Environmental Issues

[rynner2]

Contaminated silt banned at Rame Head will be dumped at new Devon site
By C_Becquart | Posted: March 07, 2017

Campaigners have won an unprecedented victory to stop dredgers dumping silt next to a marine beauty spot.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) announced that dumping will no longer be allowed off Rame Head in Whitsand Bay.
Instead the agency has designated a new disposal site in deeper water nine kilometres southwest of Plymouth Sound breakwater.

The Rame Head site has been used for more than 100 years to dispose of silt dredged from the Tamar and the Cattewater in Plymouth.
More than six million tonnes of spoil – mainly dredged from the River Tamar to enable the passage of ships to Devonport Dockyard – have been dumped over the past 30 years alone.

Diver Dave Peake, from the Stop Dumping in Whitsand Bay group, was one of the first to highlight the problem, with photographs of silt-covered sea life in the Whitsand and Looe Bay Marine Conservation Zone, which borders the dump site.

In 2014 the MMO temporarily halted dumping after the group launched a judicial review against the granting of a licence to do so. Last year, after Millbrook man Tonny Steenhagen launched a second judicial review of the latest licence, the MMO began a search for a new dump zone.

Dredgers are expected to start work later this month but Mr Steenhagen was celebrating the news that they will have to take the silt farther offshore.
"It's a massive victory for the environment and for community power," Mr Steenhagen said. "There was always a core group involved, but when we needed to rally the troops people turned up in the pouring rain.

"When we needed to fund-raise to pay for legal action, the response was enormous. Our MP, Sheryll Murray, was part of the active campaign until 2010 but I feel she could have taken a more prominent stance locally to continue to promote the issue."
He added: "This campaign has set a precedent. Nobody in the UK has ever challenged a dump site before."

Mr Peake, who started the campaign 20 years ago and showed that silt was coming inshore, welcomed the news. "Whitsand Bay just wasn't the right place to have a disposal site," he said. "Some might argue that we shouldn't be dumping at sea at all, but if we have no alternative, it shouldn't be next to a marine conservation zone.
"This decision is good for the bay and for local people."

The new site is near the Western Channel Observatory's L4 scientific buoy, operated by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML).
The MMO said PML was now happy after initial fears about the impact.

etc...

http://www.cornwalllive.com/contami...w-devon-site/story-30183883-detail/story.html

 

[rynner2]

In Norway,
"Each year, some 20 million cars, vans and trucks cross the country's many fjords on roughly 130 ferry routes.
Most of Norway's ferries run on diesel, spewing out noxious fumes and CO2.
But this is about to change."

The ferries are being converted to electric power: full story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39478856

 

[rynner2]

Deadly ghost net freed from wreck Conqueror off Cornwall by Fathoms Free and World Animal Protection
By G_WIlkinson | Posted: April 15, 2017
Video: 1m 48s.

A deadly ghost fishing net from a shipwrecked trawler, which has trapped and killed marine wildlife for nearly 40 years, has finally been cut free.

Divers removed the net from the wreck of the Conqueror, which sank off the coast of Cornwall in 1977. They said it was still securely fastened to the wreck and they believe the net was on-board the ship when it was lost off the coast in Mount's Bay, near Mousehole.
Lost or discarded net, lines and pots, known as ghost gear, are dangerous to marine life such as seals, whales and porpoises that can become entangled or caught, causing infections, constrictions and sometimes death.

It was cut free by Cornish marine conservation volunteers Fathoms Free, which works to clear Cornwall's coast and waters of lost or abandoned fishing litter.
The group used a new rib boat to access the wreck, which was funded by global animal welfare charity World Animal Protection.

Divers from Fathoms Free with the ghost net. Picture: World Animal Protection

Chiara Vitali, the campaign manager for World Animal Protection UK, said: "We saw lots of seals in the area near the wreck and this net would have posed a real risk to them so it's great to see the divers were able to pull this out using the new boat."

