“One of the world’s most iconic sites has become the latest high profile venue to embrace renewable energy, after the installation of two vertical axis wind turbines as part of the Eiffel tower’s high profile renovation project.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/25/eiffel-tower-embraces-wind-power)
Vive la revolution.
“More than a quarter of spending on organic products (27.9%) is in the diary aisles, with yoghurt sales increasing by 13.8% and milk by 2.9% – in stark contrast to the 3% contraction of the non-organic dairy market.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/24/organic-uk-food-sales-defy-market-downturn-to-rise-4-percent-2014)
If your non-organic dairy’s contracting, that’s hard cheese.
“The Australian government is currently working on a new poisoned bait, known as Curiosity, to help make a dent in the estimated 20m feral cats in Australia.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/17/rewilding-dingoes-help-reverse-decline-australias-native-wildlife)
Curiosity, as we all know, dented the cat.
“The use of the weather as a weapon was banned in 1978.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/15/spy-agencies-fund-climate-research-weather-weapon-claim)
The use of climate as a cash cow isn’t looking so hot either.
“Investors are starting to think by 2030 the world will be in such a panic about climate change that either by law or by price it will be very hard to burn fossil fuels on anything like the scale we are doing at the moment.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/15/fossil-fuel-industry-must-take-stranded-assets-seriously-say-tim-yeo)
“AJ Lucas … a founding investor in Cuadrilla, which plans to exploit fracking licences in the UK … has lost 71% of its value in the last 12 months.” (http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2753599/fracking_company_valuation_sinks_to_new_lows.html)
“Closing down markets to ‘pirate’ fish is the fastest way to eliminate the indiscriminate destruction IUU [Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated] fishing wreaks on coastal communities and the marine environment on which they depend.” (http://www.wwf.org.uk/about_wwf/press_centre/index.cfm?uNewsID=7473)
Meanwhile, Florida scientists have developed a device that can genetically verify whether imported fish destined for dining tables is the popular firm-fleshed fillets of grouper or less expensive, potentially harmful Asian catfish. (http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/02/06/us-usa-florida-fish-idUKKBN0LA00N20150206)
Group-arr.
“The [genetically modified] apples are identical to their conventional counterparts except the flesh of the fruit will retain a fresh appearance after it is sliced or bruised.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/14/canadian-companys-genetically-modified-apples-win-us-approval)
Who has an appetite for covering up the bruises of fruit abuse?
“The Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, located in Riverside County about 170 miles (273 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, was operating at full capacity and providing 550 megawatts of electricity to the grid. … To minimize environmental impact, the Bureau of Land Management was finding ‘suitable habitat’ for desert tortoise and other wildlife impacted by the farm’s construction.” (http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/02/10/us-usa-california-solar-idUKKBN0LE2UF20150210)
i.e. move along or we’ll attach solar panels to your shell.
“There was no direct evidence that exposure to wind farms affects someone’s physical or mental health directly. … There was evidence that people were more likely to be annoyed, particularly annoyed about wind farms, when they were close to them, and we do know that being annoyed, long periods of being annoyed, can lead to stress, and we know stress can lead to …” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/11/wind-farm-study-finds-no-direct-evidence-they-affect-health)
… gabbling.
If the Australian renewable energy target is cut, “it’s the type of jolt to industry that basically would create such an upheaval that you would have a mass exodus.” (http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/02/09/us-australia-windfarms-idUKKBN0LC00C20150209)
Perhaps the target fixers need an electrical jolt up the mass exodus.
“Hwange [national park, Zimbabwe] has too many elephants – 43,000 in a park capable of supporting 15,000 … But elephants could sell for up to $60,000 (£39,000) each to help the $2.3m annual running costs of the park.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/09/zimbabwe-defends-plan-to-sell-27-elephants-to-china)
The ‘over-abundant’ elephants of South Africa’s Kruger national park have previously been threatened with culling, while Kenya is haemorrhaging them to poachers. What they need is a wildlife corridor, or trunk road.
Ecomical 