Environment

• Saturday, January 26th 2019 - 07:50 UTC

  Dam collapses in Brazil: mud sludge leaves over 200 miners missing

  

  Brazilian rescuers were searching for some 200 missing people after a tailings dam burst on Friday at an iron ore mine owned by Vale SA, the second major dam disaster involving the company in just over three years.

• Tuesday, January 22nd 2019 - 09:45 UTC

  Albatrosses ‘Bird-borne’ radar project to enhance UK Overseas Territories environment

  

  Seventeen innovative new projects will receive UK Government funding through the Darwin Plus initiative, to help protect and enhance the environment in the UK Overseas Territories. The seventh round of funding under the initiative, worth around £3.75m, will be shared amongst 17 projects around the globe. The funding will support international nature and help to achieve many of the commitments in the UK Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.

• Tuesday, January 22nd 2019 - 08:50 UTC

  Krill retreating towards Antarctica because of climate change

  

  A keystone prey species in the Southern Ocean is retreating towards the Antarctic because of climate change. Krill are small, shrimp-like creatures that swarm in vast numbers and form a major part of the diets of whales, penguins, seabirds, seals and fish. Scientists say warming conditions in recent decades have led to the krill contracting pole-ward.

• Monday, January 21st 2019 - 15:33 UTC

  Penguin Awareness Day

  

  Penguin Awareness Day is an unofficial holiday which is celebrated annually on January 20th. This holiday is used to celebrate and commemorate these fascinating flightless birds which are loved by people all over the world. It’s also a day to bring attention to the plight of these birds whose numbers seem to be shrinking faster and faster each and every day.

• Monday, January 21st 2019 - 09:27 UTC

  Banning trawling for cuttlefish catching triggers the “large squid war” in Chile

  

  Chile is in the midst of what has become to be known as the “cuttlefish or large squid war”, between industry and artisanal fishermen and the government's intention of protection and conservation of the species. The Chilean Congress recently passed a bill regulating the catch of the giant squid and specifically banning trawling, with perpetrators facing fines of some US$ 38.000.

• Monday, January 21st 2019 - 08:57 UTC

  Argentina and Spain scientific research on climate change impact on hake in Tierra del Fuego

  

  Scientific study suggests snoek (Thyrsites atun) can re-colonize the marine area of the Beagle Channel and South-Western Atlantic waters, an area in the southernmost point of the South American continent where this species competed with the hake (Merluccius sp.) to hunt preys in warmer periods.

• Monday, January 21st 2019 - 08:45 UTC

  UK parliamentary committee urges MSC to review sustainable fishing standards

  

  A UK parliamentary committee has called on the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to address concerns about the organization's standard for sustainable fishing in the world's oceans. The House of Commons' Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) issued recommendations following its Sustainable Seas inquiry, whose findings were published last November.

• Saturday, January 19th 2019 - 09:22 UTC

  Extreme wet January displaces thousands and floods farmland in Mercosur member countries

  

  Intense rainfall in northeast Argentina and neighbouring areas in Mercosur members has caused devastating floods, amplifying the economic burdens of Argentina's recession. Over 5,000 people have evacuated the region, and millions of hectares of crops have been sent underwater.

• Thursday, January 17th 2019 - 09:50 UTC

  Brazilian supermodel rejects criticism from agriculture minister

  

  Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen on Wednesday rejected critiques by the country's farm minister that questioned her knowledge about Brazil's conservation efforts.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2019 - 09:10 UTC

  HMS Protector and RRS Shackleton support 100 scientists researching Antarctica glacier

  

  Royal Navy survey ship HMS Protector smashed through nearly 300 miles of Antarctic ice to help scientists begin a five-year mission to understand how West Antarctica is contributing to global sea-level rise.