NewzIntel.com

Category: Environment

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to UK’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) emissions target. 

    Prof Joeri Rogelj, Director of Research at the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and Environment, Imperial College London, said:

    “The UK’s new NDC sends a clear signal of the UK’s intention to reclaim international climate leadership.

    “With an 81% reduction from 1990, the NDC follows the advice of its scientific advisory committee that sketches out a fair and ambitious contribution of the UK to the Paris Agreement.

    “NDCs are pledges, however, and not policies.  Here the UK will have to step up because its current policies fall far short of what is needed to meet their current targets.”

    Dr Robin Lamboll, Research Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Grantham Institute – Climate Change and Environment, Imperial College London, said:

    “The UK’s NDC doesn’t have any nasty surprises.

    “It continues our recent trend of successfully reducing emissions, though does little to make up for our historic consumption.

    “It represents a continued plodding onwards with the job of decarbonising our economy, and while not particularly inspiring, instils some normality in the mechanics of the Paris agreement.”

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-2035-nationally-determined-contribution-ndc-emissions-reduction-target-under-the-paris-agreement

    https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-01-30/hcws404

    https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/2025-01/UK%27s%202035%20NDC%20ICTU.pdf

    Declared interests

    Dr Robin Lamboll: “No conflicts.”

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito Votes to Confirm Doug Burgum for Interior Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, issued the following statement after voting to confirm Doug Burgum to serve as the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior:

    “Doug Burgum has a strategic vision to maximize America’s vast natural resources while preserving clean air, clean water, and our most scenic public lands. I was proud to vote to confirm him to lead the Department of the Interior, and I look forward to working with him and the Trump administration on their vision to chart a new course for unleashing American energy and maximizing the use of our resources,” Senator Capito said.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer Questions Army Secretary Nominee Dan Driscoll on Delayed Establishment of Western Water Cooperative Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    ***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.***
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) held a hearing today to consider the nomination of Dan Driscoll to be the 26th Secretary of the Army. Driscoll, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in December, is a businessman, Army veteran, and Yale Law School graduate.
    In this position, Driscoll would have the primary responsibility of overseeing all aspects of the U.S. Army. Among other duties, he would be tasked with recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, mobilizing and demobilizing personnel, maintaining military equipment, the construction of buildings and utilities, and the acquisition of real property necessary to carry out responsibilities. The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) also reports to the Secretary of the Army. 
    [embedded content]
    U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), who also serves as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, asked Driscoll about bipartisan language he authored in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 requiring the USACE to establish a Western Water Cooperative Committee (WWCC). The WWCC provides North Dakota and other Western states with a platform to bring problems directly to the USACE and help ensure USACE policies align with state water rights and water laws.
    While the legislation was signed into law December 2022, and fully funded a year later, the WWCC has not been established yet. After sending a letter to the Army Corps with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) last October, Cramer said some clarity on the process DOD and the Army are working through has been given.
    Yesterday, Cramer was told the WWCC’s charter currently sits before the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Advisory Committee Management Office and will be approved within 30 days, at which point it moves back to the Army for action.
    “It’s a law! It’s been approved by the only people that matter, the people in Congress and the President of the United States,” said Cramer. “So, 30 days to approve something that they’re required to do by law seems a little outrageous to me, but I’m going to be generous today. After the ‘30 days,’ which we’ll see, I’ll believe it when I see it, it goes back to the Army for action. […] That doesn’t give me a lot of solace. […] It’s a law, and has been a law for over two years.”
    Cramer asked Driscoll if he would commit to getting the charter approved by DOD’s Advisory Committee Management Office at least within 30 days, if not earlier.
    “Unequivocally, Senator,” said Driscoll. “I intend to work with this committee and follow the law, and so I would absolutely commit to looking into that.” 
    As chair of the SASC Airland Subcommittee and co-chair of the Defense Modernization Caucus, Cramer emphasized the importance of acquisition reform. He said, “it’s time to get disruptors in place, and Dan is one of those.”
    Cramer stressed the importance of “going faster” when it comes to DOD weapons development and procurement. As Secretary of the Army, Driscoll would lead the Army as the service is pursuing sweeping modernization initiatives across the force. 
    “We just have to go faster, and the Army does it quite well, by the way,” said Cramer. “If people go faster and innovate more and encourage innovation, particularly from smaller companies, I promise not to be the person that sits up here and says, ‘I gotcha’ when something bad happens. I promise you, I’ll be your worst nightmare if you fail to go fast because you’re worried about your backside and some DOD lawyer or leader that doesn’t have the guts to do what needs to be done to keep up with the pace of China.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) and Government of Yukon host conference on Indigenous Conservation Economies

    Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) and Government of Yukon host conference on Indigenous Conservation Economies
    jlutz

    This is a joint release between the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) and the Government of Yukon.

    The Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) and the Government of Yukon welcomed representatives from 28 Indigenous nations, along with representatives from diverse sectors, governments and conservation-focused organizations to the Yukon North Slope Conference 2025: Indigenous Conservation Economies in Whitehorse from January 28 to 30.

    The goal of the conference is to promote public discussion of co-management of the Yukon North Slope area. It is also an opportunity to celebrate Inuvialuit culture and successes in collaborative implementation of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.

    This year’s theme, Indigenous Conservation Economies, was inspired by the new Aullaviat/Anguniarvik Traditional Conservation Area on the Yukon North Slope. The theme provided Indigenous governments and groups, as well as other partners, the opportunity to connect and discuss how Indigenous Peoples can use their traditional economies to thrive across a variety of sectors and geographies. This includes Indigenous-led conservation areas, conservation finance, harvesting and on-the-land support, guardians and monitoring programs, climate adaption initiatives, ecotourism, research economies and artistry.

    Frank Brown, a Hereditary Chief of the Heiltsuk Nation from Bella Bella in British Columbia gave the keynote address to over 200 participants attending from across the Canadian North. The Yukon North Slope Conservation Award was also given out during the conference and a film celebrating the Aullaviat/Anguniarvik Traditional Conservation Area Agreement premiered during the conference. 

    The Inuvialuit Final Agreement was signed in 1984 and identified the Yukon’s North Slope as a place for conservation of wildlife, habitat and traditional Inuvialuit use. 2024 marked the 40th anniversary of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. This year’s conference is the 11th Yukon North Slope Conference since the agreement was signed.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: While you sleep, these insects are working hard on the night shift to keep our environment healthy

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya Latty, Associate Professor, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney

    photosounds/Shutterstock

    As night falls over Australia’s forests, grasslands and backyards, the hidden world of nocturnal insects stirs to life. In many ecosystems, overall insect activity actually peaks at night, especially in warmer regions of the world.

    These nighttime creatures play essential roles in ecosystems, providing services such as pollination, waste decomposition, and pest control. Here are some of the remarkable insects that come out after dark – and why they matter.

    Moths: the stars of the night shift

    While their flashier daytime relatives, the butterflies, often steal the spotlight, moths are the hidden stars of the night shift.

    An estimated 22,000 species of moth call Australia home, and most are nocturnal, although some are diurnal (day active) or crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk).

    Many species feed on flower nectar using their long, straw-like mouthparts, transferring pollen between flowers as they go.

    In the Snowy Mountains, for instance, scientists found moths carry pollen from 19 different plant species.

    While some moths feed on a wide variety of plants, others have evolved highly specialised relationships with specific flowers.

    For instance, more than 500 species of leaf flower trees (Phyllanthus) across tropical Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific are dependent on tiny leaf flower moths (Epicephala) for their pollination.

    The trees’ flowers attract moths by producing nectar at night, when the moths are most active.

    The larvae of moths, caterpillars, also play a vital role in ecosystems. For example, the larvae of Mallee moths (Oecophoridae) feed on dry leaves in the leaf litter, making them essential for the decomposition of tough, dry plant material.

    Without their tireless work breaking down organic matter, leaf litter can accumulate to problematic levels.

    Although most caterpillars feed on plant material, some have unusual diets. Trisyntopa neossophila caterpillars, for example, feeds on the faeces of parrots nesting in termite mounds.

    Some caterpillars are even predators. The larvae of the brown scale moth (Mataeomera coccophaga), for instance, eats scale insects.

    Moths and their larvae provide a fat and protein-rich food source for many animals, including humans.

    Once so abundant they famously blanketed the 2000 Sydney Olympics, large bogong swarms have become increasingly rare, putting at risk species that depend on them for essential nutrients.

    Busy night beetles

    Seeing the tiny, flashing lights of fireflies dancing through the darkness on a summer night is a magical experience.

    Fireflies are actually beetles in the family Lampyridae, and 25 species call Australia home.

    Each firefly species uses its own distinctive flash pattern to communicate with potential mates.

    When large numbers of the same species gather, they can synchronise their light pulses, creating a breathtaking light show.

    The fireflies’ distinctive light is produced through a biochemical reaction involving a molecule called luciferin and an enzyme called luciferase. When these interact in the presence of oxygen, they emit light.

    Adult fireflies do not eat but firefly larvae mostly eat snails, which helps keep snail populations under control.

    Beetles in the scarab family are often active at night. Large numbers of Christmas beetles (Anoplognathus spp) flying around porch lights used to be a common sight, but numbers appear to be in decline.

    Some native dung beetles, such as the five-horned dung beetle (Onthophagus pentacanthus), are also nocturnal. Hardworking dung beetles play a vital role by breaking down animal dung, helping to recycle nutrients and improve soil health.

    Lacewings and mantisflies

    Lacewings belong to an ancient group of insects (Neuroptera) named for the delicate, lace-like net pattern of veins on their wings.

    Most adult lacewings are nocturnal predators, feeding on smaller insects using their hollow, scissor-shaped mouthparts to catch and suck the nutrients from their prey.

    Several lacewing species are effective pest controllers and are used in agriculture to manage pests such as aphids and mealybugs.

    Mantid lacewings, also known as mantisflies, resemble a strange hybrid between a mantis and a fly but are actually in the same group as lacewings.

    The larvae of mantisflies are poorly studied, but most species are believed to be predators of insects, although some are predators of spider eggs. By eating other insects, mantisflies may play a role in controlling pest populations.

