Oxfam urges clothes recycling
by David Masters
Billions of pounds worth of clothes end up in landfill every year, causing a blight on the landscape and emitting methane as they decompose. The average Brit spends £600 on clothes every year, and throws away £400 worth. Highlighting this needless waste, Recycle Now has teamed up with Oxfam to encourage people to give their old clothes away rather than chucking them in the dustbin. Recycling plastic bottles, paper, glass, and aluminium cans ...
Ladybird threatens other insect’s existence
by Alan Harten
Ladybirds have long been seen as innocent creatures, but the Harlequin ladybird may not be what it appears as the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition suggests that the ladybird parasites are placing over 1,000 UK insect species in peril according to research. Dr. Helen Roy of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology stated that the spread of the parasites is rapid and unprecedented. Scientists are considering counteracting the bird’s disastrous effects by ...
Recycled phones to help deaf charity
by Alan Harten
For those with old mobile phones who do not want to throw them away, but no longer have a use for them Regenersis and Deafness Research UK have created a new mobile recycling program that will aid deafness projects in the future. A donation is simple from your side, simply remove the SIM car, place the old mobile in an envelope marked FREEPOST Deafness Research UK-RA, and drop the package in ...
Obama happy with first step on climate change
by Alan Harten
President Obama of the US called the new climate bill passed by the House on Friday an ‘extraordinary’ first step and that he hopes it will move to further legislation that will enable renewable energy development to become a route to economic growth. He also added that he hopes Congress will remove a tariff that prevents the imports of countries that do not have a system in place for attacking CO2 ...
The £1.6bn energy rip-off
by David Masters
Energy suppliers are ripping off customers to the tune of £1.6 billion by failing to pass on falling energy prices, a consumer watchdog revealed this week. Consumer Focus found that gas prices should be at least 7.4% cheaper than they are currently, while electricity should be 3.1% cheaper. Energy providers have pocketed an extra £1.6 billion by keeping energy prices artificially high, Consumer Focus said, calling on the government to step in. The ...
Can UK lead electric car market?
by Alan Harten
Later this year a few major car manufacturers and automotive suppliers will start a trial of new electric hybrids to see how the environmental vehicles translate in the real world once they are put through an everyday performance test. The hope is that the trial will help the UK see how the electric cars meet public expectations so that the UK can become a leader in reducing carbon emissions. Public ...
Scotland raises the CO2 bar
by Alan Harten
MSP’s have set a 42% target for cutting CO2 emissions by the year 2020 in a landmark move in Scotland to help reduce the threat of climate change. By 2050 the new goal of reduced emissions rises up to 80%. Scotland is proud of its recent legislation, with the SNP going as far as claiming that it is much more ambitious than anything that has been proposed in Westminster. The 42% ...
Fleet of electric cabs about to hit the road
by Alan Harten
Allied, a taxi company is going to use an Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator car that was developed in the Technology Strategy Board in Glasgow. The development of the car was a joint effort by Scottish Power, Strathclyde University, the Glasgow City Council, and Axeon. Managing director of Allied Paul Nelson commented that this is an exciting opportunity for the taxi company and that they hope it will help build the foundation ...
Expect a £5,000 energy bill in 2020
by David Masters
UK households could find themselves spending nearly £5,000 per year on energy within a decade, according to new research. A study by uSwitch.com found that the cost of cutting carbon through renewable energy and carbon capture initiatives will cause the average annual energy bill to quadruple from £1,243 to £4,733. The price comparison site found that gas and electricity prices have more than doubled in the last five years, and said it ...
London beachfront property if sea level rises 25 meters
by Alan Harten
Global warming may rear its head quicker then thought as a new study shows that sea levels may rise up to 25 metres instead of the original figure of seven metres that was estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Part of the reason for the discrepancies in figures according to Professor Eelco Rohling who works at the Southampton National Oceanography Centre is because temperatures in the environment due ...
Half of all swifts disappeared?
by Alan Harten
Due to the recent decline of swifts across Britain the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is planning to conduct a national census that will identify where they are most common across the country and the location of their nests. The RSPB suspects that the loss of swift nesting sites in buildings may have led to the drop in the swift population, but the study hopes to ...
Scotland’s plans for green future ‘completely inadequate’
by David Masters
The Scottish Government's new plans to "transform Scotland to a sustainable, low-carbon society" have come under heavy fire from eco-activists and Green Party politicians. Under the proposals, Scotland would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050, with electric cars the norm on the country's road, energy provided by wind farms, and homes heated with renewable fuels. Almost all road and rail transport would become electric, and emissions from landfill would be ...
Here is the weather forecast, it will get hotter
by Alan Harten
While many of the Met Office Climate Projections 2009 in the UK are fuzzy in nature as they address science uncertainties, one thing is clear: without global action to reduce the effects of climate change Britain will face a much wetter future then people may think possible as well as much higher temperatures. Additionally, the implications of climate change will lead to intense and frequent shifting weather patterns globally ...
Energy inefficient schools waste £70m
by David Masters
British schools could save £70 million per year off energy bills by making school buildings more energy efficient, the Carbon Trust said yesterday. That's enough to fund 230,000 extra computers or 4.5 million extra text books per year. Embracing energy efficiency would also help schools in the fight against global warming, slashing nearly 600,000 tonnes off schools' annual carbon emissions. The Carbon Trust announced the figures at the launch of a new campaign ...
Wind farms power 10,500 new jobs
by David Masters
The wind energy industry has the potential to attract £2 billion investment to Northern Ireland, creating more than 1,300 jobs, a new report said this week Deloitte's report for the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) said constructing and developing wind farms across the whole of Ireland would attract around £12.5 billion investment before 2020, with over £4 billion of this being retained in local economies. In total, 10,500 new jobs would be ...
Australians demand climate action
by David Masters
Thousands of climate change activists took to the streets in Australia this weekend to protest the government's abysmal action on climate change. Protesters in Sydney blockaded the offices of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, claiming the government is failing in its responsibility towards the environment. "The prime minister needs to recognise that baby steps is not what is needed, we need the giant leap to a zero emissions future," said Green MP Lee ...
Renewable energy start-up seeks £10m investment
by David Masters
A new eco-friendly energy supplier is currently looking to raise £10 million from investors. Greenrock Energy Limited plans to become an industry leader across Europe in ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems. GSHP energy is a highly efficient technology, using the solar energy stored just below the earth's surface to heat buildings. It can also be used to cool buildings by sending heat back underground. GSHP systems typically produce up to 6.5 ...
Check your energy use from your mobile phone
by David Masters
Householders can now find out exactly how much they're spending on electricity and gas from anywhere in the world using a new mobile phone app. Current Cost, maker of energy monitors, has teamed up with Intamac Systems to launch the new home energy monitoring device with mobile connectivity. The ENVI energy monitor sends power consumption statistics direct to the internet, where the information can be accessed from any PC or mobile handset. Users ...
Butterfly back from extinction
by Alan Harten
The large blue butterfly commonly referred to as the large blue has made its return to Britain even though it became extinct to the region in 1979 due to a massive reintroduction effort that will bring approximately 20,000 of the species to the countryside. This week it celebrates its 25th anniversary as there are now more present in the country than back in the 1950’s. Large blues were thought to have ...
NY plans bird cull against air disasters
by Alan Harten
Bird strikes became a household phrase after a pilot was forced to land a large passenger plane into the Hudson River in New York, in the early part of spring, however most people are unaware of just how common bird strikes are. In fact, bird strikes having been growing more common in the last several years as the USA federal aviation authority reports show that in 1990 there were only 1,750 ...