receives more than four times as much subsidy as renewable electricity generated from a wind turbine, way off the coast, in the hazardous conditions of the north sea
After the closure of the capital’s biggest waste dump, there is little sign of Mexico City solving its rubbish crisis The closure of Mexico’s biggest garbage dump has highlighted the absence of a comprehensive policy for urban waste collection, disposal and processing, a failure that has serious consequences for health and the environment.
President Obama to introduce 20-year ban of uranium mining on 1m square acres of Grand Canyon, despite political pressure The Obama administration is set to give protection to one of the world’s natural wonders, by banning uranium mining on 1m square acres of land around the Grand Canyon. The interior secretary, Ken Salazar, is due to make a formal announcement on Monday of the 20-year ban on new mining claims, at a film screening at the National Geographic Society in Washington. The move, praised by conservation groups, is sure to bring the wrath of the mining industry as well as some Republicans, who argue the ban will cost jobs
Whether it’s snow white scenery or the stunning ptarmigan, this time of year can make for fantastic photography • Share your photos of ‘signs of winter’ on our Flickr group Those who make the most of these short, sometimes snow-covered days, could be rewarded with the most dramatic pictures of the year. A Wildlife Trust woodland reserve is a good place to search for the fresh green shoots of snowdrops – the first signs of new life on the leaf-strewn woodland floor.