    Protecting these night shift workers

    Artificial lights at night are causing serious disruption to insects on the night shift.

    Insects often become disoriented, flying in endless circles around bright lights, burning energy they cannot afford to lose. This confusion can lead to exhaustion or death.

    Artificial lighting at night can also disrupt nocturnal insect reproduction. And, predators such as owls and bats may learn to hunt around artificial lights where prey becomes more concentrated and vulnerable.

    The exact reasons why nocturnal insects are drawn to light remain unclear, but recent research suggests that some nocturnal insects use light to maintain stable, level flight by orienting their bodies so light hits their upper surface.

    This system works well when the only lights present at night are the Moon and stars, but fails when artificial lights disrupt the night.

    We can help protect nocturnal insects by:

    • turning off unnecessary outdoor lights at night, especially during summer when many insects are breeding
    • using motion-activated lights to reduce light pollution
    • reducing or eliminating the use of insecticides in our gardens.

    Small changes can make a big difference to help protect the insects working hard overnight to keep our ecosystems healthy.

    Tanya Latty co-founded and volunteers for conservation organisation Invertebrates Australia, is former president of the Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour and is on the Education committee for the Australian Entomological Society. She receives funding from the Australian Research Council, NSW Saving our Species, and Agrifutures Australia.

    – ref. While you sleep, these insects are working hard on the night shift to keep our environment healthy – https://theconversation.com/while-you-sleep-these-insects-are-working-hard-on-the-night-shift-to-keep-our-environment-healthy-246483

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Announces Appropriations Subcommittee Appointments

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), announced her subcommittee appointments for the Senate Appropriations Committee, which helps shape the federal government’s spending policies. This year, Senator Fischer has added a sixth subcommittee: Financial Services and General Government.
    “For the past two years, my position on the Appropriations Committee has given Nebraska a seat at the table in allocating precious taxpayer dollars. These key subcommittee appointments for the 119th Congress will give Nebraskans continued input into the programs and agencies that directly impact our state. Particularly as a member of the Agriculture and Military Construction subcommittees, I look forward to advocating for Nebraska’s number one industry and our critical military facilities like Offutt Air Force Base,” said Senator Fischer.
    Senator Fischer will serve on the following Appropriations Subcommittees: 
    Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
    Has jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

    Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
    Has jurisdiction over U.S. Department of Defense facilities and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

    Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
    Has jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

    Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
    Has jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Justice.

    Legislative Branch
    Has jurisdiction over the U.S. Capitol Police, Architect of the Capitol, Congressional Budget Office, and Library of Congress.

    Financial Services and General Government
    Has jurisdiction over several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Treasury, Small Business Administration, Federal Trade Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Click here for the full list of federal agencies.

    Senator Fischer will continue to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee; the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Senate Agriculture Committee; the Senate Rules Committee; and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government launches “national conversation” on land use

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    The Government has launched a consultation on a new approach to Land Use empowering decision makers with the toolkit to protect the most productive agricultural land and boost food security.

    • New sophisticated data on how land is used will underpin the Government’s Plan for Change, supporting economic growth through building 1.5 million homes and delivering critical infrastructure, securing clean power, protecting farmland and restoring the natural world.     

    • The consultation will seek views from farmers, landowners, businesses and nature groups across the length and breadth of the country.      

    The Government is today (Friday 31 January) launching a consultation on a new strategic approach to managing land use in England to give decision makers the data they need to protect our most productive agricultural land, boosting Britain’s food security in a time of global uncertainty and a changing climate.   

    This will support the Government’s missions under the Plan for Change, including delivering new housebuilding, energy infrastructure and new towns.    

    Using the most sophisticated land use data ever published, the Land Use Framework will provide the principles, advanced data and tools to support decision-making by local government, landowners, businesses, farmers, and nature groups to make the most of our land. This will help deliver the different objectives we have for England’s finite land, including growing food, building 1.5 million homes this parliament, and restoring nature.      

    As part of a national conversation, there will be workshops across the country, bringing farmers and landowners to the table, to put the insights of the people who manage our landscapes at the centre of our work to develop a final Land Use Framework.     
         
    Protecting UK food security and pursuing our mission for economic growth go hand-in-hand – with the highest quality agricultural land already protected for food production whilst kickstarting the economy by building new housing and rolling out renewable energy to make the UK a clean energy superpower.     

    Local planning will benefit from data outlined in the Land Use Framework, combined with the energy and housing spatial plans and a new food strategy. This will ensure we build 1.5 million new homes over five years, a generation of new towns, and the energy infrastructure needed to achieve Clean Power by 2030, while protecting food security and our natural world.    

    Speaking at the launch at the Royal Geographical Society, the Secretary of State for the Environment Steve Reed will set out how we will protect farmland and unlock growth.   

    He is expected to say:    

    Today is the start of a national conversation to transform how we use land in this country. It’s time for policy to leave the chambers of Westminster and reflect the actual lived experiences of farmers, landowners and planners on the ground.    

    Using the most sophisticated land use data ever published, we will transform how we use our land to deliver on our Plan for Change. That means enabling the protection of prime agricultural land, restore our natural world and drive economic growth.   

    This framework will not tell people what to do.    

    It is about working together to pool our knowledge and resources, to give local and national government, landowners, businesses, farmers and nature groups the data and tools they need to take informed actions that are best for them, best for the land, and best for the country.

    Speaking about farmland, he will go on to say:    

    This Government has a cast-iron commitment to maintain long-term food production.

    The primary purpose of farming will always be to produce food that feeds the nation.

    This framework will give decision makers the toolkit they need to protect our highest quality agricultural land.

    This vision for land is one in which we guarantee our long-term food security and future-proof our farm businesses, support new housebuilding and energy infrastructure, and reduce conflicts that hold up development by creating land with multiple benefits – supporting economic growth on the limited land we have available.       

    The Framework will help farm businesses to maximise the potential of multiple uses of land, supporting long-term food production capacity and unlocking opportunities for businesses to drive private finance into the sector. It will support the need to incentivise multi-functional land use that includes food production.     

    We will also consult on how data can be used in some planning decisions to improve the resilience of our food system to flooding risk. 

    Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said:

    Today marks an important step forward in our journey to build the 1.5 million new homes that we desperately need.   

    This new approach will make better use of our land and grasp the opportunities to deliver new homes and infrastructure in the areas most in need, achieving win-win results for both development and the environment.          

    Our Plan for Change is going even further to dismantle the barriers holding back growth, so we can raise living standards, get more families onto the property ladder, and deliver a better future for our children and grandchildren.

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:   

    The biggest threat to nature and food security is the climate crisis, which threatens our best farmland, food production and the livelihoods of farmers.  

    As we deliver our mission for the UK to become a clean energy superpower as part of the Plan for Change, we will ensure a proper balance between food security, nature preservation and clean energy.  

    We can roll out renewables in a way that is both positive for our energy security and our environment.

    Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive, Food, Farming and Countryside Commission said:   

    With so many of the government’s missions reliant on good land use decisions, Steve Reed’s announcement today could not be more timely. Setting out clear principles, and working across government departments, we’re pleased to see that the land use consultation focuses on mechanisms for delivery. Our work in Devon and Peterborough and Cambridgeshire proves that farmers and land managers, communities, local authorities, green groups and businesses are keen to work together to help shape a Land Use framework.

    The next stages of development will involve extensive sector engagement in a collaborative process as we design a final Land Use Framework – informed by the views of landowners, businesses, farmers, and nature groups. This evidence will also feed into the wider reform that we are delivering in the sector through the Farming Roadmap and Food Strategy.       

    The consultation will run for 12 weeks with the final Land Use Framework published later in the year. This will deliver a key manifesto commitment as part of our Plan for Change.       

    Notes to editors:          

    Quotes pack:  

    Tim Hopkin, Chief Executive of the Land App:   

    The Land Use Framework offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enhance national resilience, drive sustainable economic growth, and position the UK as a global leader in land management. By uniting all stakeholders with a clear, consistent approach, it ensures taxpayer money is spent efficiently — optimising Defra resources, empowering land managers to deliver impactful outcomes, and securing long-term prosperity in the face of growing climate uncertainty. 

    Lydia Collas, head of natural environment at Green Alliance, said:  

    With weather extremes having a major impact on harvests, it’s an important step to clearly set out how we’ll secure our food supply, tackle climate change, and restore nature in a Land Use Framework. Reforms to farming policy are at a critical stage, and we need a framework to support evidence-based decisions about how the farming budget is spent. This should help direct farm payments to those that have the biggest part to play in restoring nature, while ensuring we continue to produce high-quality food and don’t export more of the environmental costs of what we eat.

    Forestry Commission Chair Sir William Worsley said:  

    There has never been a more crucial time to invest in domestic woodland creation.  

    The Land Use Framework will provide principles that promote this and outline the many benefits of woodland creation, including for climate change mitigation, nature recovery, timber production, water quality and quantity, as well as the multiple social benefits.  

    This will play a key role in meeting statutory tree cover and biodiversity targets as well as helping to address the urgent need for improved timber security.

    Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said:   

    Too often the health of the natural environment, farming and ambitions for the built environment are presented as competing interests, with protecting Nature portrayed as a barrier to development and food security. The fact is though that we can and must do all these things, and by taking a more strategic view of how we use land, we can deliver against government’s stretching legal targets to halt and reverse nature decline, while also enabling the new homes and infrastructure the country needs, including renewable power and reservoirs, while at the same time protecting food security and building resilience to climate change impacts.   

    The Land Use Framework is a vital step forward, offering opportunities to move beyond tired old binary choices, between housing and greenspace or Nature and food, and onto the more integrated thinking that we must embrace in meeting multiple pressing challenges all at once. This is a key policy that will unlock prospects for the restoration of Nature at larger scale, while at the same time meeting the country’s needs for housing, energy, water and food.

    Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:    

    The Land Use Framework is hugely welcome as an important tool for making smarter decisions about how we use our land. It starts a vital national conversation about the scale of change needed over time to meet and reconcile environmental goals for water, climate and nature with food production, housing and development.  

