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Lucy Myers, Kyiv (2025)

09/12/2024

Power still out for thousands after Storm Darragh

About 57,000 homes and businesses are still without power across Wales after Storm Darragh battered large parts of the country.

Despite extreme winds easing, a yellow Met Office weather warning remained in place across Wales until 18:00 GMT on Sunday.

It comes after a day of widespread damage and travel disruption from winds that gusted to 94mph (150 km/h).

Numerous roads are still closed, with one council boss issuing a plea to drivers to stay off the roads while they are cleared. Meanwhile, train services are mostly cancelled, as are ferry sailings to and from Ireland.
The leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, Andrew Morgan, told BBC Politics Wales there were thousands of downed trees across the country.

"Luckily, we didn't get the severe rain that was suggested," said Morgan, who is also the council leader in Rhondda Cynon Taf where Storm Bert inflicted heavy flooding damage in November.

Damaged buildings include some schools, he said, and debris on the roads remained a problem in many areas.

"We've asked people to try and avoid travel if they can just for [Sunday]... in terms of clearing highways."
National Grid said there were about 39,000 properties without power in mid and south Wales.

Scottish Power said about 18,000 properties, mainly across north and mid Wales, were also without power.

"This is one of the worst storms we've seen in a long time," said Liam O'Sullivan from Scottish Power.

Strong winds hampered repair efforts overnight, he added, but with the weather subsiding, he added that the company had "every team available working to get people back on supply".

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said there were a handful of flood warnings - the second highest alert - in effect.
There are still road closures across Wales, including the M48 Severn Bridge in Monmouthshire, due to high winds.

Meanwhile, on the railway, teams have been "working very hard in difficult conditions" to get lines reopened.

"We are confident the majority of services east of Swansea, including South Wales Main Line, the Vale of Glamorgan and Core Valley Lines will be running in the morning," said a Transport for Wales spokesperson.

Great Western Railway also expects its service between London Paddington and Swansea to run from the start of service tomorrow.

However, services between Swansea and Carmarthen will not resume until at least midday as safety checks continue.
Irish Ferries cancelled service to and from Wales for most of Sunday, with some Pembroke and Holyhead sailings scheduled for later.

The last red warning in Wales was during 2022's Storm Eunice, which left tens of thousands of people without power.

NRW said before the storm the amount of rain expected would be less than that which fell during Storm Bert, which wrought havoc across Wales last month.

12/11/2024

Lights under surfboards could deter shark attacks - study

Fixing LED strip lights to the bottom of surfboards could deter attacks by great white sharks, Australian scientists say.

A study conducted in Mossel Bay, South Africa involved towing seal-shaped boards fitted with different configurations of lights behind a boat to see which attracted the most attention.

The researchers from Macquarie University in New South Wales say the lights distorted the silhouette of the their "decoys" on the ocean's surface and limited the ability of the great whites to see against the sunlight.

Lights could prove a non-invasive means of shark restraint, unlike nets or drones, they added.
Great white sharks are the species responsible for most human shark-bite fatalities, and often attack their prey from underneath, lead researcher Laura Ryan said. This means that sometimes the sharks mistake a surfer's silhouette for the outline of a seal.

Researchers say it is also important to see whether the LED lighting is effective in deterring other shark species known to attack humans, including bull sharks and tiger sharks.

Most attacks are associated with people surfing and participating in other board sports. There were 69 unprovoked shark bites in 2023, most in the US, Australia and South Africa, 10 of which were fatal, according to statistics.

The Australian study, published in the journal Current Biology, involved testing three different intensities of LED lights.

Ms Ryan said the study showed the brightest horizontal-aligned lights were less likely to be targeted.

The researchers said: "Our results reveal the importance of a dark silhouette against a lighter background in predatory behaviour in great white sharks and that altering the silhouette may form the basis of new non-invasive shark deterrent technology to protect human life."
They added it was interesting that great white sharks were less attracted to the most conspicuous lights because other studies have found some species were drawn to bright, reflective objects.

The researchers are now building prototype lighting strips to test on surfboards and kayaks.

07/11/2024

William announces Earthshot winners in Cape Town

The Prince of Wales has said he wants his environmental Earthshot prize to "change the world for good" over the next decade as he celebrated this year's winners.

Prince William closed the awards ceremony in Cape Town by calling for people around the world to join the "movement for change".

Models Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow, actor Nina Dobrev and artist Tobe Nwigwe announced the £1m ($1.2m) prize winners from each category at the event.

