Chefs launch recipes to use up leftovers
by David Masters
Top chefs are joining forces in an effort to stop Londoners throwing away edible and tasty leftovers. Oliver Rowe, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, and Gary Rhodes have all contributed recipes to a new website designed to help people use up food waste Around a third a food bought in London currently ends up in the bin, which is a "serious scandal" according to Rosie Boycott, chair of London Food. "Everyday in the capital we ...
Eastern Himalayas hotbed of newly discovered species
by Alan Harten
The Eastern Himalayan mountain range has spawned the discovery of over 350 new species of animals and plants in the last ten years due to its large amount of inaccessible and hidden terrain that scientists have just now been able to reach and explore. The new species have been discovered at about a rate of 35 per year since 1998 and have included species such as the leaf deer and the ...
Vestas occupation over, but protests continue
by David Masters
Workers at Vestas' Isle of Wight wind-turbine blade factory have vowed to continue putting pressure on the company and the UK government to save their jobs. Their occupation of the factory ended peacefully last week as they were driven out by bailiffs armed with an eviction order. The workers, who occupied the factory for over two weeks, were greeted by huge cheers from the waiting crowd. None were arrested as they left the ...
Drugs barons seek oil profits
by David Masters
Drugs gangs in Mexico have expanded their brief in recent years to include oil smuggling. Petroleum produced by Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Mexico's state-owned oil company, is being siphoned from national pipelines and smuggled into the US. "We suspect that some of this could be involved with narcotics," said Carlos Ramirez, Pemex spokesperson. Mexican authorities said the drug cartel's' decision to smuggle oil is a sign that president Felipe Calderón's two-year campaign against drugs ...
Public to vote on top coal villain
by David Masters
Climate activists plan to swoop on a coal power station later this year, but they're not yet sure where. To decide, they're engaging the public in an X-Factor style vote called Britain's Got Direct Action. Voters can choose whether the climate camp protest will descend this year on the Drax plant in Yorkshire, the UK's biggest single emitter of carbon, or the E.ON Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant in Nottinghamshire.r. Together the plants emit over 30 ...
Techno-fixes are not climate’s Messiah
by David Masters
Governments must stop waiting for a technological Messiah to deliver the world from climate change, two leading environmental scientists warned this week. Gabriele Hegerl and Susan Soloman of the University of Edinburgh said attempts to combat global warming through climate engineering could prove disastrous. The growing interest in techno-fixes to fight climate change are detracting from the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions here and now, the scientists said. Techno-fix solutions include geo-engineering ...
“Macabre” Tesco burns waste meat for energy
by David Masters
Tesco's plans to incinerate 5,000 tonnes of waste meat per year have been branded "macabre" by animal rights group Viva. Viva said the scheme, which will generate enough electricity to power 600 homes, is "a sad indictment of modern life". Justin Kerswell, Viva campaigns manager, said the amount of meat being thrown away by Tesco is a sign of the supermarket's "greed and indifference". "To turn this wasted meat into power might seem ...
Where have all the beavers gone?
by David Masters
Plans to introduce wild beavers to the Scottish Highlands have been put in jeopardy by the failure of a trial scheme. Scotland's last wild beaver was killed 400 years ago, and wildlife agencies had planned to introduce them to the banks of the country's rivers and lochs in a £1.8 million programme. However, of 11 beavers brought over from Norway earlier this year for a trial, one has been allegedly shot, another ...
High-speed rail: London-Birmingham in 50 minutes
by David Masters
Domestic flights are to be replaced by a high-speed rail network under new plans announced by the government. Ministers said the 250mph trains, which are at least a decade away, will have clear environmental benefits. The network will cut journey times from London-Birmingham by 40%, from 85 minutes to under 50 minutes. However, green groups warned that ticket prices must be kept low if domestic travellers are to be weaned off their addition ...
Brazil ships toxic waste back to the UK
by Alan HartenAuthorities reported that about 1,500 tonnes of hazardous waste that was shipped from the UK to Brazil has been shipped back by Brazil. The cargo labelled as recyclable plastic, contained items such as dirty nappies, used syringes, and condoms according to the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. The Environment Agency and Wiltshire Police raided three areas in Swindon in July and arrested three men for their part in the ...