    For example, by utilising low-grade agricultural land for natural flood management, we can reduce flood risk, enhance biodiversity, and create more sustainable landscapes. This kind of approach will help us meet the challenges of a changing climate while delivering real benefits for communities and the environment.

    Land in England is precious. We know that the way we use our little island must change to meet the challenges of the nature and climate crisis. For too long, competing land uses have been left to solve the jigsaw puzzle of England, without a picture on the front of the box to guide them. Ministers have an opportunity to ensure that the right players have all the pieces they need to make more space for nature, alongside sustainable food production and green infrastructure.  

    The Land Use Framework can help ensure all new development is wilder by design, expanding space for our wildlife to recover, and building nature into the heart of development. The test will be whether the final framework can actually influence the thousands of daily decisions that matter for nature, from big strategic development plans and Local Plans, right down to individual choices from chicken sheds to targeted incentives for nature-friendly farming.

    Becky Pullinger, head of land use planning at The Wildlife Trusts, says: 

    There’s never been a proper plan for managing the competing demands on land and the way that land is given over for development, for biofuels or for food production is haphazard at best. 

    The only way we’ll tackle climate change, nature loss, health problems and housing shortages is by thinking ahead about what land is used for and how it is used – because we can’t afford to solve one crisis at the expense of another.

    Done well, a Land Use Framework could provide a significant reset opportunity to meet all these challenges and deliver wins for nature recovery, the economy, a nature-friendly food supply and green energy.

    Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said:

    The joined-up approach being taken to create this framework is exactly what’s needed to determine how we make best use of the limited land available in England. Delivering a future that safeguards nature, tackles climate change, ensures food security and resilient farm businesses, and enables sustainable development is the only sensible path. It’s possible to do all of this.

    The last year has seen record levels of flooding impacting farmers and land managers across the country, largely due to extreme weather. To tackle this, we must ensure this framework is aligned with the necessary incentives to support the adoption of more nature-friendly and climate resilient practices. This is only the start of what must be a national conversation, but the ambition to reconcile competing pressures and allow strategic decision making on how land is used will benefit everyone.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace – Jones reveals Govt’s actual climate policy – expanding fossil fuel extraction

    Source: Greenpeace

    The Government’s true climate policy, which is to increase fossil fuel extraction, was revealed today in the release of the finalised mining policy, says Greenpeace.
    “Just a few hours after the Government released an updated Paris Climate Target, their actual climate policy was revealed by Shane Jones in the policy to increase fossil fuel extraction,” says Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman.
    “The Luxon Government wants to fast track coal mining and restart oil and gas exploration, which is a complete contradiction to the objectives of the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse emissions.”
    The Government’s announcement went one step further with a threat to introduce regulations that will force banks to finance fossil fuel expansion.
    “Shane Jones, acting as an agent of foreign mining companies, is attempting to force fossil fuel extraction on New Zealanders, most of whom want a responsible climate policy,” says Norman.
    “Overseas-based fossil fuel companies will walk away with profits while New Zealanders will be left to pay the clean-up costs.
    The offshore oil company Tamarind Oil left New Zealanders with a $400m clean-up bill when they went bankrupt.
    “The Government’s true climate policy must be judged by their actions not their words – and their actions are more fossil fuel extraction.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Drivers advised to plan for winter conditions, snow on South Coast

    Drivers in the Lower Mainland, Howe Sound and Vancouver Island areas are urged to avoid travel where possible as significant snow and sub-zero temperatures are forecast to hit the South Coast this weekend.

    A special weather statement has been issued for the South Coast by Environment Canada and Climate Change Canada. Snow accumulation is expected, initially in higher elevations of the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, starting the evening of Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, and into Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. The cold-weather system will persist, with snow and freezing rain forecast at sea level across the South Coast over the weekend and early into next week. There is a potential for significant snowfall, upward of 5-20 cm, with a chance of high-intensity accumulation on roads at times. 

    Drivers are urged to use caution and only drive if their vehicles are winter-ready. Winter tires are required to travel through all high-elevation areas, such as the Sea to Sky and Malahat. People who choose to travel should prepare for delays and ensure their vehicles are properly equipped with extra supplies, including food, water and blankets.

    Conditions are being closely monitored on all Lower Mainland highways. The Province’s road and bridge maintenance contractors are prepped, and anti-icing brine is being proactively applied. High-occupancy vehicle lanes on the Port Mann Bridge will be closed to support winter operations as crews use the cable collar systems to keep traffic safely moving. Lane closures at the Alex Fraser Bridge can also be expected to support winter operations as crews actively manage cable-collar systems. 

    On Vancouver Island, maintenance crews are proactively applying anti-icing brine and are closely monitoring conditions. The ministry will be working closely with its contractors to ensure plows and tow trucks are deployed quickly during snowy conditions.

    People who choose to travel are reminded to leave space for highway-maintenance crews and move over safely when they see a vehicle with an amber light approaching. Drivers whose vehicles are not winter-ready must consider alternative modes of travel as significant snowfall is expected.

    For up-to-date information about road conditions, travellers should continue to monitor the forecast and visit: https://www.drivebc.ca/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: A new direction for the minerals sector to grow the economy

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. 

    It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the Minerals Strategy for New Zealand and our Critical Minerals List.

    Of course our joint presence fulfils a deeper presence. It is a validation of an industry that has suffered from excessive regulation and poisonous politics. It is a chance to stand with a skilled workforce that is literally worth its weight in gold.

    A year of delivery for the minerals sector under the Coalition Government

    In May last year I stood in front of a packed hall in Blackball on the West Coast, people who depend on our mineral resources.

    I presented to them a vision for the future – a vision that would see our wealth base grow by utilising our mineral reserves to benefit all New Zealanders, increasing our domestic resilience by reducing reliance on imported minerals.

    I said this meant owning up to the fact that we will use our indigenous fossil fuels. Resources integral to our modern industrial civilisation. We do have valuable minerals, oil and gas.

    These minerals include coal, a vital ingredient to steel-making, a source of energy and jobs, a stream of export earnings. 

    I spoke of our focus on cutting barriers to development but not corners, and increasing New Zealand’s contributions to global supply chains, especially for minerals that are needed to support the transition to diverse sources of energy.

    Dealing with banks

    It is not widely known but some barriers are not imposed by government but come in the form of corporate straitjackets. One should look no further than the directors and executives of our banking sector. Some are in thrall to climate group-think.

    They are the new corporate gatekeepers, imposing moral priorities under the cover of saving the planet upon regional communities. Not only are they inflicting their luxury beliefs on our farming industry but they are actively de-banking mineral firms.

    Kiwi enterprises legitimately operating in the natural resource sector are being driven to despair by these woke-riddled, corporate undertakers.

    This malevolence flows from cult like accords fostered within the UN where banks and their sustainability units foolishly believe they can change the weather. New Zealand banks should abandon such agreements as the Net Zero Banking Alliance. These instruments are alien and represent a foreign threat to regional development.

    To this end New Zealand First will be introducing a members bill stopping the banks and related corporate bodies from behaving in this harmful manner. We cannot let them hold our economic development to ransom to suit the privileged cabal employed on environmental, social and inclusion matters. 

    This will include the ability for regulators to remove a bank’s operating licence if it persist with virtue-signalling destructiveness. 

    As an Associate Finance Minister, I will be working closely with the Minister for Regulation to identify how elements of our bill can be used in the wider government work programme.

    I would like to acknowledge the work of ACT MP Mark Cameron on this issue so far. He is a champion for the farming sector.

    I want the mining sector on an enduring pathway to boost regional opportunities and jobs, increase our self-sufficiency, to be a critical part of our export-led focus, especially as we take advantage of the global opportunities for new minerals uses.

    How can we achieve such outcomes if key intermediaries such as banks and insurance companies are going to bully our Kiwi businesses and their employees out of the economy? When did citizens authorise corporates to use climate extremism to bankrupt firm and family alike?

    It is bad enough that Aussie-owned banks are behaving in this predatory manner but it is especially galling that Kiwibank is treating Kiwis in this vein. Had New Zealand First known this would be their attitude we may very well have formed a different view about their recent recapitalisation initiative. 

    Our Government has progressed in enabling an environment for a responsible and productive minerals sector to thrive.

    Resources-friendly policy

    We’ve moved quickly to enact policy and legislative fixes. Our upgrades have included introducing the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill that will not only remove the ban on petroleum exploration beyond onshore Taranaki – it will deliver a new tier of minerals permit to make it easier for people to undertake small-scale non-commercial gold mining activity across the country. We expect to finalise and pass the Bill in the coming months.

    We’ve made changes to the Resource Management Act to align consenting for coal mining with other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development.

    Timely permit decisions are vital in supporting the sector to get to work. Following direction on my expectations, regulator New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals has made significant progress dealing with the backlog of permit decisions while managing the growing influx of new applications as activity ramps up. 

    Figures for 2024 show a 74 per cent increase in minerals permitting output – that’s the number of outcomes made on minerals applications – compared to the previous calendar year.

    In 2023, NZP&M received 288 new and change minerals permit applications and in 2024 it was 447. That is a 55 per cent increase – and a very good indicator of a sector that is really starting to hum.

    We have begun our journey to rebuild international investor awareness in our mining sector through the delivery of investment aids such as the GNS Endowment Study. This is a specialist report bringing together extensive technical research to identify short, medium, and long-term prospects for potential development.

    We have returned to the international mining stage to make sure New Zealand is back on the agenda for international investors and challenge responsible operators to explore what we have to offer.

    Finally, I can’t understate the impact that our new Fast-track Approvals legislation will have in sending well-planned, investment-ready projects along the path of development.

    The Act’s broad and overarching purpose statement is to recognise the contributions significant projects such as mining operations can make to our communities and economy.

    At long last the gate-keepers behind the outdated Wildlife Act and cumbersome Conservation Act will be brought to heel. On the former there is more to do. Sadly it is often delivered at an operational level in a way inimical to our productivity. 

    Previously mining companies were unable to secure permits under these statutes for dubious reasons. That has now disappeared. If there are implementation problems the Government will make additional amendments to the law.

