Category: News

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Should we be going teetotal to save the planet?

Most forms of alcohol are created from incredibly thirsty crops.

One 500ml bottle of beer will have needed almost 150 litres of water (300 times its own volume) to create. Wine is even more thirsty, with a glass taking 110 litres – meaning that the bottle that you might drink with friends will have needed more than half a metric ton of water.

Why does this not seem to be of concern. We are constantly warned about the carbon footprint and other environmental impacts of our food and our clothes, how has the drink industry avoided the same.

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Lion population expected to half in the wild during the next 15-20 years

While increasing amounts of land is given to wildlife in southern Africa and the lion population grows, unfortunately in east and central Africa the opposite is happening.

Unfortunately in west and central Africa, the lions (many of these lions are orphaned relict populations of the Asiatic lion, and therefore highly important) tend to live in fragmented and small groups cut off from others of their kind. If humans can reconnect these populations then the dramatic decline that is expected in this region, could be halted.

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Synthetic palm oil brewed like beer? Bill Gates investing in the possibility

Palm oil is a wonder material. Being used in a vast range of different products, it is almost impossible to avoid it in the west. Why should we try? because it has been the cause of much of the rainforest destruction on Sumatra, Borneo and lately even in the last great rainforests of west Africa.

Could we have all the palm oil we want, while at the same time replanting the rainforests which were lost?
Continue reading “Synthetic palm oil brewed like beer? Bill Gates investing in the possibility”
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It seems that the mara river is threatened as well as the ecosystem

There are many threats to the Serengeti mara ecosystem, from roads crossing to global warming and more. Unfortunately fish in the river are now being driven to extinction as well – putting the livelihoods of millions of people in jeopardy.

Could sites like this become a thing of the past?

From farming deforestation mining illegal fishing and invasive species, there are many different factors damaging this population.

Continue reading “It seems that the mara river is threatened as well as the ecosystem”
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The palm oil giant Wilmar is making clear its deforestation commitments mean nothing

An area of around 1500 football pitches has been cleared on an oil palm plantation during last year. The concession is managed by PT Medcopapua Hijau Selaras a supplier to Wilmar. Wilmar is the worlds largest palm oil trader, and includes amongst their customers huge companies such as Kelloggs nestle and unilever.

Rather than denying the deforestation occurred, Wilmar has claimed that less land was cleared than is claimed (this is a foolish claim to make as we have satellite pictures from before and after), and then claims that they are not responsible anyway and that the clearing was done by smallholder farmers.

Continue reading “The palm oil giant Wilmar is making clear its deforestation commitments mean nothing”
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After foolish coal mine is cancelled MPs are angry

I wrote about a month ago about a deep coal mine in Cumbria that was green-lit. Thankfully this foolish plan was reversed.

At a time when many fossil fuel extraction locations around the world will have to stop working without exhausting the resource, the idea of starting a new one is ridiculous. Particularly stupid is to decide to do this, the year that the UK is to host a climate conference – with the purpose of agreeing more cuts.

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Last year a wolf was seen in Normandy for the first time on more than a century

Wolves were exterminated from France during the first half of the 20th century. However at the end of the century and the beginning of the 21st, wolves started to recolonise from their stronghold on the Italian peninsula.

While not the best picture, these photos confirm: a wild wolf has been present for a time in Normandy where he will settle is yet unclear.

The first wolves were sighted around 1996-7 back in France. In the 25 years since, the wolf in France has multiplied and spread.

Continue reading “Last year a wolf was seen in Normandy for the first time on more than a century”
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Indonesia has recently changed its rules, designating large areas once protected forests for food production

I wrote the other day, about the ability of brewing palm oil, rather than creating huge estates to grow it. Perhaps these two issues could be combined to solve both problems

Well a few months ago, Indonesia changed its regulations which would allow large areas of protected land to be cleared for food production.

Continue reading “Indonesia has recently changed its rules, designating large areas once protected forests for food production”
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