Rob Thompson, the founder of Fathoms Free, added: "Previously we were only able to dive from the shore so it's fantastic that we could retrieve this net with the new boat. We will now send the net off to Plastics Global to recycle it into pellets, which we then buy back to turn into items such as kayaks.
"The kayaks are then used to carry on the retrieval work and access places we couldn't get to in a larger boat or on foot."

The Conqueror, from Hull, was fishing off Cornwall in 1977 when she was caught in bad weather on December 26. The ship ran aground off Penzer Point in the early hours of the morning.

The crew was rescued by the Penlee lifeboat and attempts were made over the next few days to refloat the boat. More bad weather put an end to the rescue effort and, by now listing by 45 degrees and partially submerged, the trawler was abandoned.
She remained on the rocks for some years and became a popular tourist attraction, before finally sliding back under the sea. The wreck now lies around 50 to 60 feet below the surface and is reported to have broken into several pieces.

Fishing gear is often unavoidably lost and enters the ocean through accident or poor conditions potentially remaining there for centuries. It can have serious implications for the welfare of marine animals, fisher safety, livelihoods and biodiversity.

The Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust, discovered 50 tonnes of fishing gear, lost or abandoned in Cornish waters and coast last year and rescued trapped seals, sea birds and other marine wildlife.

Fathoms Free is run by volunteers and donations from the public. It has a JustGiving page here.

http://www.cornwalllive.com/deadly-...l-protection/story-30266909-detail/story.html

 

[rynner2]

Exclusive: Ministers considering 'postcode' diesel car scrappage scheme to target most polluted areas
Christopher Hope, Chief Political Correspondent
15 April 2017 • 7:00pm

A new diesel car scrappage scheme will be targeted at the most polluted areas under plans being considered by ministers, The Telegraph can disclose.
Car owners will only be able to qualify for cash to scrap their diesel vehicles if they are old enough and registered at an address where air pollution is already at dangerous levels.
Ministers are hoping that this “postcode” diesel scrappage scheme will be cheaper than a general scheme open to all owners of diesel cars.
They also do not want to “demonise diesel drivers”, one source said, adding: “Older diesel cars are disproportionately driven by those who are less well off.”

Uptake of diesel cars rocketed over the past decade, after they were taxed less than petrol cars, with the proportion of diesel vehicles on British roads increasing from 20 per cent in 2005 to 37.8 per cent in 2015.
This was a deliberate policy because diesel cars emitted less carbon dioxide. However, it ignored their nitrogen dioxide emissions, which cause or worsen health conditions like asthma and bronchitis. Last year four in 10 local authorities breached legal NO2 limits.

Ministers have now been given until April 24 to publish court-mandated new plans for tackling illegal levels of air pollution.

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ters-considering-postcodedieselcar-scrappage/

 

[Mythopoeika]

I was discussing this very thing last weekend when I went to my local garage to buy some new tyres.
I started chatting to the duty manager, saying I was mulling over thoughts of buying a new car because of the recent negative talk about diesels. I have a low-emissions diesel that I bought during the Labour government scrappage scheme. My issue is that any new scrappage scheme would have to give me a LOT of money for me to be able to afford a hybrid or electric vehicle. Otherwise, I can't afford it.
The duty manager (Barry) made the point that most of the newer vehicles on the road now are diesels, so how would the government police an anti-diesel policy? They'd hurt everybody's livelihoods and damage the economy.
His opinion was that I should hang onto the car until it really needs to be replaced.

 

[rynner2]

Trump executive order aims to allow Arctic drilling

Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at reducing restrictions on oil drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic in order to "unleash American energy".
The US president said it would create "thousands and thousands" of jobs, despite a downturn in the oil market.
It could undo a ban put in place by Barack Obama in order to protect swathes of the ocean from development.

But Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said the decision was better than being held hostage by "foreign entities".
Getting rid of Mr Obama's environmental protections was one of Mr Trump's promises to voters while on the campaign trail.

