Environment news feed

? US government challenged over claims oil has evaporated? Tests show oil is affecting phytoplankton and staying on seabedThe White House is facing a growing challenge to its claim that most of the oil from the Deepwater disaster has disappeared from the Gulf of Mexico, as at least two independent t

Edinburgh Napier University has filed a patent for the product, which can be used in ordinary cars without any special adaptions.

By-products from distilling process could be used to power cars and even aviation, according to researchers in EdinburghIt gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "one for the road". Whisky, the spirit that powers the Scottish economy, is being used to develop a new biofuel which could be available

As seen in the current cuts, the environment always goes to the bottom of the priority pile in a war of political expediencyIs the coalition government now demoting the environment in light of its spending cuts? After a string of headlines over the past few days, it would appear so.First we learned

LA's mayor is the latest convert to cycle advocacy, but which other cities - and people ? are most in need of change?You might think that Los Angeles, the city that has spent a century being defined and shaped by the car, would be an unfriendly place for cycling.You would be right. But proof that Go

Hoverflies, bumblebees and metallic green flies swarm around the pink flowers of hebe and marjoram in the early sun, soon joined by butterflies. Red admirals which were out of sight in the gloom of yesterday now swoop aggressively between buddleias, chasing off peacock, fritillary, brimstone, comma

Cambridgeshire-based breeder made false claims its pigs would remain pint-sized, ASA rulesMicro pigs may be the £700 accessory du jour for celebrities including Victoria and David Beckham, but there is a catch: they may not remain micro. An advertisement from a leading breeder has been banned after

? Controversial investor uses 27% stake to defy board ? Brian Myerson previously lobbied to sell off biofuels firmThe froideur between Brian Myerson, the controversial financier, and the board of D1 Oils dropped another few degrees today after he blocked a potential takeover of the ailing business b

While Arctic sea ice has been diminishing in recent decades, the Antarctic sea ice extent has been increasing slightly. Researchers provide an explanation for the seeming paradox of increasing Antarctic sea ice in a warming climate.

Initial field observations indicate that a dramatic rise in the surface temperature in Indonesian waters has resulted in a large-scale bleaching event that has devastated coral populations.

LGA has called for cash raised from landfill to go towards creating allotments.

New figures reveal extent of 'garden grabbing'

Project could power Rwanda for decades, while reducing risk of disaster for 2 million people living alongside 'exploding lake'It's dusk on Lake Kivu and the fishermen sing while paddling out in their catamarans, three canoes secured together with long wooden poles. As the twin volcanoes on the far s

Ahmed Djoghlaf says nations risk economic collapse and loss of culture if it does not protect the natural world? 'Crown jewels' of Britain's landscape could be sold off? Plan to sell off nature reserves risks 'austerity countryside'Britain and other countries face a collapse of their economies and l

If we are to better conserve butterfly populations, should children be encouraged once again to use nets to catch specimens for study? Or is there a better alternative?Chasing butterflies net-in-hand is absent from the portfolio of activities promoted by wildlife and conservation groups in their eff

Nuclear energy is not on the rise - the hard facts point to a continuing, slow phase-out around the worldRepeatedly in recent years there have been calls for a revival of nuclear power. Yet that renaissance never seems to come.Of the more than 200 countries in the world, only 30 use nuclear power.

The Tour of Britain is looking for 'presentation hostesses' to kiss winning riders at this year's race - and organisers insist there is nothing patronising about the £50-a-day jobHappy news for women looking to break into the male dominated world of cycle racing: the Tour of Britain, our island's hu

Despite the fact that I am not a piscatorial person I've recently inherited a fishing diary (bound in red leather by Asprey & Co Ltd) that covers the decade 1933 to 1943. It's immensely interesting because weather conditions are included in each entry. The diarist was aged about 20. One of the first

The idea that we are "watering down" our commitment is simply incorrect (Dirtiest coal power plants win reprieve, 16 August): this government has committed to introducing an emissions performance standard. We are moving as quickly as possible and our consultation on a radical reform of the electrici

The desire to increase grouse numbers has created an ecological disaster zoneYour article summed up the media frenzy surrounding the much-celebrated "glorious twelfth", which occurs on 12 August, and marks the start of the grouse season (After a cold, harsh winter things are looking glorious. Unless