    A one-stop shop will streamline the pathway to attaining the approvals required for mining activities, removing the multiple application processes operators currently must navigate to mine in New Zealand.

    Land access

    One of the key areas I see this process improving is concessions for land access. An array of high-value mining and quarrying projects are already approved to travel this consenting pathway.

    Officials estimate the number of jobs across the mining projects listed in Schedule 2 of the Fast-track Approvals Act at over 2,500 direct fulltime jobs at peak production. Many of these roles will be well-paying regional jobs with significant opportunities for training and growing skills.

    I don’t need to tell the good folks of Waihi that every direct employee of a mining company generates many more job opportunities. The environmental scientists that provide expert advice, the drilling companies that contract with OceanaGold, and all the other skills needed to run a successful operation spread out over the local, regional, and national economy.

    For the seven listed mining projects that will generate export revenue, estimates are a peak of $2.5 billion in 2033, with gold playing a big part. This is what our minerals potential looks like.

    Going forward, this is what consenting will look like for significant mining projects in our country.

    As our industry expands, we need to ensure that Paamu and statutes such as the Queen Elizabeth the Second National Trust Act are fit for purpose and do not inhibit the growth of critical minerals.

    When there is opportunity, we are going to say yes

    I will make one further note about this Government’s work to provide the certainty that the sector needs to push forward.

    Not all conservation land is equal. We have an inordinately large conservation estate of varying quality.

    Stewardship land is managed by the Department of Conservation until it is appropriately assessed for its conservation value and classified. Around 30 per cent of conservation areas are held in stewardship – that’s over 2.7 million hectares or 9 per cent of New Zealand’s total land area.

    A lot of that land isn’t considered to have special conservation or scenic values, but we do know that there are areas there likely to contain mineral deposits.

    This Government supports sustainable and environmentally approved mining on stewardship land and other categories of DOC land but we are very clear that national parks and other land categories identified under schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act are not on the table.

    It would be remiss of me not to also mention my favourite amphibian, Freddy the Frog at this point. I raise this not in a flippant way, but as realist wanting to have a genuine conversation about how we focus our efforts and limited resources in protecting the natural assets that New Zealanders value most.

    It is correct that our Archey’s frog is endangered – but it is not from mining. The real threat to Freddy is the rats, stoats and pigs that populate significant extents of our stewardship and conservation land.

    I put to you that the work we are doing to enable responsible mining in New Zealand is the best news Freddy has had for a long time. As part of its listed Fast-track Approvals project, OceanaGold will be stepping up with an intensive predator control programme in the Coromandel Forest Park. 

    In fact, it’s because of OceanaGold and its specialist conservationists that we have some of the most insightful research collected on the species to date. Over $600,000 towards ecological outcomes around this mining site. 

    Actually a much larger sum when one considers the broader commercial footprint including Macraes, Otago, South Island. Such a quantum is not possible without a successful business.

    It is time for Kiwis to have an honest and considered debate on mining. On this score I am going to pay more attention to the blue collar community than woke collar spongers. 

    This engagement will lead us to the complex and deadweight nature of our climate change regulations. They are excessive for our small economy. They run the risk of deindustrialisation, exporting jobs and importing carbon.

    Of course this is all intertwined with environmental, social and government reporting requirements. dubious value and should be discretionary at best. Green scrub that has spread too far and needs a severe prune. 

    We need to acknowledge the criticality of minerals to our daily lives, the importance of maintaining a strong, independent economy with well-paying jobs and opportunities in our regions. Why import materials we can perfectly adequately supply ourselves?

    Some people argue against minerals extraction, but gladly rely on the conveniences of modern society and economy built by those resources. As our Prime Minister said, we don’t have the luxury of turning off growth. 

    A strategy to ensure momentum is enduring

    Some of you in the sector may be looking at this progress and feeling like we’ve been here before, only for the hard-won momentum to die with a change in Government.

    I hear your concerns. I’ve spoken at length about how a lack of long-term, enduring strategic direction has hindered this country in reaping the economic and security benefits our bounty of natural resources presents.

    Today we change that.

    The Minerals Strategy for New Zealand adopts a strategic lens out to 2040, focusing our approach to the development of our minerals estate with a delivery roadmap to get us there. This is a holistic picture of minerals production from the earth, from reprocessing waste material, and from potential recycling and recovery.

    There are three main changes to the strategy follow consultation with New Zealanders.

    We have reframed the strategy to have a clear vision, goal and succinct outcomes.

    Our key outcomes for the sector are productive, valued, and resilient, and are guided by overarching principles that respect Treaty settlement obligations and ensure responsible practices.

    Minerals developments in New Zealand will happen in a responsible manner where environmental guard rails are appropriate to the risks being managed. The protection, the health and safety of our workers, and impacts on regional communities is important.

    This means we are working towards sector growth and innovation that contributes to New Zealand’s prosperity.  The sector’s performance and responsible practices need to be emphasised. Advocacy and being forward leaning is important. I recognise the sector has been subject to misinformation but the mute button is not an option.

    We have updated the goal of doubling our exports to $3 billion by 2035 from the previous goal of $2 billion. Statistics NZ reports that mineral exports for the financial year ending June 2023 totalled $1.46 billion and our submitters were clear – we needed a more ambitious goal.

    Finally, I want to assure you that we are not downing tools when there is still work to do. The addition of a Delivery Roadmap clearly sets out the key actions the Government will take to achieve the strategy’s goal and vision.

    In the short term, key actions include creating a network to support minerals research and development, making information about minerals and regulations more accessible to potential investors, and engaging with countries to support supply chain resilience for critical minerals.

    Longer term, we will deliver a minerals research strategy and address workforce development needs, skills and training programmes.

    Through our Minerals Strategy we have formed the foundations. Soon our government will roll out the refreshed approach to inward foreign direct investment. You have told me that an overseas investment process that is efficient, timely and not too costly is important. 

    We have a pathway forward. A permitting regime which acknowledges the principle of risk proportionality. A recognition that excessive climate net zero regulations will thwart economic growth. A consideration of ecological, community, tangata whenua issues that is balanced and does not present scope for veto power.

    An expanded Critical Minerals List

    I don’t have to explain to anyone here today how we rely on a wide range of minerals to enable the comforts of our lives. Every road you drive on, every light switch you turn on, our schools, hospitals and homes. All are enabled in some way by the extraction of our natural resources.

    If suddenly we couldn’t access aggregate to construct our roads, phosphate to support the growth of our crops or iron sand to make steel for our buildings, our economy would grind to a halt.

    On the matter of iron sands, the recent Taharoa RMA hearing process for consents to continue an activity that has been happening for over 50 years was a circus. It shows that more robustness is needed. Hopefully the treatment this firm receives will be inordinately better under the Fast-track processes.

    Equally, there is no low emissions energy transition without minerals – no batteries, no electric cars, no wind turbines and no solar panels.

    Unfortunately, we have never sought a comprehensive picture of the minerals needs of New Zealand now and in the future, or how we ensure those supplies are secure and affordable.

    I am delighted today to release New Zealand’s Critical Minerals List, a holistic picture of the minerals that are economically important and are vulnerable to supply risk or essential to unlocking other critical minerals.

    Following public consultation last September, the Critical Minerals List now features 37 minerals, up from 35.

    The Coalition Government agreed to include both gold and metallurgical coal, which is used in steelmaking, on the list in recognition of their importance to our minerals sector and economy, and in unlocking other critical minerals.

    Together, they represent 80 per cent of our mineral exports, generating export revenues of around $1.2 billion in the year to June 2023.

    Simply put, OceanaGold’s Waihi Operation today shows gold investments needs skills, machinery, resources, and capacity to support our modern industrial system.

    The legacy of gold- and coal-mining is that of a catalyst for transformation – for our economy, for our development, for our technical skills and trades, and for our place on the world stage.

    Future mining in New Zealand will play to our strengths in terms of existing production while we develop new opportunities. That means gold and metallurgical coal.

    We will also offer more bespoke and boutique opportunities for the right investors.

    Of our 37 critical minerals, we produce or have the potential to produce 21 here in New Zealand. We are a prospective destination for sought-after minerals like antimony and we have operators working rare earth, vanadium and titanium projects – all exciting opportunities for New Zealand to support the international transition to a clean energy future.

    Our list will contribute to New Zealand’s work on critical international supply chains and allow us to investigate specific actions for securing better access to the minerals we’ve deemed critical.

    This could include preferential pathways and settings for development and supply of minerals on the list, or building international relationships to ensure secure supply of those we can’t produce. This work programme forms part of the Strategy’s delivery roadmap and will kick off shortly.

    Close

    When I left Blackball last year, I did so with the promise I would continue to be a dogged champion for the minerals sector and the economic prosperity it can offer New Zealand, if done right.

    I hope I have shown you that with the work we have done to get the right direction and settings in place, you can have confidence that we have an enduring pathway forward. 

    This Government is taking an active, deliberate and co-ordinated approach to harnessing the potential of our natural resources to take us from ‘open for business’ to ‘doing business’.