The recipients included an initiative that saved a rare antelope species from extinction and a Kenyan company that uses solar powered fridges to stop harvested crops spoiling.
The fourth edition of the Prince’s annual Earthshot Prize awards was hosted by Emmy-winning actor Billy Porter and TV presenter Bonang Matheba.

It supports sustainable, eco-friendly projects from around the world, with each of the five winners receiving £1m to scale-up their innovative ideas to "repair" the planet.

There are five 'Earthshots' - or goals: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World; and Fix Our Climate.

Fifteen finalists, from countries including France, Kenya, Indonesia, the UK and Nepal, were competing for their category's prize pot after being whittled down from 2,500 applicants.
Earlier on Wednesday, the prince praised his wife the Princess of Wales, who is recovering after treatment for cancer, saying she has been "amazing this whole year".

His wife had not travelled to South Africa and would watch the ceremony at home in Windsor, he said.

"I know she'll be really keen to see tonight be a success," he added.

All 2,000 attendees were asked to wear sustainable clothes - either made from recycled materials or a previously worn outfit - and on arrival a host of global stars, made their way down the "green carpet" instead of a traditional red one.

And the prince was no exception, dressed in a second-hand double-breasted Prince of Wales check jacket and white plastic-free fully biodegradable shoes.

Dubbed the prince's "Super Bowl" moment, the awards were broadcast live across Africa and streamed online. In his closing remarks, the prince said he believed the world could be "rich in possibility, in hope, and in optimism".

"Our aim was to find solutions to repair our planet and provide real hope for the future.

"We want to make this the decade in which we transform the world for good, one solution at a time, from the ground up," he said.
When asked earlier about achieving the prize's green goals in a tough political climate, the prince was positive.

"Everyone wants some hope and some optimism and Earthshot comes with urgent optimism," he said.

Co-host Harlow said she was honoured to be involved in the project, adding: "This should be something near and dear to everyone's heart when it comes to taking care of Mother Earth."

And Klum, who announced the Fix Our Climate category winner, said: "It's great to spread the word and shine a light on these amazing organisations and what they do."
Organisers of the Earthshot Prize, which was first awarded in 2021, say they were inspired by former US president John F Kennedy's Moonshot project, which set scientists the challenge of getting astronauts to the moon and back safely.

The aim of the awards, organisers say, is to celebrate and support those working to provide innovative solutions for climate and environmental issues.

There was a focus on ideas from Africa for this year's Earthshot Prize, with more than 400 African-led projects nominated and another 350 linked to the continent.

Although Africa generates the fewest emissions for global warming, many of its countries are among the most vulnerable to climate change.

As he spoke of his deep connection to Africa last week, Prince William said he wanted this year’s prize to provide a platform for innovators to bring about change for their communities and inspire young people across the continent.

“Africa has always held a special place in my heart - as somewhere I found comfort as a teenager, and where I proposed to my wife," he said.

Much of the prince’s visit to Cape Town has focused on young people and the power they have to bring about change.

"Without them the future is looking pretty bleak so these are the game-changers, the innovators, the inventors who are going to make the world a better place for us in future,” he said.

A recent UN report warned that the goals of the Paris agreement to keep global temperatures under 2C while making efforts to stay below 1.5C are now in very serious danger.

14/10/2024

Wildlife numbers fall by 73% in 50 years, global stocktake finds

Human activity is continuing to drive what conservation charity the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) calls a "catastrophic" loss of species.

From elephants in tropical forests to hawksbill turtles off the Great Barrier Reef, populations are plummeting, according to a stocktake of the world's wildlife.

The Living Planet Report, a comprehensive overview of the state of the natural world, reveals global wildlife populations have shrunk by an average of 73% in the past 50 years.

The loss of wild spaces was "putting many ecosystems on the brink", WWF UK head Tanya Steele said, and many habitats, from the Amazon to coral reefs, were "on the edge of very dangerous tipping points".
The report is based on the Living Planet Index of more than 5,000 bird, mammal, amphibian, reptile and fish population counts over five decades.

Among many snapshots of human-induced wildlife loss, it reveals 60% of the world's Amazon pink river dolphins have been wiped out by pollution and other threats, including mining and civil unrest.

It also captured hopeful signs of conservation success.

A sub-population of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Mountains of East Africa increased by about 3% per year between 2010 and 2016, for example.

But the WWF said these “isolated successes are not enough, amid a backdrop of the widespread destruction of habitats”.

