“Conservation starts closer to home”
It’s not just elephants, rhinos and tigers that need our help – our conservation work starts much closer to home; right here in the UK.
We’re so lucky to have such diverse and amazing wildlife right here on our doorstep, but unfortunately nearly all of it is in decline. They’re facing many of the same serious threats that cause extinctions elsewhere – including pollution, habitat loss and climate change.
“World’s mammals being eaten into extinction, report warns”
Hundreds of mammal species – from chimpanzees to hippos to bats – are being eaten into extinction by people, according to the first global assessment of the impact of human hunting.
“Countries Agree to Create World’s Largest Marine Reserve in Antarctica”
The countries that decide the fate of Antarctica’s waters reached an historic agreement on Friday to create the world’s largest marine protected area in the ocean next to the frozen continent.
The agreement comes after years of diplomatic wrangling and high-level talks between the U.S. and Russia, which has rejected the idea in the past.
“Study Predicts Deserts in Spain If Global Warming Continues”
Southern Spain will become desert and deciduous forests will vanish from much of the Mediterranean basin unless global warming is reined in sharply, according to a study released Thursday.
“Record low number of British butterflies a ‘shock and a mystery'”
If you think you saw fewer butterflies than ever this British summer, you are probably correct: the Big Butterfly Count has recorded its lowest number of common species since records began.
“Faulty fossil record analysis plagues studies of evolution, biodiversity”
Researchers in England believe at least 150 studies on evolution and biodiversity penned since 2007 stand on shaky scientific ground — built on poor analysis and flawed assumptions.
The authors of a new study, published in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution, argue recent attempts to “correct” the fossil record have further perverted it.
“Forget Organic, Retailers Increasingly Are Turning to Sustainable Cotton”
Organic fiber cost as much as $2.20 per pound, vs. about 61¢ for conventional cotton, in the 2015-16 growing season. That’s kept demand low; less than 1 percent of the world’s cotton production is organic.
Over the past nine years, Ikea, Zara-parent Inditex, and H&M, among others, have signed on to the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a coalition of farmers, garment makers, and retailers committed to producing and using sustainable cotton at accessible prices.
“Climate Change May Trigger Next Financial Crisis, Fisher Says”
Climate change could spark the world’s next financial crisis, according to Paul Fisher, who retired this year as deputy head of the Bank of England body which supervises the country’s banks.
“Obama designates first-ever Atlantic Ocean marine monument”
https://thinkprogress.org/atlantic-ocean-marine-monument-created-c717698f8612#.oipxj07rt
After making the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument the biggest fully protected ocean park anywhere on the planet, President Barack Obama said his action “allows us to save and study [this] fragile ecosystem threatened by climate change.”
“An energy first as UK successfully transmits data via national electricity grid”
Data has been transmitted across a national electricity grid for the first time, in what could be a significant step towards the creation of virtual power stations, where many thousands of homes and businesses combine to manage electricity use more smartly.
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