As he signed the order, called the America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, Mr Trump said: "Our country's blessed with incredible natural resources, including abundant offshore oil and natural gas reserves, but the federal government has kept 94% of these offshore areas closed for exploration and production.
"This deprives our country of potentially thousands and thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in wealth."

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39753223

Obama was environmentally aware and cared about the state of the world. Trump knows nothing about anything. Just to think about him brings so many bad words to mind that I have to bite my tongue...

 

[Mythopoeika]

Obama was environmentally aware and cared about the state of the world. Trump knows nothing about anything. Just to think about him brings so many bad words to mind that I have to bite my tongue...

In years to come, 'Trump' will be used as an epithet, an accusation to be levelled at wrong-headed individuals. It will become one of the worst insults to be used in the Northern Hemisphere.

 

[tastyintestines]

You must have not been paying attention.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/here-s-why-obama-is-approving-arctic-drilling-again/

 

[rynner2]

'Shocking' levels of PCB chemicals in UK killer whale Lulu
By Rebecca Morelle Science Correspondent, BBC News
2 May 2017
Video: 1m 10s.

One of the UK's last killer whales was contaminated with "shocking" levels of a toxic chemical, scientists say.
The animal, called Lulu, was found dead on the Isle of Tiree in Scotland last year after becoming entangled in fishing lines.

But tests now reveal her body contained among the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, ever recorded.
The chemicals were banned from the 1970s but are still in the environment.

Researchers now fear that other animals in Lulu's pod also have similarly high levels of contamination. The group, which is found off the west coast of Scotland, is thought to consist of just eight animals.

Dr Andrew Brownlow, head of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme and veterinary pathologist at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), told BBC News that Lulu had "shocking levels of PCBs".
He said: "The levels of PCB contamination in Lulu were incredibly high, surprisingly so. They were 20 times higher than the safe level that we would expect for cetaceans to be able to manage.
"That puts her as one of the most contaminated animals on the planet in terms of PCB burden, and does raise serious questions for the long-term survivability of this group (of UK killer whales)."

PCBs were used widely in industry during the last century.
The manmade chemicals are extremely stable, resistant to extreme temperatures and pressures, and have insulating properties. Because of this they were used in everything from plastics to paints and electrical equipment.
But after concerns about the toxicity to humans and animals was raised, a series of bans were put in place around the world from the 1970s onwards.

However the chemicals take a long time to break down and have lingered in the environment, particularly in landfill sites where they can leach into waterways and on into the sea.
They then build up in the marine food chain, which means top predators such as killer whales are particularly affected. Dolphins, porpoises are also susceptible.

Levels of PCBs are measured in milligrams per kilogram of lipids (fatty acids) in an animal's body.
Dr Brownlow said: "The threshold where we think that there is some form of physiological effect caused by PCBs is around 20-40mg/kg stored within the tissues.
"Lulu had a level of PCBs of 957mg/kg - and this has put her as one of the most contaminated individuals we have ever looked at."
Scientists believe Lulu's age, estimated to be at least 20, may be one reason that the levels of PCBs were so high, because they had built up over the years.

The chemicals have a range of effects. There is evidence that they can impair the immune system. They also affect reproduction, preventing killer whales from bearing young.
"That's certainly what we found in the case of Lulu," explained Dr Brownlow.
"Having examined her ovaries, there was no evidence that she had ever been reproductively active or had ever had a calf."

The chemicals can also affect the brain. Scientists believe the contamination could have been implicated in Lulu's death.
"Killer whales are incredibly intelligent, they are very nimble, socially aware animals. [Lulu] would have spent most of her probably very long life existing around the waters of the West Coast.

"It is potentially plausible that there was some effect of the PCBs that was in some way debilitating her so she wasn't strong enough or even aware enough to deal with this entanglement (in fishing line).
"We very rarely see entanglement in killer whales - actually this is one of the first cases we have documented."

PCBs are a global problem, but a recent study revealed that European waters are a hotspot because of the level of the chemicals once used.