Tom Oliver, professor of ecology at the University of Reading, who is unconnected with the report, said when this information was combined with other datasets, insect declines for example, "we can piece together a robust - and worrying - picture of global biodiversity collapse”.
The report found habitat degradation and loss was the biggest threat to wildlife, followed by overexploitation, invasive species, disease, climate change and pollution.

Lead author and WWF chief scientific adviser Mike Barrett said through human action, "particularly the way that we produce and consume our food, we are increasingly losing natural habitat”.

The report also warns nature loss and climate change are fast pushing the world towards irreversible tipping points, including the potential "collapse" of the Amazon rainforest, whereby it can no longer lock away planet-warming carbon and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The report found habitat degradation and loss was the biggest threat to wildlife, followed by overexploitation, invasive species, disease, climate change and pollution.

Lead author and WWF chief scientific adviser Mike Barrett said through human action, "particularly the way that we produce and consume our food, we are increasingly losing natural habitat”.

The report also warns nature loss and climate change are fast pushing the world towards irreversible tipping points, including the potential "collapse" of the Amazon rainforest, whereby it can no longer lock away planet-warming carbon and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The report found habitat degradation and loss was the biggest threat to wildlife, followed by overexploitation, invasive species, disease, climate change and pollution.

Lead author and WWF chief scientific adviser Mike Barrett said through human action, "particularly the way that we produce and consume our food, we are increasingly losing natural habitat”.

The report also warns nature loss and climate change are fast pushing the world towards irreversible tipping points, including the potential "collapse" of the Amazon rainforest, whereby it can no longer lock away planet-warming carbon and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The report found habitat degradation and loss was the biggest threat to wildlife, followed by overexploitation, invasive species, disease, climate change and pollution.

Lead author and WWF chief scientific adviser Mike Barrett said through human action, "particularly the way that we produce and consume our food, we are increasingly losing natural habitat”.

The report also warns nature loss and climate change are fast pushing the world towards irreversible tipping points, including the potential "collapse" of the Amazon rainforest, whereby it can no longer lock away planet-warming carbon and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Ms Steele said the report was an "incredible wake-up call".

"Healthy ecosystems underpin our health, prosperity and wellbeing," she told BBC News.

"We don't think this sits on the shoulders of the average citizen - it's the responsibility of business and of government.

"We need to look after our land and our most precious wild places for future generations."

19/09/2024

Pop-up shop set up in fight against energy hubs

Campaigners battling to keep wind energy infrastructure projects offshore have set up a pop-up shop to highlight their concerns.
The group "Offshore4sure" said at least three projects, LionLink, Nautilus and SeaLink, would result in converter stations being built on agricultural land close to Saxmundham, Suffolk.
Volunteers set up a temporary information centre in the town's High Street outlining alternative options for an offshore grid, with substations on brownfield sites, such as at Bradwell, in Essex, and closer to demand.
National Grid said it was "good to see community groups creating opportunities for local people to share their views".
Charlotte Fox, a volunteer with Offshore4sure, said: "Our message is not doom and gloom because it's not over yet. There is still an opportunity to change things around.
"Even National Grid's own figures show that it will be cheaper to build an offshore grid, but they have a monopoly over projects, onshore, so if it goes offshore the projects would be open to competition.
"We can still avoid the needless destruction of our countryside. At Saxmundham there are going to be three, if not four, converter stations, and each one would be 27 metres high and would cover an area of 16 acres."
Volunteer Ken Bate, from Offshore4sure, said the pop-up shop would "let local people know what's really going on because they have an idea that something is happening but many have no idea of the sheer scale of what's being proposed".
Jennie Pink, a volunteer with the group, also expressed concern: "We have been kept in the dark about these plans, and people have now realised it's possible to step up and to exert some people power; otherwise we will lose what we value most dearly."
Offshore4sure said a better solution "involving an offshore grid using the North Sea Corridor to transport power closer to demand is a realistic and viable option. Other European countries like Belgium, Holland, Germany and Denmark have chosen modular offshore grids for their offshore spatial design strategies".
A National Grid spokesperson said: "We understand that people have concerns about the impact of energy projects on their local area. Local knowledge and experience are crucial to the development of project proposals, as it helps us deliver the best possible project for the community and local environment with the least possible disruption.
"In addition to our consultations, it is good to see community groups creating opportunities for local people to understand projects and share their views.
"We will contact the organisers of the pop-up shop to help ensure they have accurate and the most up-to-date information about National Grid projects."

