Three pumped storage hydroelectric power station sites in Scotland on list of 16 long-duration electricity storage plansThe energy regulator has given the provisional green light for the construction of the first new hydropower projects in more than 40 years, part of plans to reduce Great Britain’s reliance on energy imports.Ofgem has published a list of 16 long-duration electricity storage projects, facilities that can store and release electricity for periods of eight hours or more, it has provisionally agreed can proceed. Continue reading...

Paris to ban drinking alcohol in public as city’s Pride march postponed; First time red warnings issued in UK for three consecutive daysEuropean heatwave is worst ever and impossible without climate crisis, scientists sayParis to ban drinking alcohol in public as hospitals hit heatwave breaking pointOrganisers postponed the French capital’s weekend Pride March after police ordered them to change the date to avoid overwhelming response services already under pressure due to extreme heat, AFP reported.“The march has been postponed,” said Anouk Veyret, co-president of the Inter-LGBT association.“We’re thinking of holding it in September, but the whole team needs to meet to see how we can bounce back.” Continue reading...

Minns government waited on federal approval of carbon credit scheme before proceeding with long-awaited great koala national parkFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA long-promised New South Wales great koala national parkis set to go ahead after the Albanese government greenlit the state to receive hundreds of millions of dollars for protecting native forests previously earmarked for logging.The assistant climate change minister, Josh Wilson, said the government had approved a regulatory change that allowed state governments to earn carbon credits by storing carbon dioxide in native forests on public land. Continue reading...

MOMBASA — Africa was front and center at the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya, the first time the annual gathering was held on the continent. The conference is built around voluntary commitments from a range of actors including governments, nonprofits, institutions and the private sector. The meeting in Mombasa, a port city on Kenya’s Indian

Climate crisis is on show every day when sportspeople do their thing and the rest of us sweat on the sofaNothing sharpens the distinction between professional athletes and the rest of us like a week of truly hot weather. While we’re apologetically crying off long‑in‑the-diary engagements – so sorry, just can’t face it in this weather – elite sportspeople are blinking the rivulets of sweat out of their eyes while squinting under a hot and heavy helmet, then doing 22-yard sprints with a couple of kilos of padding strapped to their legs.As one of nature’s non-athletes, I speak not only with admiration but with genuine wonder. My experience of the past week has been working out how not to do things, or, if forced, doing them half‑heartedly because, you know, I haven’t slept. My friends and I message each other the latest innovations in fan strategy (“Apparently putting a frozen bottle of water in front of it helps”) and talk about our journeys on public transport as if we’ve just survived the Somme. Continue reading...

Emerging research suggests datacentres create a heat island effect, pushing up temperatures in the immediate vicinity by as much as 9C The community living next to the largest datacentre park in Europe say the scorching summer heat has grown unbearable.On days like Wednesday, said Nabeel Nawaz, the store manager of a Chaiiwala franchise in the centre of Slough, the heat is like something “pinching your body and burning your skin”. Continue reading...

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Conservation authorities in Bangladesh say they’re still on track to fully release peafowl back into the wild, under a program that began with a “soft” release of the birds last year. But experts warn against rushing the release, noting that because the species has long been extinct in the wild in Bangladesh, habituating captive-raised birds

Marshy, sandy terrain and an impassable inlet helped colonial forces repel British forces during a pivotal battle on the barrier island near Charleston, South Carolina, on June 28, 1776. The post The Battle for Sullivan’s Island appeared first on NASA Science.

COLOMBO — The majority of 122 marine areas identified across Asia as critical for the survival of sharks, rays and chimaeras remain largely unprotected despite supporting some of the world’s most threatened marine species, according to a new study. Published in Biodiversity and Conservation, the study assessed the network of important shark and ray areas

What does an eagle ray’s menu look like? An artificial intelligence model can now answer that question by listening to sounds of the animal chewing on food. Scientists developed the machine learning algorithm to detect the sound of shells being crushed by predators when they feed on mollusks. According to a study published in the

On June 16, astronauts and cosmonauts gathered at Space Center Houston to share stories from their missions aboard the International Space Station and recognize the teamwork and people on the ground that made their missions possible.  The Expedition 73 Welcome Home Ceremony brought together members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10, Soyuz MS-27, and NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 missions. The post Expedition 73 Crew Reflects on Science, Teamwork, and Life in Orbit  appeared first on NASA Science.

NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will sign a memorandum of agreement during a ceremony at 1 p.m. EDT, Monday, June 29, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The agreement will create a new interagency initiative that directly responds to President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy and supports the growth of the American space The post NASA, US Small Business Administration to Announce Partnership appeared first on NASA Science.

The Republic of Botswana signed the Artemis Accords Thursday during a ceremony hosted by NASA at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, becoming the sixth African nation to join a growing community of nations committed to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space. “It is my privilege to welcome Botswana as the newest signatory of the Artemis Accords,” said NASA Deputy The post NASA Welcomes Botswana as 68th Artemis Accords Signatory   appeared first on NASA Science.

Life science topped the research schedule on Thursday as the Expedition 74 crew studied how space affects vision and sequenced DNA collected from microbes. More spacewalk preparations, a virtual reality investigation, and exercise gear maintenance rounded out the day aboard the International Space Station. The post Crew Works Eye Exams, DNA Sequencing, and Spacesuit Preps appeared first on NASA Science.

NASA has selected Rocket Lab to provide the launch service for both the agency’s PolSIR (Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer) and Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 (TSIS-2) missions. The two selections are part of NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. This contract allows the agency to award fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity launch The post NASA Selects Rocket Lab to Launch Sun, Earth Science Missions appeared first on NASA Science.