It is estimated that there is a million tonnes of PCB-contaminated material waiting to be disposed in Europe.
But getting rid of them is expensive and difficult - they need to be incinerated at more than 1,000C to be destroyed.

Prof Ian Boyd, chief scientific adviser at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said that the issue was very concerning but also complicated.
He said: "The records show PCBs have been declining in concentration in the marine environment, so the regulation we have in place is working.
"It's just they take a very long time to disappear. Overall I think we are going in the right direction, but it is going to take many more years to get to a point where they are going to disappear entirely."

He added: "Lulu was fairly old, so she will have accumulated [PCBs] over her lifetime and that's the reason she had such high levels. It's a legacy she'd carried from her early years, probably."

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39738582

Photos and another video (2m 42s) on page.

 

[rynner2]

Algal bloom in South West is so big it can be spotted from space
By WMNJBayley | Posted: May 05, 2017

The bloom at its peak

A huge algal bloom off the South West coast has been visible from space.
The tiny chains of phytoplankton cells – typically no more than 0.05mm long – put on such a show they were spotted by a satellite more than 500 miles above the Earth.

Scientists from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) were able to collect samples to study under the microscope while also examining infrared-red images captured by the Suomi-NPP satellite, operated by the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

The bloom by the species, Guinardia delicatula, was unusually large because of the fine spring weather, said PML ecologist Claire Widdicombe.
“This year, the spring period has been particularly dry (restricting inputs of freshwater and nutrients from the land), sunny and relatively calm,” she said.

“This promoted the formation of near-surface stratification in the sea, which in turn provided a plentiful supply of nutrients and light allowing phytoplankton such as Guinardia delicatula to thrive in concentrations higher than we’ve seen in recent years.”

As the plankton uses nitrates in the water as food to proliferate, the nutrients are rapidly used up and the bloom fades.
Guinardia are a key link in coastal food chains at this time of year as tiny animals, zooplankton, consume the plant bounty and in turn are eaten by larger creatures such as fish.
Simultaneous measurements taken at the Western Channel Observatory L4 data buoy, stationed eight miles off Plymouth, allowed PML scientists to track the decline in nitrate as it was consumed by the expanding bloom.

The combination of satellite, microscope and buoy information allows the scientists to piece together how the seas and the life they contain function.

As the tiny algae arrived earlier than in recent years a much larger ocean dweller has also put in an appearance ahead of schedule. Basking sharks – which feast on plankton – have been spotted in Falmouth Bay a month earlier than they were last year. The gentle giants typically reach six to eight metres (about 20-26 feet) in length.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/alg...d-from-space/story-30314476-detail/story.html

 

[rynner2]

Fears Cornwall is on course for drought after dry winter fails to top up reservoirs
By LBarton | Posted: May 06, 2017

There are fears Cornwall could be on course for drought following one of the driest winters on record and with reservoir levels lower than the last year one was declared.
According to figures published by South West Water, two of the three reservoirs for Cornwall, Colliford and Roadford, are down to 84% and 75% full respectively.

Stithians is fairing better at 95% full, but overall the five main reservoirs for the Westcountry are at around 85% capacity while the same week last year was at 96% capacity.
South West Water said levels were not unusual for the time of year and the company was "well placed" to cope with lower rainfall and higher demand expected in the summer.

However, the Met Office has this week revealed that it was the third driest winter on record and long range forecasts say the mild, dry weather is set to continue.

The National Farmers Union is warning its members to be careful with their water usage after shortages a few years ago caused an estimated £400million worth of damage to crops across the country.
A spokesman for the National Farmers Union in the South West said it was monitoring the situation.
While there had not been any reports of difficulties over water supply, he said: "If the dry weather continues it might become an issue.
"If we have another month of this dry weather the situation might start to change."

According to the NFU's latest newsletter, groundwater levels are very low for the time of year and "there remains a risk that groundwater in the South and East may not have recovered sufficiently to avoid the imposition of some drought management actions in late summer."