    The sector has been a transformative agent in the past, and I expect it to play a transforming role into the future.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Latest climate target as useful as a screen door on a submarine – Greenpeace

    Source: Greenpeace

    Greenpeace has slammed the Luxon Government for failing to protect future generations after releasing New Zealand’s latest climate target of a 1-5% additional reduction in emissions by 2035, saying it’s “about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.”
    Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson says, “This target is an absolute joke, yet the climate crisis is no laughing matter.”
    “Against the backdrop of Luxon’s war on nature, not only is this target too weak to protect our kids and grandkids from a disastrous future but there is no plan to achieve even the targets we already have.”
    Under the Paris Agreement on climate change, nations are required to submit a so-called nationally determined contribution (NDC) every four years. Each NDC must represent an increase in ambition on the last, which was submitted in 2021.
    “Every parent and grandparent wants to pass on a safe and stable world to our kids. That requires brave and visionary leadership, both of which Luxon is lacking,” says Larsson.
    “Luxon’s vision for New Zealand seems to be a landscape ripped open by coal mines, a coastline dotted with oil rigs and fields crammed with cows, knee deep in mud and effluent.”
    The Luxon Government controversially overturned the 2018 ban on offshore oil and gas exploration, despite advice from MFAT that this is likely to breach our recent free trade agreements with the EU and UK. Coal mines are included in the list for fast-tracking, overriding community will and environmental laws. Luxon has also exempted New Zealand’s most polluting industry – dairying – from paying for its emissions through the Emissions Trading Scheme.
    “Our country is doing worse on climate change than it was ten years ago,” says Larsson. “This is what happens when you let polluters write the policy.”
    Documents released to Greenpeace under the Official Information Act reveal the unprecedented influence of the meat and dairy industry over environmental policy in Luxon’s Government. Emails, texts and briefings show that Federated Farmers, Dairy NZ and Beef + Lamb NZ have used privileged access to Ministers to draft policy on freshwater and climate change, to advise on Government communications and to push central Government to instruct local councils to weaken their environmental policies.
    “The increasingly rampant wildfires, floods and cyclones we’re witnessing around us are a sign that our planet is sick. If governments won’t stand up to polluters to protect our kids and grandkids, as Luxon has shown he will not, then people will use the courts, protest and other means to save their children from climate disaster,” says Larsson.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: First Responders – Tiwai Peninsula vegetation fire update #2

    Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

    Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews are back on Tiwai Peninsula in Invercargill today, where the large vegetation fire has not grown further overnight.
    The fire grew to 1,200 hectares yesterday in hot, windy conditions but was contained by the end of the day.
    Incident Controller Hamish Angus says there will be 35 firefighters on site today, with support from five helicopters, the Department of Conservation and local forestry companies.
    “Our focus today is on knocking out those remaining hotspots,” he says.
    “We’re expecting winds to pick up over the next few days, so we want to make sure there’s nothing left here that could get the fire under way again.
    “It’s too early to say what caused the fire, but we will have fire investigators here today looking into that.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz: Lee Zeldin Wrong Person To Lead EPA

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
    Published: 01.29.2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after voting against Lee Zeldin’s nomination to be Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
    “In just the last week, Donald Trump banned wind energy and stopped federal funding for clean energy projects – actions that will create an energy shortage and raise people’s energy bills. Republicans aren’t trying to cut costs for people – they’re focused on helping their Big Oil friends make money. And the person who will be leading these efforts for the Trump Administration, including to roll back critical environmental protections, is Lee Zeldin. Climate change is happening, and it’s costing billions and billions of dollars, and more importantly, it’s costing lives. We need an EPA Administrator who is for climate action, not Lee Zeldin.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Signs of hope as Whangamarino Wetlands bounces back from fire

    Source: Department of Conservation

    Date:  31 January 2025

    The good news comes just ahead of World Wetlands Day, which celebrates and raises awareness of the significant role wetlands play for the planet and people. This year’s theme is protecting wetlands for our common future.

    Aotearoa has seven Ramsar-listed wetlands, recognised as internationally significant sites, including Whangamarino Wetland in Waikato.

    The October fire burned through about 1000 hectares of the peatland, one of the few remaining raised peatlands in the southern hemisphere. It stores a significant amount of carbon in its soils, and is home to rare native plants and threatened species like the matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern and pūweto/spotless crake.

    DOC Whangamarino Ranger Lizzie Sharp says thanks to relatively high water levels in the peatland before the fire, only a shallow layer of the peat soils was burned.

    “The wetland is showing signs of hope. The peatland areas of Whangamarino were healthy before the fire as it wasn’t being actively drained and had good vegetation cover dominated by native plants, so we’re more confident about its recovery.”

    “Although this is great news, the fire has still caused significant damage to the vegetation and upper layers of the wetland, resulting in loss of 1000ha of critical habitat for threatened species. The loss of biodiversity caused by the fire will likely take decades to recover.

    It’s like the peat bog has lost its skin. It is still vulnerable and losing water more easily than it should. The new conditions are inviting for weeds like willow, royal fern, and pampas.”

    Lizzie says the recovery plan will focus on controlling invasive weeds which will give the native peat vegetation time to recover from their seed sources which survived the fire.

    “Peat bog wetlands are normally low-nutrient environments and the plants living there have adapted to those conditions. The firefighting effort used water from nearby waterways which had much higher nutrient levels, so we want to understand how the wetland responds to this.”

    DOC Principal Science Advisor Freshwater Hugh Robertson says other peatland fires in New Zealand have emitted more than 200 tonnes of carbon per hectare, but the loss of carbon at Whangamarino is likely to be only about 50-80 tonnes per hectare because the wet peat soils did not burn. However, further research is needed to confirm the carbon emissions.

    “Peatlands are great carbon stores because the vegetation in them, which holds the carbon, decomposes very slowly, trapping it. It’s like the vegetation freezes in time.

    “However, peat soils are highly flammable, particularly when they’re dried out. Re-wetting our wetlands will make them less susceptible to the impacts of fires which in turn will reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Hugh says. 

    World Wetlands Day, celebrated annually on 2 February, dates back to 1971 when environmentalists gathered in the city of Ramsar, Iran, to reaffirm protection for our world’s wetlands.

    The day highlights the influence and positive production wetlands have on the world and brings communities together for the benefit of wetlands. It also raises global awareness of the significant role wetland’s play for the planet and people.  

    Contact

    For media enquiries contact:

    Email: media@doc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: “Stunning dedication”: first ocean sanctuary in Marshall Islands announced

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    FRIDAY 31 JANUARY 2025 — The Republic of the Marshall Islands has announced its first marine protected area in the Pacific Ocean, a “stunning dedication to ocean protection for Pacific heritage”, says Greenpeace.

    The country’s first national ocean sanctuary, which covers 48,0002 kilometres of ocean – bigger than Switzerland/more than 260 times the size of the Marshall Islands’ land mass – puts the Marshall Islands on the podium as a leader in ocean protection on the world stage.

    Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “Greenpeace congratulates the Republic of Marshall Islands on this stunning dedication to ocean protection for Pacific heritage.

    “The ocean is a living heritage, connecting the Pacific’s past, present and future. Protecting the ocean means protecting its treasures – the livelihoods, legacy, cultural heritage and future of Pacific people – for generations to come.

    “The Marshall Islands are unique and rich in life, but are threatened by colonialism, a heating ocean, and the devastating and ongoing impacts of nuclear testing by western nations. 

    “The Marshall Islands has a long history as champion for ocean protection, resisting the encroaching threat of deep sea mining by declaring support for a precautionary pause. We now need all nations to follow suit and stop deep sea mining before it starts.

    “The Pacific must be protected; a thriving ocean is a thriving people.” 

    The area around atolls Bikar and Bokak, as well as the nearby deep sea, will be fully protected from fishing, allowing a safe haven for marine life to recover and thrive.

    Marine sanctuaries are crucial to sustaining ocean health around the world. Greenpeace is urging governments worldwide to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty quickly to achieve the 30×30 target and start developing proposals for marine protected areas in the high seas.

    —ENDS—

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Make a noise or work with the system? New research reveals 4 ways to create real change for nature

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lily van Eeden, Lecturer, RMIT University

    Ecosystems and species across the natural world are in serious trouble. The vast majority of Australians want more government action, but it’s not being delivered.

    Take, for example, the federal government commitment to end extinctions via its Nature Positive plan. Or consider its promise to overhaul Australia’s environmental legislation and create a new independent regulator. Progress on both has faltered.

    The biodiversity crisis calls for systemic change in humanity’s relationship with nature. This requires bold policy action from governments. Our new research examined how everyday people can help achieve this.

    We mined the insider knowledge of politicians, senior public servants and environmental advocates. The participants were Victoria-based, but their advice applies more broadly.

    Here, we present a recipe for achieving real, lasting change for the natural world.

    1. Be prepared for a long haul

    Change can take a long time. Be willing and able to see out the process. As one government interviewee told us:

    [Change] is not going to happen by one research paper, one meeting, one event, it’s gonna be a whole range of things over a sustained period of time.

    Also, find support. Our interviewees told us the most successful campaigns often happen when like-minded individuals band together. This provides the social support needed to stay the course.

    Remember, change is possible. As one government interviewee told us, this is especially true in marginal seats, where “constant ongoing campaigning at every level” can shift the dial.

    There is very likely a community group advocating for nature near you. These groups sometimes link up with larger, better-funded environment groups, to access their resources and networks.

    Change happens when like-minded people band together.
    Yuri A/Shutterstock

    2. Know the system

    Identify who you need to influence. The person holding the lever might not be a politician, but a public servant. Or public servants might rally for a cause internally, sometimes partnering with community groups.

    So how do you find this key person? Build your networks. Start talking to people in your community and get to know your local elected representatives. Find out what they care about and pitch your message to appeal to their values and concerns.

    One interviewee told us community groups would benefit from knowing more about how the system works:

    What are the bits that can actually change? […] Community members can be a bit aggressive in trying to drive through their challenge without understanding why they’ve been ignored in the past, or feel that they’ve been ignored.

    As another government interviewee told us:

    People don’t see how much power they have if they just use their voice and use it in a constructive way.

    3. Be strategic

    Choose whether to work with the government, or challenge it publicly.

    Environmental advocates can work alongside government to design solutions together. For example, a community group might work with their local council to design and implement management of a bush reserve. Big non-government environment groups often work in this way, relying on strong relationships with government insiders to achieve change.

    The opposite strategy is an “outsider” approach, which, at the extreme end, might include physically disrupting industry. Think chaining yourself to a tree in a forest pegged for logging or ramming a ship into a commercial whaling vessel.

    A less extreme outsider approach might be seeking to get your issue into the media to build public interest to get something on the political agenda.

    Both approaches have their merits in the right context. As one staff member of an environment group told us:

    We’re going to put on the suits […] and we’re not going to scale their buildings and release confidential information that they’ve given us to the media […] I don’t judge those that have that theory of change, because we need both, we need the really extreme advocacy to make us look mainstream and medium and reasonable.

