Ecology
UK Government to Ban New Petrol and Diesel Cars and Vans from 2040
The government will today set out a vision for removing the internal combustion engine from Britain’s roads by setting a 2040 date for banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans. The long-awaited Air Quality Plan will…
Thawing Permafrost Poses Even Greater Climate Threat Than Previously Thought, Study Finds
Thawing tundra may be allowing long-buried pockets of methane to be released into the atmosphere, new research suggests. A study surveying the Mackenzie Delta in Canada, published Wednesday in the journal Scientific Reports, suggested that these methane “seeps” on the…
Met Office Warns England is at High Risk of ‘Unprecedented’ Rainfall
England and Wales now have a one-in-three chance of seeing record rainfall levels in at least one region each winter, according to new research published yesterday by the Met Office that raises fears of widespread flooding risks. Across the country…
Protein From Solar Energy & Carbon Dioxide Could Slow The Pace Of Climate Change
Humans need protein to survive, but growing the food that supplies the much needed protein adds carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere, speeding up the pace of climate change. Agriculture has many other negative environmental effects. Growing crops and…
Over 8.3 Billion Metric Tons Of Plastics Made By Humans To Date, Most Of Which Now Litter
More than 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced by humans since large-scale production began back in the 1950s, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances. Almost all of this plastic now resides as…
Plastic Bag Use in England Tumbles Thanks to 5p Charge
Major supermarkets in England have seen a huge drop in the number of plastic bags issued to customers since they were forced to begin charging 5p for their use in 2015. The latest statistics published by Defra last week show…
Oil Pollution Changes Fish Behaviour
Limiting industrial pollution like petroleum-based oil could be key to preserving ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef, a new study has found. The world-first research found the presence of the substance caused six fish species that inhabit the Queensland reef…