A 30-day forecast by the Met Office suggests that there will be mainly dry settled conditions with some warm temperatures developing this month.

etc...

http://www.cornwalllive.com/cornwal...r-level-drop/story-30310403-detail/story.html

 

[rynner2]

Delight as beach that vanished 33 years ago leaving just rock pools behind reappears overnight
Telegraph Reporters
7 May 2017 • 1:32pm

Villagers are delighted after an entire beach that was washed away 33 years ago has reappeared virtually overnight thanks to a freak tide.
The beach near the Irish village of Dooagh on Achill Island [west coast of Ireland] vanished in Spring storms of 1984 after waves washed away all the sand.
With nothing more than rock pools left behind, almost all the villages' hotels, guesthouses and cafes shut down.

But hundreds of thousands of tons of sand were dumped on the beach over ten days in April, re-creating a stunning 300m long beach.
And the picturesque stretch is still in place, with locals hoping it sticks around long enough for the beach to be given blue-flag status during next year's inspection.

Sean Molloy, manager at Achill Tourism, said: "Before it disappeared, the beach had been there for as long as living memory, almost continuously, until 1984-85.
"During that time there was some big storms that really destroyed the beach and it was completely washed away and 1984 was the last time the beach was there.

"Then in April when we had that cold snap over Easter, the wind was coming in from the north.
"It was very constant and steady and it must have transported eroded material in from elsewhere."
He said the bulk of the sand was deposited in just over a week, leaving locals delighted.

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...anished-33-years-ago-leaving-just-rock-pools/

Before and after pics of the rocks and the beach on page.

 

[rynner2]

The problem of fly tipping seems to be on the increase. Almost every national or local news broadcasts seems to have a new story on it. The amounts of rubbish being dumped, in the countryside, back alleys or elsewhere is increasing - it's no longer just an occassional car boot load, but more often lorry loads of rubbish being dumped. Here's the latest story:

Six-hundred tonnes of rubbish dumped under bridge
Up to 600 tonnes of rubbish has been dumped under a bridge near a regional park.
Video: 59s.

Buckinghamshire County Council says "a vast amount of waste" was fly-tipped underneath the A40, near Colne Valley Regional Park, in April.
The rubbish includes household and garden waste, fridges, bathtubs, and building materials.
A plan is in place to remove the rubbish, the council says, but it will take time due to "technical access difficulties".

• 1h ago
• From the section Beds, Herts & Bucks

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-eng...857409/600-tonnes-of-rubbish-dumped-at-bridge

Apart from the health and safety aspects, the sheer contempt for the rest of society shown by fly tippers is sickening.

 

[Min Bannister]

That is horrific!

Apart from the health and safety aspects, the sheer contempt for the rest of society shown by fly tippers is sickening.

I don't know how it is with other councils but in Edinburgh you used to be able to get a free uplift of 6 items once a year. Now you have to pay £5 for each item if you want anything to be uplifted so I would bet that there are plenty of people who will either dump it themselves or look for someone cheaper who will fly tip it for them. If other councils charge too it would explain the increase I am sure.

 

[rynner2]

I don't know how it is with other councils but in Edinburgh you used to be able to get a free uplift of 6 items once a year. Now you have to pay £5 for each item if you want anything to be uplifted so I would bet that there are plenty of people who will either dump it themselves or look for someone cheaper who will fly tip it for them. If other councils charge too it would explain the increase I am sure.

I'm still trying to get rid of my collapsed and now dismantled table. But the Council want £22.50 to take it away!

But such charges are probably counter productive, as the council then has to foot the bill for clearing up the increased amount of fly-tipping.

 

[Min Bannister]

Piles of plastic mount up in the Pacific ocean.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-39931042

An uninhabited island in the South Pacific is littered with the highest density of plastic waste anywhere in the world, according to a study.

Henderson Island, part of the UK's Pitcairn Islands group, has an estimated 37.7 million pieces of debris on its beaches.

The island is near the centre of an ocean current, meaning it collects much rubbish from boats and South America.

