Climate heating greenhouse gases at record levels says un

When German electronic band Kraftwerk released the iconic song "Autobahn" in 1975, they were celebrating freedom of movement on freeways where drivers could speed without limit. But these mythical superhighways are today a source of increasing division as the climate crisis demands countries curb road transport emissions. Though the autobahn's origins are wrongly ascribed to Hitler — he completed the first highways with forced labor, but they were a Weimar-period invention — today their legend is associated with Germany's failure to meet its climate obligations. Transport generates over 20% of German greenhouse gases. It was also one of only two sectors to fail its annual emission reduction targets in 2021.  Yet new road construction projects — as opposed to low-emission electric railways or bicycle highways — dominate the 2030 federal transport plan. Some 850 kilometers (528 miles) of autobahns are on the drawing board. Activists call out autobahn 'disaster' Opposition … [Read more...] about Autobahn: Germany’s roads to nowhere

Tapirs, jaguars, and giant armadillos are some of the 430 species of mammals that share a home with Luiz Henrique Lopes Ferreira in Brazil's eastern Amazon . Ferreira makes and sells sweets, jams, and liqueurs from more than a hundred varieties of local fruit trees. The 22-year-old is part of a new generation showing how forest communities with economic opportunities can help promote biodiversity protection and prevent deforestation. He lives in the Tapajos Arapiuns Extractive Reserve, which spans over 640,00 hectares (1.58 million acres) almost 90% of which is covered in forest. It is home to over 370 different types of bird, 99 species of fish and around 13,000 people, mostly Indigenous and mixed heritage caboclo communities. The Amazon rainforest is rich in biodiversity but many species are now under threat Identifying himself as Indigenous, Ferreira says that although he was born in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas State, the forest has been his real home since his … [Read more...] about Using candy and jam to protect Brazil’s Amazon rainforest

Carol Kirkwood says pollen levels are high across the UK Sign up for FREE for the latest news from the world of showbiz SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info BBC Breakfast weather presenter Carol Kirkwood took to Twitter this morning to issue an apology to an unhappy viewer who took issue with a tweet the host posted about pollen levels. The BBC host, 60, apologised for the mishap after she gave the pollen count for England when a disgruntled social media user quickly called her out for ignoring Wales. Related articles Andy Murray and Kim Sears in U-turn at home as he rules out more kids Ulrika Jonsson, 54, recreates Kendall Jenner's completely NAKED snap Noooo I AM SO SORRY Carol Kirkwood … [Read more...] about Carol Kirkwood issues ‘huge apologies’ to BBC Breakfast viewer over forecast mishap

The world is currently witnessing biodiversity loss at a rate and scale unprecedented in human history. Over 1 million species are at risk of extinction. Many are disappearing before we have had a chance to discover them. Climate change, pollution and disappearing habitats are among the forces that have pushed nature toward a cliff edge. The situation is so severe that scientists say we are facing the " sixth mass die-off " ⁠— the scale of which has not been seen since the dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago. Yet 2022 presents a window of opportunity, with the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Canada set to bring together world leaders to discuss a road map to deal with the crisis in nature. In our latest Global Ideas web special we take a deep dive into why protecting biodiversity is so critical, and what the concrete and effective solutions are to tackling the problem. 'Biodiversity loss is the greatest threat to humanity' What impact does … [Read more...] about Nature in crisis: How can we prevent biodiversity loss?

I will always remember the day they took away the history books. My small boarding school, on a rain-lashed Devon hilltop, had until that day taught us about the glory and grandeur of English history. It was a story of courage, freedom and the defeat of foreign threats. But these volumes, their pages soft from use, their illustrations in wistful black and white, were no longer acceptable. They were gathered up and carted off. Instead, we were given glossy, brightly-coloured replacements with larger print and supposedly exciting photographs of a brave new world. Luckily for me, the change came just too late. I had already absorbed all the old stuff and I would never be able to regard the 1945 Labour Government as being as exciting or interesting as the Battle of Trafalgar. I thought then, as I think now, that this country had indeed had a Glorious Revolution in 1688. Significantly, it was about the same time that they began to inflict the ‘New Maths’ on us – but once again I had … [Read more...] about PETER HITCHENS: Is there no way to stop the secret brainwashing of the next generation?