    4. Seize the moment

    Identify when your advocacy might be most effective. It might be an upcoming election or budget, or when a policy is being reviewed.

    Or it might be something less predictable, such as a bushfire, flood or other environmental disaster. In those cases, nature conservation issues are suddenly all over the media. It might be a chance for real change.

    Effective advocates know how to identify, create, and be prepared for these windows. As one staff member at an environmental group told us:

    Some organizations talk about making change. But that’s a harder exercise. Often it’s a sort of a
    catching a wave of something else, or waiting for the opportunity.

    The upcoming federal election is one such opportunity. The lead up is a good time to advocate for nature. Speak with your local politician and their competitors about the change you want to see.

    If not us, who?

    These are well-tested, effective actions you can use to achieve positive policy change for the environment. But remember, the system is dynamic. New methods and approaches will emerge as technologies, modes of communication and other factors evolve.

    Governments, however, are a permanent fixture in the system. They stand to benefit politically by engaging with community and advocacy groups. So there is enormous potential for everyday people to genuinely make a difference.

    Environmental crises can seem overwhelming, but we can – and must – try to make a difference. Because, as the old adage goes: if not us, who? And if not now, when?

    The authors acknowledge Fern Hames and Kim Lowe for their contributions to this article.

    Lily van Eeden receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Lily was previously employed by the Victorian government.

    Liam Smith is a Councillor on the Biodiversity Council.

    Sarah Bekessy receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Ian Potter Foundation and the European Commission. She is a Lead Councillor with The Biodiversity Council, a board member of Bush Heritage Australia, a member of the WWF Eminent Scientists Group and an advisor to ELM Responsible Investment, the Living Building Challenge and Wood for Good.

    – ref. Make a noise or work with the system? New research reveals 4 ways to create real change for nature – https://theconversation.com/make-a-noise-or-work-with-the-system-new-research-reveals-4-ways-to-create-real-change-for-nature-248226

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Votes Against Lee Zeldin’s Nomination to Be EPA Administrator

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    January 30, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—co-founder of the U.S. Senate’s first-ever Lead Task Force and Environmental Justice Caucus—released the following statement after the Senate confirmed former Rep. Lee Zeldin by a vote of 56-42 to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
    “Every American deserves the right to breathe safe air, drink clean water and live on uncontaminated land regardless of their race, income or zip code—and the EPA Administrator plays a critical role in protecting that right. In order to help preserve our environment for generations to come, I cannot support someone who has a track record of voting against critical, bipartisan environmental protection and clean energy job investments. Today, I voted against Mr. Zeldin’s nomination as he lacks substantial experience in environmental policy, science and management—all of which are critical qualifications needed to successfully lead EPA.”
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Enlight to Report Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results on Wednesday, February 19, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd. (“Enlight”, “the Company”, NASDAQ: ENLT, TASE: ENLT.TA), a leading global renewable energy platform, today announced it will release its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024, before market open on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.

    Conference Call Information

    Enlight will host a conference call to review its financial results and business outlook at 8:00 AM ET on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Management will deliver prepared remarks followed by a question-and-answer session. Participants can join by conference call or webcast:

    Conference Call

    Please pre-register to join by conference call:
    https://register.vevent.com/register/BI9b595c26a5dc4208953cad5b9bb5f4e8
    Upon registering, you will be emailed a dial-in number, direct passcode and unique PIN.

    Webcast

    Please register and join by webcast: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/74sp8fv8

    The press release with the financial results as well as the investor presentation materials will be accessible from the Company’s website prior to the conference call. Approximately one hour after completion of the live call, an archived version of the webcast will be available on the Company’s investor relations website at https://enlightenergy.co.il/info/investors/.

    About Enlight

    Founded in 2008, Enlight develops, finances, constructs, owns, and operates utility-scale renewable energy projects. Enlight operates across the three largest renewable segments today: solar, wind and energy storage. A global platform, Enlight operates in the United States, Israel and 10 European countries. Enlight has been traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since 2010 (TASE: ENLT) and completed its US IPO (NASDAQ: ENLT) in 2023. Learn more at enlightenergy.co.il.

    Investor Contact

    Yonah Weisz
    Director IR
    investors@enlightenergy.co.il

    Erica Mannion or Mike Funari
    Sapphire Investor Relations, LLC
    +1 617 542 6180
    investors@enlightenergy.co.il

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s expectations relating to the Project, the PPA and the related interconnection agreement and lease option, and the completion timeline for the Project, are forward-looking statements. The words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “target,” “seek,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “contemplate,” “possible,” “forecasts,” “aims” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: our ability to site suitable land for, and otherwise source, renewable energy projects and to successfully develop and convert them into Operational Projects; availability of, and access to, interconnection facilities and transmission systems; our ability to obtain and maintain governmental and other regulatory approvals and permits, including environmental approvals and permits; construction delays, operational delays and supply chain disruptions leading to increased cost of materials required for the construction of our projects, as well as cost overruns and delays related to disputes with contractors; our suppliers’ ability and willingness to perform both existing and future obligations; competition from traditional and renewable energy companies in developing renewable energy projects; potential slowed demand for renewable energy projects and our ability to enter into new offtake contracts on acceptable terms and prices as current offtake contracts expire; offtakers’ ability to terminate contracts or seek other remedies resulting from failure of our projects to meet development, operational or performance benchmarks; various technical and operational challenges leading to unplanned outages, reduced output, interconnection or termination issues; the dependence of our production and revenue on suitable meteorological and environmental conditions, and our ability to accurately predict such conditions; our ability to enforce warranties provided by our counterparties in the event that our projects do not perform as expected; government curtailment, energy price caps and other government actions that restrict or reduce the profitability of renewable energy production; electricity price volatility, unusual weather conditions (including the effects of climate change, could adversely affect wind and solar conditions), catastrophic weather-related or other damage to facilities, unscheduled generation outages, maintenance or repairs, unanticipated changes to availability due to higher demand, shortages, transportation problems or other developments, environmental incidents, or electric transmission system constraints and the possibility that we may not have adequate insurance to cover losses as a result of such hazards; our dependence on certain operational projects for a substantial portion of our cash flows; our ability to continue to grow our portfolio of projects through successful acquisitions; changes and advances in technology that impair or eliminate the competitive advantage of our projects or upsets the expectations underlying investments in our technologies; our ability to effectively anticipate and manage cost inflation, interest rate risk, currency exchange fluctuations and other macroeconomic conditions that impact our business; our ability to retain and attract key personnel; our ability to manage legal and regulatory compliance and litigation risk across our global corporate structure; our ability to protect our business from, and manage the impact of, cyber-attacks, disruptions and security incidents, as well as acts of terrorism or war; the potential impact of the current conflicts in Israel on our operations and financial condition and Company actions designed to mitigate such impact; changes to existing renewable energy industry policies and regulations that present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to renewable energy projects; the reduction, elimination or expiration of government incentives for, or regulations mandating the use of, renewable energy; our ability to effectively manage our supply chain and comply with applicable regulations with respect to international trade relations, tariffs, sanctions, export controls and anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws; our ability to effectively comply with Environmental Health and Safety and other laws and regulations and receive and maintain all necessary licenses, permits and authorizations; our performance of various obligations under the terms of our indebtedness (and the indebtedness of our subsidiaries that we guarantee) and our ability to continue to secure project financing on attractive terms for our projects; limitations on our management rights and operational flexibility due to our use of tax equity arrangements; potential claims and disagreements with partners, investors and other counterparties that could reduce our right to cash flows generated by our projects; our ability to comply with tax laws of various jurisdictions in which we currently operate as well as the tax laws in jurisdictions in which we intend to operate in the future; the unknown effect of the dual listing of our ordinary shares on the price of our ordinary shares; various risks related to our incorporation and location in Israel; the costs and requirements of being a public company, including the diversion of management’s attention with respect to such requirements; certain provisions in our Articles of Association and certain applicable regulations that may delay or prevent a change of control; and other risk factors set forth in the section titled “Risk factors” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and our other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC.

    These statements reflect management’s current expectations regarding future events and speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DEQ issues six penalties in December for environmental violations

    Source: US State of Oregon

    tatewide, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued six penalties totaling $488,874 in December for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement.

    Fines ranged from $5,050 to $372,600. Alleged violations included a wastewater treatment and disposal system that exceeded pollution limits and discharged wastewater to a creek when not permitted to, a hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility that failed to properly treat hazardous waste prior to disposing it and a fuel products transloading company that modified its facility and operated that change without authorization from DEQ.

    DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:

    • Chemical Waste Management, Arlington, $49,200, hazardous waste.
    • City of Junction City, Junction City, $5,050, wastewater.
    • City of Lebanon, Lebanon, $33,800, wastewater.
    • Container Management Services, LLC, Portland, $21,224, hazardous waste.
    • HempNova Lifetech Corp., Central Point, $7,000, hazardous waste.
    • Zenith Energy Terminal Holdings, LLC, Portland, $372,600, air quality permitting. Learn more about this case by reading the press release DEQ issued on Dec. 6, 2024.

    Recipients of DEQ civil penalties must either pay the fines to the state treasury or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving notice of the penalty. They may be able to offset a portion of a penalty by funding a supplemental environmental project that improves Oregon’s environment. Learn more about these projects at https://ordeq.org/sep.

    Penalties may also include orders requiring specific tasks to prevent ongoing violations or additional environmental harm.

    DEQ works with thousands of organizations and individuals to help them comply with laws that protect Oregon’s air, land and water. DEQ uses education, technical assistance, warnings and penalties to change behavior and deter future violations.

    Media contact: Michael Loch, public affairs specialist, michael.loch@deq.oregon.gov, 503-737-9435.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Central India’s indigenous forests are falling victim to bullets and bulldozers

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Bulbul Prakash, PhD Candidate in Politics, University of Manchester

    The state of Chhattisgarh in India’s tribal heartland has been the epicentre of a violent conflict for more than 30 years. This struggle has pit a Maoist-inspired group called the Naxalites, who are fighting for the rights of marginalised tribal communities, against the Indian government, which has deployed security forces to suppress the insurgency. More than 11,600 people have been killed in the conflict since 2000.