22/08/2024

Union votes no confidence in meat plant management

A farmer's union has declared a vote of no confidence in the management of the Isle of Man's government-subsidised Meat Plant.
The Manx National Farmers' Union (MNFU) issued an open letter calling for action to be taken.
The letter said an increase in cancellations and delays had forced farms to hold stock for longer than could be afforded to or export it, and significant quantities of meat had been disposed of with "questionable excuses as to why".
Isle of Man Meats said that it understood the "seriousness of the concerns which have been raised" but resolving the issues would "take time".
In a statement the company said it was "in a period of change as a result of the embedded, inherited issues that are not easily resolved" and it would take time to overcome them.
"We are doing everything we can to balance the needs of the producers with a sustainable financial business model that is fair and equitable for all stakeholders," it added.

'Rock bottom'
Earlier this year, large quantities of meat were thrown away by the plant due to a freezer failure, and some beef products were recalled and destructed after a faulty packaging machine caused production delays.
The union's letter said the dumping of product to the animal waste processing plant was "unheard of" before the company's current management.
Cancellations and delays meant that "trade customers struggle to have orders fulfilled and have needed to seek product from elsewhere", it continued.
Confidence in the company's ability to service the industry had "now hit rock bottom" and a "poor level of management" was having a "disastrous impact" on local producers.
"Immediate action must be implemented by the shareholders to repair the damage that has been imposed on the agricultural industry and the local food supply chain", the letter added.
A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture said while the management of the plant, which receives about £2m of government funding each year, had sought to make improvements, the facility's performance "in recent times has been challenging".
"DEFA is committed to working with the chair, board, producers, customers and all stakeholders to ensure we can see improvements at the abattoir," he added.

06/08/2024

Is carbon capture an efficient way to tackle CO2?

It could be a scene from science fiction. Towering over dark, mossy lava fields are stacks of noisy machines the size of shipping containers, domes, and zig-zagging silver pipes.

Found 30km (19 miles) southwest of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, this is the world’s largest direct air capture (DAC) facility.
Called Mammoth, it has been developed by Swiss firm Climeworks.
It has been running for two months, sucking global-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the air, then storing it deep underground where it turns to stone.
Twelve collector containers are now installed, but in the coming months 72 of them will circle the large processing hall.
“That will enable us to capture 36,000 tons of CO2 every year,” Climeworks’ chief commercial officer, Douglas Chan, tells the BBC.
The idea is to reverse emissions that have already been pumped into the atmosphere.
Each collector unit has a dozen powerful fans, which, every 40 seconds, can suck up enough air to fill an Olympic swimming pool.
“The technology relies on sucking in lots and lots of air, slowing it down so that the filter can capture it, and then venting the air back out the end,” says Mr Chan.

CO2 only makes up a tiny proportion of the atmosphere (0.04%), so capturing it requires a lot of electricity.
For Mammoth that electricity comes from a neighbouring geothermal power plant, so, while operating, the plant is emissions free.
Once full, the collection chambers are flushed out with hot steam, which is piped into the processing hall.
Inside the hall, Mr Chan points out two enormous balloons overhead, which together hold a single tonne of CO2.
That captured CO2 is then mixed with fresh water, in an adjacent tower.
“It’s almost like a shower,” explains Dr Martin Voigt, from Icelandic firm Carbfix, which has developed a process to turn CO2 into stone.
“From the top, water trickles down. The CO2 is coming up, and we dissolve the CO2.”
Hidden inside two white, igloo-like domes nearby are injection wells, where the CO2-laden water is pumped more than 700m underground.

25/07/2024

Fallen stock rules being reviewed, minister says

A review of the Isle of Man's regulations on fallen stock is underway, the environment, food and agriculture minister has confirmed.
However, Clare Barber MHK said the risks to humans and other animals would have to be "carefully considered" before any changes could be made.
It follows a call for permission to bury carcases on private land by the Manx National Farmers' Union after recent price increases for lost stock disposal which it said were "unrealistic" .
Ms Barber told the House of Keys any changes posed "a significant risk" by potentially compromising the island's "ability to trade animals products".

The Department of Infrastructure's animal waste section holds an exclusive contract to collect and dispose of dead animals from Manx farms.
Increases in the costs for the disposal of fallen stock were implemented at the start of July, with the price for the collection of a bull jumping by 185% to £152.70.
The government previously said processing plant price rises were "considered an appropriate measure" as it faced an "average annual net loss of just under £500,000 over the past five years".
Health risks
Jason Moorhouse MHK asked Ms Barber if there was "any possible solution" to the issue as "real frustration" was being felt in the farming community, with some members continuing to withhold payments to the plant in protest.
Ms Barber said current legislation did not allow for stock that had died for reasons other than slaughter to be buried on farms "except under exceptional circumstances".
She told members the process posed risks to human and animal health from diseases such as foot and mouth disease and bovine tuberculosis.
The minister said a review had begun to ensure the island's regulatory framework on fallen stock was "as resilient as possible" and would also take into account "any other practices and regimes that might exist in other jurisdictions".