Wicks presents nuclear distraction
by David Masters
Greenpeace has criticised an official report urging the government to expand Britain's nuclear energy production. The report by former energy minister Malcolm Wicks said increasing Britain's nuclear capacity is vital to the UK's future energy security. “Energy reserves are concentrated in some of the most unstable parts of the world," Wicks said. "As we move out of recession, the global grab for energy will resume in earnest, consumption is predicted to rise, and ...
Taxpayers to fund government’s carbon failure
by David Masters
Millions of pounds from the taxpayer's pocket will subsidise the failure of government departments to meet Westminster targets on reducing carbon emissions. The government has pledged to reduce carbon emissions from its own buildings and transport 12.5% by 2012 compared to 1999 levels. However, MPs from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) are "unconvinced" that the government will meet its targets. If the government fails, it will be fined millions of pounds to offset ...
Urban bee hive for your home?
by Alan HartenNatural England, a conservation agency sponsored by the Government, is attempting to encourage urban livers to experiment with a new kind of furry winged pet: bees. The conversation agency aims to reverse the dwindling bee population by encouraging those with rooftops and balconies to adopt bee hives because they can offer the bees’ easy access to flowers in gardens and parks that are located nearby. Also, the agency claims that ...
Ombudsman to discipline supermarket bullies
by David Masters
Anti-poverty groups and farmers' unions have welcomed calls from the Competition Commission for an independent Ombudsman to be appointed to oversee supermarkets' treatment of suppliers. Supermarkets would be forced to foot the £5 million annual bill for the Ombudsman, who would seek to protect suppliers from exploitation. With the Competition Commission's request officially submitted to the government, it is up to Peter Mandelson's Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to install ...
ESB acquires British wind farms
by David Masters
Irish energy firm ESB has expanded its pioneering of renewables to Britain with the purchase of two British wind farms. Government-owned Electrical Supply Board (ESB) acquired the Fullabrook Wind Farm in Devon and the West Durham Wind Farm in Co Durham. The West Durham site already generates 24MW of electricity, and the Fullabrook site has planning permission for a 66MW farm. ESB's acquisitions are the first step in its plans to generate 200MW ...
MP’s, Government is not green enough
by Alan HartenMPs have warned that if government departments do not start to clean up their acts and cut back their carbon emissions as the Government dictated departments may need to pay better performing firms under the upcoming Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme. While the government said that this does not mean taxpayers will need to pay, it is only reasonable to assume that the government departments will use taxpayers’ money to pay the ...
UK coins minted from unethical metals
by David Masters
The copper and nickel used to mint British coins is sourced from environmentally destructive mines, a MailOnline investigation has uncovered. Raw materials used by the government-owned Royal Mint have been linked to water shortages and hazardous pollution in Chile, and rainforest destruction in Madagascar. The revelation comes despite a commitment from the Mint to "only select suppliers that use environmentally balanced practices". The Royal Mint casts 20,000 tons of copper and nickel alloys ...
Peak Oil by 2020 warns IEA
by David Masters
The world will hit peak oil within the next decade, a leading energy analyst claimed this week. Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, said the majority of global oil reserves will likely be used up by 2020. In an interview with the Independent, Birol said an IEA survey of 800 oil fields found that most of the biggest fields have already peaked. Oil production in these fields is declining at ...
Can biodiversity create health and jobs
by Alan Harten
Bournemouth University professor Adrian Newton published research earlier in the week that proves restoring the ecological environment of an area can help the negative global biodiversity losses over the last few decades while also increasing ecosystem services and help the economy via new green jobs. Services that can be increased by ecological improvements include better water quality and carbon storage which will benefit the life spans of animals and humans in ...
Invasion of the ladybirds
by Alan HartenThe ladybird is often described as a cute youthful bug that is welcome in most gardens, but this description might alter a little bit as millions of ladybugs have infested parts of Norfolk and Somerset overtaking gardens by the billions. In fact, the multitudes of insects invaded the areas so rapidly that some people ran for cover as the fields of Cromer were attacked. Those in the areas found ...