Environment

• Friday, June 30th 2023 - 07:52 UTC

  Scotland suspends plans to create Protected Marine Areas in 10% of its waters

  

  Under strong pressure from the fishing industry and some island communities, the Scottish government has scrapped plans to create Highly Protected Marine Areas in 10% of Scotland's seas. The proposals would have restricted fishing and other human activities in some coastal areas, in a bid to protect the environment.

• Thursday, June 29th 2023 - 15:45 UTC

  World Bank approves $150 million loan to boost green hydrogen investment in Chile

  

  In a significant move towards promoting sustainable energy solutions, the World Bank Board of Directors has approved a loan of $150 million to support green hydrogen projects in Chile. This loan marks the World Bank's first endeavor in promoting green hydrogen and aligns with Chile's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The investment aims to accelerate the country's green growth, energy transition, and foster a resilient and inclusive economic development.

• Thursday, June 29th 2023 - 02:25 UTC

  UK pension funds in the limelight because of massive investments in fossil fuel firms

  

  Controversy in the UK over pension funds and London's commitment to keep to the Paris Agreement goals. In effect this Wednesday, the climate finance campaign Make My Money Matter revealed that UK’s pension funds should review their US$ $112 billion (£88 billion) worth of investment in equities and bonds of fossil fuel firms, as the funds are not anywhere near on track for aligning their portfolios to the Paris Agreement goals.

• Wednesday, June 28th 2023 - 10:53 UTC

  Brazil tops list of deforestation-hit countries, study shows

  

  According to a survey released Tuesday by Global Forest Watch (GFW), a forest monitoring platform developed by the University of Maryland, Brazil has lost 1.8 million hectares of primary rainforests, mostly in the Amazon, a 15% increase between 2021 and 2022, thus topping the list of nations in such a situation, followed by the Republic of Congo, Bolivia, Indonesia, and Peru.

• Tuesday, June 27th 2023 - 10:43 UTC

  Chile-bound lorries stranded in the middle of the Andes due to bad weather

  

  Some 2,000 lorries bound for Chile have been reported to be stranded in the middle of the Andes due to the closure of the Los Libertadores Path despite the road on the Argentine side being clear all the way to the Cristo Redentor tunnel.

• Monday, June 26th 2023 - 10:00 UTC

  Penguin Propulsion: The Physics Behind the World’s Fastest Swimming Birds

  

  A piece from the American Institute of Physics points out that Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimming birds in the world, and that ability comes from their unique and sophisticated wings.

• Friday, June 23rd 2023 - 10:14 UTC

  Falklands survey to continue with Hydatid control/eradication in the Islands

  

  The tapeworm E.granulosus primarily completes its lifecycle between dogs and sheep, with the intermediate stage in sheep causing hydatid cysts. Humans exposed to tapeworm eggs in dog faeces can also develop hydatid cysts in their liver or lungs and this can make people extremely unwell, and can be fatal if untreated.

• Thursday, June 22nd 2023 - 16:08 UTC

  3,000 cattle die of hypothermia in Brazil, claim Matto Grosso do sul Veterinarians

  

  Some 3,000 head of cattle died from hypothermia in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul farming state in recent days, according to a statement posted on the website of local veterinary services on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, June 21st 2023 - 10:51 UTC

  Rio Grande do Sul death toll updated to 16 due to extratropical cyclone

  

  Civil Defense from the State of Rio Grande do Sul Tuesday updated the number of casualties from last week's extratropical cyclone to 16 as more bodies were found. The State government has set up a team to search for the missing and to help those left homeless.

• Wednesday, June 21st 2023 - 10:12 UTC

  Iceland suspends whale hunting until August 32; public opinion supports decision

  

  The Iceland government suspended whale hunting for the rest of the summer on Tuesday, following a report that found the practice contravenes the country's animal welfare standards.