Researchers hope people will "rethink their relationship with plastic".

The joint Australian and British study said the rubbish amounted to 671 items per square metre and a total of 17 tonnes.

"A lot of the items on Henderson Island are what we wrongly refer to as disposable or single-use," said Dr Jennifer Lavers from the University of Tasmania.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, described how remote islands act as a "sink" for the world's rubbish.

In addition to fishing items, Henderson Island was strewn with everyday things including toothbrushes, cigarette lighters and razors.

"Land crabs are making their homes inside bottle caps, containers and jars," Dr Lavers told the BBC.

"At first it looks a little bit cute, but it's not. This plastic is old, it's sharp, it's brittle and toxic."

A large number of hard hats of "every shape, colour and size" were also discovered, the marine scientist said.

Scale of waste
Henderson Island is listed by Unesco as a coral atoll with a relatively unique ecology, notable for 10 plant and four bird species.

It is 190km (120 miles) from Pitcairn Island, about 5,000km from Chile, and sits near the centre of the South Pacific Gyre - a massive rotating current.

The condition of the island highlighted how plastic debris has affected the environment on a global scale, Dr Lavers said.

"Almost every island in the world and almost every species in the ocean is now being shown to be impacted one way or another by our waste," she said.

"There's not really any one person or any one country that gets a free pass on this."

She said plastic was devastating to oceans because it was buoyant and durable.

The research was conducted by the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, and the Centre for Conservation Science at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

 

[GNC]

I thought this story was going to be about that huge floating island of plastic garbage that's been floating around the oceans - or is it? Are they two separate environmental disasters or is this the same thing?

 

[RaM]

Thats nature collecting the crap in one place so we can go and scoop it up and recycle it,
but what governments do is tax the crap out of us in the name of green taxes then spend
the money on fuel and ammunition for wars and running bent politicians round in big cars.
Many because they dont give a feck about the environment global warming and so on other
than using them to scare more tax out of people.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Thats nature collecting the crap in one place so we can go and scoop it up and recycle it,
but what governments do is tax the crap out of us in the name of green taxes then spend
the money on fuel and ammunition for wars and running bent politicians round in big cars.
Many because they dont give a feck about the environment global warming and so on other
than using them to scare more tax out of people.

You nutshelled it so succinctly.

 

[rynner2]

Falmouth flooded again when it poured with rain and dead rats were floating in the streets
By C_Becquart | Posted: May 19, 2017
Video: 1m 27s.

Heavy rains have resulted in dramatic scenes in a Cornish town as shops were close to being flooded and dead rats were seen floating in the streets.

Residents and shop keepers had a certain sense of déjà vu yesterday when they reported deep water in some areas of Falmouth.
The town centre started to flood around 11.45am after a severe downpour, and the incident lasted a few couple of hours before it was completely under control.

Water was pouring out of sewage pipes into Market Strand, one of Falmouth's main shopping streets.

"It was very rapid and it happens on a regular basis", a member of staff at the Nature Store said: "The drains overflow quite suddenly and we have to put up flood barriers as quickly as we can."
She explained that people took shelter and the street was left "very grim" after the incident.

Residents reported that there was a "strong smell of sewage" and a woman, from The Prince of Wales pub, said that she saw "mould and remains" in the street.

People at the Cafe Strand, who are now used to this kind of incident, posted a picture and a video of the flooding on their Facebook page.
...

A spokeswoman for South West Water said that they are working closely with the town council to resolve Market Strand's flooding issue.
She said: "Market Strand is prone to hydraulic overload which overwhelms both highways drains and our assets in the area. This usually happens with short duration heavy rainfall events which coincide with a high tide.
"We are working closely with Highways, the council and the EA to resolve this issue.

"We were notified of today's flooding at 11:48 and our operators have been onsite cleaning up."

She added that South West Water is also trying to find different systems for Cornwall.
"The system was designed back in Victorian days to operate like this. We would prefer a separated system, with special pipes just for rainwater during storms; but this would be very expensive to put in place.