    At the same time, Chhattisgarh is also grappling with the pressures of rapid industrialisation. Large-scale mining and infrastructure projects are threatening both the land and livelihoods of the state’s indigenous (or Adivasi in Sanskrit) communities.

    Around 44% of the region’s land area is covered by dense forests. These forests are home to vital plant and animal species such as Mahua and Sal trees. However, these forests are being damaged. Trees are being ravaged by gunfire, animals are being killed by explosions, and the fragile ecosystem that sustains people and wildlife in Chhattisgarh is gradually crumbling.

    Soni Sori, an Adivasi activist, has shared images with me that have been taken by Adivasis in the forests of Chhattisgarh. The photos highlight the damage being caused by gunfire, explosions and shelling.

    Bullets tear through bark, while explosions strip it away, leaving trees vulnerable to pests and disease. Shrapnel and shock waves from blasts also sever branches or trunks, which further weakens the trees and causes long-term damage.

    Fresh bullet wounds on a Sal tree in Chhattisgarh.
    Soni Sori, CC BY-NC-ND

    The destruction of Mahua and Sal trees has had a particularly devastating impact on women from Adivasi communities.

    The Mahua tree, which is often called the “tree of life” by locals, provides an essential lifeline for many Adivasi women. Its flowers are fermented to make alcohol, which offers a crucial source of income when it is sold in local markets.

    When men are drawn into Naxal movements or caught in the state’s counterinsurgency efforts, women often step in and use the income from Mahua flowers and oil to fund their children’s education, sustain their families, and repay debts.

    In the town of Dantewada in southern Chhattisgarh, locals even hold a special ceremony where they “marry” the Mahua tree, honouring its life-sustaining role in their community.

    Sal trees, which form much of Chhattisgarh’s forest cover, play a crucial role in stabilising the soil. Their loss leads to erosion and increases the risk of floods and landslides. Climate change, and the increasingly erratic rainfall it brings, has compounded these risks.

    An unexploded mortar shell partially buried in Chhattisgarh.
    Soni Sori, CC BY-NC-ND

    The loss of essential resources like Mahua trees will only exacerbate food insecurity and economic hardship, pushing Adivasis further into poverty. The average annual income of Adivasi households in Chhattisgarh was just ₹53,610 (around £505) in 2022 – well below the national agricultural household average of ₹122,616.

    The conflict in Chhattisgarh is also harming the region’s wildlife. In December, a female sloth bear was killed by an improvised explosive device planted by Maoist rebels in the forests of Dantewada. The bear’s two orphaned cubs starved to death shortly after.

    This was the first recorded death of a wild animal from such an explosion in Bastar district, though livestock and pets have been victims of similar blasts in the past.

    One month earlier, in central Chhattisgarh’s Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, a five-year-old elephant calf sustained critical injuries from a suspected bomb explosion. These incidents reflect a disturbing pattern within the conflict, where wildlife is becoming a victim of the violence.

    March of industrialisation

    Industrialisation has exacerbated these challenges. Chhattisgarh is rich in mineral resources. Between 2023 and 2024, the state produced nearly 50 million tonnes of limestone, 44 million tonnes of iron ore, and over 1 million tonnes of bauxite. However, widespread mining is fuelling further deforestation and environmental degradation.

    Between 2001 and 2023, the state lost 53,500 hectares of forest, with large-scale mining operations contributing significantly to the loss. In the Hasdeo region of northern Chhattisgarh, the Parsa East Kete Basen coal mine has led to the felling of almost 82,000 trees, spread across two phases of mining. Between 2012 and 2018, 50,000 trees were felled, with more than 31,800 more trees cut down since then.

    With continued political support for mineral extraction, government approvals, and the involvement of commercial mining giants, more deforestation is expected over the coming years.

    This deforestation is, unsurprisingly, harming the region’s wildlife. The latest census by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, which was carried out in 2022, revealed a sharp and alarming decline in Chhattisgarh’s tiger population.

    At that time, there were only 17 tigers remaining in the state – a dramatic fall from 46 in 2014. Conservationists fear that the figure could now be even lower, as the situation continues to deteriorate.

    This decline is largely due to habitat destruction. But it has probably been made worse by the Maoist insurgency in regions such as northern Chhattisgarh, which is home to the Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, as well as the Indravati Tiger Reserve in the south-western part of the state.

    The insurgency has hindered conservation efforts. The use of explosives in the forests disrupts the behaviour of tigers, while also making it more difficult for conservationists to monitor and protect them.

    What was once a lush and bio-diverse environment is rapidly becoming a wasteland. But the loss of these trees and wildlife in Chhattisgarh represents more than simply the depletion of natural resources. It symbolises the erosion of culture, identity, and a way of life for Chhattisgarh’s Indigenous people.

    Bulbul Prakash is supported by The University of Manchester through the ‘Future of the Academy Studentship’ for her doctoral research. The author would like to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of Adivasi activist Soni Sori, who shared firsthand images taken by Adivasi community members in the forests of Chhattisgarh, which illustrate the environmental damage caused by ongoing conflict.

    – ref. Central India’s indigenous forests are falling victim to bullets and bulldozers – https://theconversation.com/central-indias-indigenous-forests-are-falling-victim-to-bullets-and-bulldozers-246272

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Most of Britain’s peat bogs could stop forming new peat as the climate changes – new study

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Ritson, Research Fellow, Geography, University of Manchester

    Joe Dunckley / shutterstock

    By the 2080s, climate change will mean most of Britain’s peatlands could be too dry to form new peat. That’s the stark warning from a new academic study my colleagues and I just published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

    Peat bogs are found in areas where there is lots of rain but poor drainage. These vital ecosystems are relied upon to deliver drinking water, host rare plant and bird life and to mitigate the risk of floods by slowing rainwater as it heads downstream.

    Perhaps most importantly, peatlands also sequester huge amounts of carbon. That’s because peat is made of the remnants of plants accumulated over hundreds or thousands of years. Waterlogged conditions mean the plants don’t fully decompose, so the carbon they’re made of is kept in the ground and isn’t released into the atmosphere. Peat can be several metres deep so all that plant matter adds up – per square metre, a typical British peat bog stores far more carbon than a tropical rainforest.

    As peat needs very wet conditions to form, our study first mapped out the temperature and rainfall conditions under which this has occurred in the UK in the past. We then took the Met Office’s UK climate projections and looked at where these conditions would continue to occur by the 2080s. The results were, quite frankly, shocking.

    Although small pockets of favourable conditions may still be present in Wales, and larger ones in Scotland, the outlook for England is dismal, with barely any areas continuing to be suitable for peat formation due to increasing temperatures and lower summer rainfall.

    UK peatlands. The large red patch at the top of mainland Scotland is the Flow Country.
    James Hutton Institute / Biogeochemistry

    In the “Flow Country” of northern Scotland, a bog so big it has been designated a Unesco world heritage site, the area in which we might expect peatlands to thrive is likely to be reduced by at least 50% even in the best-case climate scenario. This scenario of mild warming is, unfortunately, unlikely to happen. More extreme scenarios of peatland degradation are increasingly realistic.

    We still don’t know exactly what this will mean for the peatlands in places like Exmoor or Dartmoor in southern England, however we do know that life will become more and more challenging for these precious ecosystems. Not experiencing the temperature and rainfall that caused peat formation in the first place could mean they start to emit the carbon currently stored, as this is reliant on them staying wet and boggy.

    Peatlands are naturally resilient and aren’t going to disappear overnight (the Peak District in northern England was heavily degraded for over a century, yet still hosts many metres of peat soils). But conservation and restoration work is going to be ever more necessary if we are to preserve these landscapes as carbon sinks rather than sources.

    More money for conservation

    One ray of light in all this is that the challenging conditions in England could actually unlock more money for conservation efforts. The UK Peatland Code is a climate finance initiative that allows landowners to generate income from peatland restoration by selling carbon credits. The number of credits they can claim is based on the difference in avoided emissions from a “do nothing” scenario in which they do no restoration.

    Our new results show that doing nothing could be even worse than previously thought, meaning more carbon finance may be unlocked. Perversely, bad news for England’s peatlands could bring about the money needed to save them.

    Thankfully, through measures such as the government’s Nature for Climate scheme and ongoing investment in fundamental peatland science, the UK has something of a head start in peatland restoration. Techniques that were once trialled in small areas are now being rolled out across whole landscapes.

    Gully blocking to raise peatland water tables and limit carbon loss, as part of the GGR-Peat project at the National Trust High Peak Estate.
    Jonathan Ritson

    The Great North Bog initiative, as one example, has linked together restoration organisations, researchers and landowners to deliver restoration across four national parks and three national landscapes. This is truly the scale that is needed if the UK is serious about meeting its climate targets.

    More will be required, however, as huge swathes of peatland remain in a degraded state. While bleak messages like those in our new study could lead to resignation about the effects of climate change, there is an alternative way of looking at it: we must show how bad things could get if we don’t do anything, and then see this as a call to action.

    Jonathan Ritson has received funding from charities delivering peatland restoration.

    – ref. Most of Britain’s peat bogs could stop forming new peat as the climate changes – new study – https://theconversation.com/most-of-britains-peat-bogs-could-stop-forming-new-peat-as-the-climate-changes-new-study-248515

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Introducing new Surface Copilot+ PCs for Business

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Introducing new Surface Copilot+ PCs for Business

    As organizations look to the future, accessing and unlocking value through both the cloud and endpoints will become a cornerstone of every AI strategy. Combining the scalability of cloud compute with the efficiency of local AI compute through powerful Neural Processing Units (NPU) with a groundbreaking new category of PCs: Copilot+ PCs. These devices are built to deliver unparalleled performance and intelligence.

    Today, we are excited to announce the latest additions to our Surface for Business Copilot+ PC family: Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, now available with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2). Starting Feb. 18, business customers can choose between Intel and Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs from Surface, and experience the most advanced, intelligent and secure PCs available across both platforms.

