Image copyright PA Media The UK’s fixed-term parliaments could see politicians failing to prioritise climate change, veteran naturalist Sir David Attenborough has suggested. He told the first citizens’ assembly on climate having a five-year government leads to a lack of long-term planning. The 110-strong assembly in Birmingham will meet over four weekends to examine options […]
Technology
Wales a haven for wildlife – but for how long?
Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption Elk, wolves, wild boar, lynx, brown bear and auroch once inhabited Wales but are now extinct From slugs to spiders and bees to bottlenose dolphins – Wales is proving a haven for many species. Its varied landscape and mild climate make Wales among Europe’s “best wildlife-watching secrets”, according to the […]
Canadian start-up GHGSat to make global methane map
Image caption The visualisation will render methane at a resolution of 2km per pixel A Canadian start-up, GHGSat, is promising to release a high-resolution map of methane in Earth’s atmosphere by the year’s end. The company has one spacecraft in orbit currently to monitor the trace gas. Another two are expected to go up in […]
Space cookies: First food baked in space by astronauts
Image copyright NASAImage caption Tests are being carried out to determine whether the cookies are safe to eat Chocolate chip cookies have become the first food to be baked in space in a first-of-its-kind experiment. Astronauts baked the cookies in a special zero-gravity oven at the International Space Station (ISS) last month. Sealed in individual […]
Climate change: ‘We’re not perfect’, says Marion Cotillard on Antarctica trip
Actor Marion Cotillard has travelled to Antarctica with Greenpeace to learn about how climate change, plastic waste and industrial fishing are damaging wildlife. “As pristine as it looks, even a remote place like this one is impacted by harmful human activities,” she said. Speaking to the Victoria Derbyshire programme during her trip, she explained what […]
Rolls-Royce plans mini nuclear reactors by 2029
Image copyright Rolls-Royce Mini nuclear reactors could be generating power in the UK by the end of the decade. Manufacturer Rolls-Royce has told the BBC’s Today programme that it plans to install and operate factory-built power stations by 2029. Mini nuclear stations can be mass manufactured and delivered in chunks on the back of a […]
What does Trump actually believe on climate change?
US President Donald Trump’s position on climate change has been in the spotlight again, after he criticised “prophets of doom” at the World Economic Forum in Davos. At the event, which had sustainability as its main theme, and activist Greta Thunberg as its star guest, Mr Trump dismissed “alarmists” who wanted to “control every aspect […]
Mount Vesuvius eruption: Extreme heat ‘turned man’s brain to glass’
Image copyright The New England Journal of Medicine/Dr Pier PaoloImage caption The black, shiny fragments are believed to be the glassy remains of a man’s brain Extreme heat from the Mount Vesuvius eruption in Italy was so immense it turned one victim’s brain into glass, a study has suggested. The volcano erupted in 79 AD, […]
Mummy returns: Voice of 3,000-year-old Egyptian priest brought to life
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionNesyamun’s voice has been reproduced as a vowel-like sound Scientists have fulfilled a mummified Egyptian priest’s wish for life after death – by replicating his voice with artificial vocal chords. Nesyamun’s voice has been reproduced as a vowel-like sound that is reminiscent of a sheep’s bleat. The […]
Cut meat and dairy intake ‘by a fifth’, report urges
People should cut the amount of beef, lamb and dairy produce they eat by a fifth to combat climate change, a report says. It says public bodies should lead the way by offering plant-based options with all meals. But it says if people don’t cut consumption willingly, taxes on meat and dairy might be needed. […]
Wanted – volunteers to monitor Britain’s growing slug population
Image caption There are thought to be more than 40 slug species in the UK Citizen scientists are being sought to help carry out the first survey in decades of Britain’s slug populations. To take part, all that’s required is curiosity, a garden, and a willingness to go out after dark to search for the […]
Ivory Coast is using plastic waste to build schools
A community in Ivory Coast has partnered with UNICEF to transform landfill waste into bricks for schools. The classrooms cost almost half the price of conventional building materials and can be built using just a hammer. Since 2018, plastic waste has been turned into 26 classrooms. Video produced by Daniel South and Eric Biantuadi. Watch […]