"There are some alternatives which we are investigating like building more ponds, soakaways and special drainage ditches which could take storm water instead of it going into the sewers.
"We'd like to start putting in place these alternatives in the next few years, especially in areas which suffer the worst flooding."

etc...

http://www.cornwalllive.com/falmout...-the-streets/story-30341248-detail/story.html

The area outside the Prince of Wales pub (see photo) is the lowest in town, and collects rain water from several roads higher up. As SWW say, it's not a simple problem to fix.

 

[rynner2]

Plastic waste turned into clothes, to save our oceans
How one company is turning trash into cash.
Video: 2m 35s.

A film by Amelia Martyn-Hemphill for BBC World Hacks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-39864106/plastic-waste-turned-into-clothes-to-save-our-oceans

 

[Min Bannister]

I thought this story was going to be about that huge floating island of plastic garbage that's been floating around the oceans - or is it? Are they two separate environmental disasters or is this the same thing?

It is the same thing really. The huge amount of plastic waste floating about in the Pacific is washing up on the islands there.

 

[GNC]

It is the same thing really. The huge amount of plastic waste floating about in the Pacific is washing up on the islands there.

Thanks. It's getting so that you'll be able to walk from island to island over the plastic.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Thanks. It's getting so that you'll be able to walk from island to island over the plastic.

That sounds useful.

 

[GNC]

That sounds useful.

Not if you live in the ocean.

 

[rynner2]

Heritage sites such as Mullion Harbour in Cornwall should be given up to the sea argues professor
By G_WIlkinson | Posted: June 07, 2017

A picturesque harbour and popular tourist attraction in Cornwall should be left to fall into the sea rather than be repaired, according to an academic.

Professor Caitlin DeSilvey used the example of Mullion Cove harbour to argue that that some heritage sites cannot be always be preserved in the face of climate change and falling budgets.
She said that if heritage has to be lost, this should not always be viewed as a failure – but can involve a deliberate decision to allow nature to take its course and to learn from change.

"There is room to explore more creative approaches in how we care for heritage," said Professor DeSilvey of the University of Exeter.
"What happens if we choose not to intervene? What possibilities emerge when change is embraced rather than resisted? What if we allow things to become ruins?
"Processes of decay and disintegration can be culturally – as well as ecologically – productive, but we also need to recognise that people have very strong feelings about these places, and those need to be considered as well."

Prof DeSilvey pointed to the harbour at Mullion Cove, which was substantially damaged in the storms of 2014.
She said the National Trust spends an average £1,500 a week maintaining and protecting the harbour, although that money was spent in two recent significant repairs.

"One way to think about places like Mullion is to consider how we could mark the 'afterlife' of the harbour by re-using its materials in other structures, and remembering its passing in that way," she added.
"It's hard to let go and I am asking how we can do this gracefully and attentively. This approach only applies in certain circumstances – when preservation or repair is not possible or realistic due to cost or other issues."

etc, etc...

http://www.cornwalllive.com/heritag...es-professor/story-30374343-detail/story.html

 

[rynner2]

This morning, at 6 o'clock, I was standing at my bedroom window, admiring my rose bush (which I had dead-headed a couple of days ago), when I saw a fox loping rapidly up the garden path. This was the first time I'd seen a fox here for years - once I would glimpse one practically every night, even right underneath my window. But I'd assumed the rapid rise of new building works in the area had driven the foxes out of their old dens, so I was pleased to see that at least one still patrols their old territory.

My last report of a fox here seems to have been in 2012:
http://forum.forteantimes.com/index.php?threads/day-of-the-animals.12552/page-62#post-1191073

 

[GNC]

Let us know if you spot an urban deer! If you see a badger, stay inside.

 

[rynner2]

Let us know if you spot an urban deer! If you see a badger, stay inside.

Any deer that ever lived round here probably disappeared long before I got here.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Any deer that ever lived round here probably disappeared long before I got here.

Eaten by the badgers!