04/07/2024

Flash floods warning after Hurricane Beryl hits Jamaica

People in Jamaica are assessing the damage after Hurricane Beryl hit the southern coast of the Caribbean island.
The category four storm - one of the most powerful to ever hit the country - brought winds of up to 130mph (215km/h) to Jamaica's south coast.
Overnight Prime Minister Andrew Holness extended an island-wide curfew to 06:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Thursday, with a flash flood warning also in effect.
Beryl has now weakened to a category three storm, and is rolling towards the Yucatan Peninsula in southern Mexico, the National Hurricane Center reports.

The BBC's Nick Davis, who is in Jamaica's capital Kingston, says the island has been "spared the worst of the winds", and the real concern for residents is the wet weather, with it "raining solidly for about 12 hours".
Some farmland has been flooded, he said, causing a problem in an area where "regulation is sparse".
One resident of a rural farming community told the Reuters news agency: "It's terrible. Everything's gone. I'm in my house and I'm scared."
"It's a disaster," said Amoy Wellington, who lives in the southern parish of St Elizabeth.
Late on Wednesday night, Jamaica's meteorological service cancelled its hurricane warning and replaced it with the flash flood warning.
It warned that continuing periods of rainfall could "result in flash flooding over low-lying and flood-prone areas of the island".

20/06/2024

Campaign to protect former golf course from housing

A campaign has been launched to protect a former golf course from possible development.
Residents and the town council in Bradford on Avon want the "ecologically rich" land to be rewilded and turned into a nature reserve.
Chris Alexander, who has made a short film for the campaign, said: "I feel that the biodiversity and the wildlife that has moved into here, outweighs the need for potential housing."
The land has been included as a reserve site in Wiltshire Council's draft local plan but a spokesperson said it would only be considered for development if targets cannot be met elsewhere.

Bradford on Avon Town Council has launched a petition asking Wiltshire Council to remove the former golf course from its draft local plan for housing.
The golf course, running alongside the River Avon, closed in 2007.
It has previously been the subject of housing applications, one of which was rejected in 2008 over concerns the development would involve the "disturbance of large quantities of toxic waste".
"It was a tip at one time, so there is evidence that there are quite a few toxic chemicals underground," said resident, Kate Nottage.
"The run off into the Avon is a risk, the loss of biodiversity is a huge risk."
Despite the concerns, it has been earmarked by Wiltshire Council as a reserve site for up to 120 homes, which could be built up to 2038.

Mr Alexander, of White Space Films, was commissioned to produce a 14-minute film showing the wildlife benefits of protecting the site, near Greenland View, from development.
Cabinet member for development management and strategic planning, Nick Botterill, said: “This is large and complex undertaking.
"We want to be sure that we get it right, so everyone’s views have been considered prior to the plan being submitted to the planning inspector for examination."
The cabinet will consider the results of a consultation about the site's future in October.

04/06/2024

Hundreds of environmental breaches by Moy Park

A major chicken supplier in the UK has breached environmental laws in the way it discharged waste, a BBC investigation has found.

Documents filed with Stormont’s Department for the Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs show the company has breached legal limits on hundreds of occasions across three different sites in Northern Ireland.
The agri-food company, which is valued at over a £1bn, is Northern Ireland’s largest private-sector employer.
Moy Park said all trade effluent is strictly controlled and treated before it is discharged, with it undergoing additional treatment by Northern Ireland Water before it enters waterways.
Moy Park supplies branded and own label chicken products to retailers and foodservice providers throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe.

Trade effluent is the name given to the liquid waste produced by factories and businesses which typically ends up in the sewage system.
The discharges have the potential to be highly polluting and are subject to strict environmental limits set out in trade effluent consents.
These are overseen by Stormont’s Department for Agriculture, the Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
Breach those limits and businesses could be committing a crime.
As part of a wider investigation into pollution at Lough Neagh, BBC Spotlight examined thousands of environmental compliance documents filed by Moy Park with the regulator since 2017.
The documents revealed hundreds of breaches of the company’s trade effluent consents.
Sampling by Northern Ireland Water found that Moy Park had breached legal limits relating to a number of potential pollutants, including ammonia and hexane extractable materials including oils, fats and grease.

Lucy Myers

09/12/2024

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