    In response to one of our top customer requests to provide more cellular connectivity options for mobile work, we are thrilled to share that for the first time, 5G will be coming to Surface Laptop for Business, available later in 2025[i]. This laptop has been redesigned from the ground up to exceed our customers’ expectations for a connected Windows 11 Copilot+ PC and is also equipped with Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2).

    To round out our business offerings, we are also excited to introduce the new Surface USB4 Dock, new experiences with Microsoft Teams Rooms on Surface Hub 3 and the public preview of Security Copilot in the Surface Management Portal.

    New Surface Copilot+ PCs for Business

    Customers are choosing Surface Copilot+ PCs today for the best in performance, battery life and security. Paired with Microsoft 365 Copilot[ii] and enhanced AI processing power, these devices transform the employee experience to amplify your team’s efficiency and creativity through Copilot+ PC experiences designed for work.

    “At CES, we showcased Copilot+ PCs powered by Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) and partnered with Microsoft to ensure that it delivers exceptional performance, longer battery life and cutting-edge security for the Windows ecosystem. We’re excited to introduce new Surface for Business Copilot+ PCs and provide businesses with a wider range of AI-powered devices to enhance efficiency and productivity. Our partnership will continue to drive momentum in the category.”
    Jim Johnson, Senior Vice President and Interim General Manager of Intel’s Client Computing Group

    Surface Laptop for Business with Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2)

    Available starting  Feb. 18, 2025, starting at $1,499.99 (MSRP)

    Customers choose Surface Laptop because it redefines the premium PC built for work, combining a sleek modern design with incredible performance and industry-leading security. It’s designed to strike the perfect balance between power and portability, maximizing productivity while being a device that employees are proud to carry and use.

    The new Surface Laptop for Business is built with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), an incredible battery that lasts up to 22 hours[iii], anti-reflective displays with ultra-thin bezels, Wi-Fi 7[iv], more ports and an optional smart card reader[v].

    Available in two sizes, the 13.8-inch display offers a larger viewing area than traditional 14-inch screens within a more compact frame, while the 15-inch version provides even more viewing space while remaining easy to carry.

    This thin and compact design delivers on the critical fundamentals that businesses rely on. When compared to Surface Laptop 5, the new Surface Laptop delivers up to 26% faster performance for multi-tasking[vi], up to 2x faster graphics performance[vii], up to 3x the battery life when on Teams calls[viii] and can easily power new AI-powered experiences through the NPU.

    The keyboard on Surface Laptop provides an exceptional typing experience, perfected for comfort, speed and sound with every keystroke. The large precision haptic touchpad delivers realistic feedback when tapped or clicked. Designed for inclusivity, the touchpad allows users to easily adjust pressure sensitivity and use intuitive touch gestures for easier navigation.

    Advancements in laptop design support our customers’ sustainability goals, a critical factor when equipping a large workforce with new devices. The new Surface Laptop contains more recycled content than any other Surface device including 100% recycled rare earth metals in the magnets[ix] and featuring our first ever battery cell to make use of 100% recycled cobalt[x].

    For the first time ever, we’re adding cellular connectivity to our Surface Laptop lineup. Surface Laptop 5G will be available later in 2025, enabling your team to work comfortably and productively from virtually anywhere. We’ll share more details on Surface Laptop 5G in the coming months.

    The new Surface Laptop is a true business machine, designed to meet the needs of modern professionals and enhance productivity in any work environment.

    Surface Pro for Business with Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2)

    Available starting Feb. 18, 2025, starting at $1,499.99 (MSRP)

    Surface Pro is the go-to device for customers that are looking for a device that can do it all, offering powerful performance, incredible versatility and enterprise-grade security from Microsoft. It quickly adapts to your team’s needs, whether that is typing a report with a Surface Pro Keyboard[xi], taking notes with the Surface Slim Pen[xi] or using the AI-powered ultrawide camera to keep you in frame on Teams calls. With the versatile design of Surface Pro, it can replace the need to use a tablet and a laptop with one device that can give you the best of both.

    The new Surface Pro is built with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), delivers up to 28% more performance[xii], up to 98% more graphics performance[vii] and up to 2x the battery life during Teams calls[xiii] compared to Surface Pro 9. It also features enhanced local AI processing power with an NPU to amplify your team’s intelligence, efficiency and creativity through Copilot+ PC experiences designed for work.

    When paired with the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard[xi], Surface Pro transforms into a highly versatile Windows laptop. The keyboard can be used either attached or wirelessly, allowing users to adapt quickly and work efficiently in any environment, from the office to an airplane or train seat. This flexibility enables users to have a comfortable and premium typing experience that enhances productivity wherever they work.

    The 13-inch PixelSense display extends the versatility of Surface Pro even further. It’s designed to be used easily with touch and pen input as a tablet or a laptop, and the anti-reflective and adaptive color technology helps users to clearly see the content on the screen in almost any lighting environment and reduces reflections by up to 50%. The new optional OLED display delivers new levels of peak brightness and immersive colors that improve readability in even fluorescent office lighting environments or even in direct sunlight.

    Surface Pro also offers versatile and secure sign-in options. Customers can sign in with facial recognition with the built-in Windows Hello Camera or the built-in NFC reader with security keys like the YubiKey 5C NFC to securely get to work without using a password. Surface Pro is also certified for use with Imprivata Enterprise Access Management (EAM), enabling healthcare providers to tap their NFC-enabled badge or security key to quickly sign in and out. This enhances healthcare workflows and safeguards patient data by logging users off instantly, reduces errors by preventing clinicians from charting under the wrong profile, and increases productivity by providing fast and secure user switching.

    Across industries – from retail to education – our customers call out the importance of sustainability in making device purchases, and Surface Pro is designed with those goals in mind. The enclosure is made with a minimum of 89% recycled content, including 100% recycled aluminum alloy and 100% recycled rare earth metals[xiv]. It is also designed for serviceability, with replaceable components such as the motherboard, battery, cameras and a removable SSD that can be accessed through an easy-to-open door behind the kickstand[xv].

    Surface Pro is the perfect device for on the go productivity, delivering lightning-fast performance, AI-accelerated power, all in a thin, light and versatile package.

    Secure by design and by default

    In line with Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative commitment, security is our top priority, and we’re intently focused on designing our products to be secure by design and by default. We continually raise the bar to deliver robust defense against the evolving threat landscape for both our customers and the entire Windows ecosystem.

    Windows 11, our most secure operating system yet, dramatically reduces exposure to attack by enabling advanced security tools and technologies by design and by default. This protects against phishing, malware, ransomware and other evolving threats.

    Beyond Windows, every layer of a Surface device, from the hardware to the cloud is maintained and protected by Microsoft. This gives customers ultimate control, proactive protection and peace of mind wherever and however they work. Our team constantly thinks about how malicious actors could threaten your business and seamlessly ensures you always have the latest through Windows Update, ensuring you and your teams remain protected and secure.

    Copilot+ PCs are the most secure Windows PCs ever, with the Microsoft Pluton security processor enabled by default on all Copilot+ PCs. Pluton, a chip-to-cloud security technology designed by Microsoft and embedded by silicon partners directly into the CPU, ensures Zero Trust principles at the core. This design helps protect sensitive information such as passwords, user identities and encryption keys from potential attacks. It acts as a secure vault within the computer, ensuring that even if someone gains physical access to the device, they cannot easily steal critical data.

    Pluton receives regular updates directly from Microsoft, ensuring it always has the latest security features and protections against evolving threats. Microsoft is also working across the Windows ecosystem to update the capabilities of Pluton by introducing the Key Storage Provider (KSP) on Intel Core Ultra (Series 2), Snapdragon X Series and AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processors. This will allow for more secure storage and management of cryptographic keys, further strengthening the overall security of the device, and we’ll share more details on this in the coming months.

    This comprehensive approach ensures every layer of a Surface device is protected, providing a seamless and secure experience for users and peace of mind for IT professionals.

    Learn more about what’s new with Microsoft Pluton on the Windows IT Pro Blog.

    Unlocking AI productivity with Windows

    These great new Surface Copilot+ PCs are part of an expanding ecosystem of Windows commercial solutions that serve every job, in every organization. We’re listening to our customers and providing them with more choice so that they can find a Copilot+ PC that fits every need.

    At Ignite, we introduced several AI features that enhance workflows, and boost communication and collaboration by tapping into the NPU on Copilot+ PCs. One of these new experiences is the new and improved Windows Search experience[xvi]. It allows users to find files using associated words and phrases, without needing to remember exact file names or content for both local and active OneDrive for Business files. For example, users can find a document about sustainability by searching for “green presentation.” They can also search images based on their content, including text found in an image. Removing the need for precise keyword matching in file names or content can save valuable time, enabling users to intuitively search for files, information or settings in the ways that they can easily remember.

    Windows, combined with Microsoft 365 and Surface devices, provides a powerful platform for businesses to securely boost productivity, simplify workflows and enhance collaboration. With tools like Windows Autopatch, Autopilot in Intune, and Windows Backup and Hotpatch, deploying and managing these new PCs securely has never been easier.

    New Security Copilot in Surface Management Portal (Preview)

    Available in public preview starting Feb. 24, 2025

    Streamline the management of Surface devices within your organization with the Surface Management Portal in Microsoft Intune. This powerful tool provides IT admins with a centralized platform to monitor, manage and secure all Surface devices, ensuring they are always up-to-date and performing optimally. Capabilities like device health monitoring, warranty and servicing management help businesses maintain a secure and efficient IT environment, reducing downtime and enhancing productivity of their employees.

    We are excited to share that later this month, customers will have access to Security Copilot in the Surface Management Portal. Copilot provides the power of generative AI in Intune to simplify and enhance the device management experience for IT admins.

    With Copilot, IT admins can quickly search for and resolve specific device issues, summarize warranty information, and access support tickets and service orders related to their organization’s Surface devices. This reduces the time and effort needed for routine maintenance tasks, creating more time to focus on other initiatives. In addition, Copilot pulls contextually relevant data from your Intune-enrolled Surface devices along with public information into a single view, streamlining the management process and enhancing overall efficiency.

    We’ve been in private preview with a select group of customers, allowing us to gather critical feedback and insights that have shaped the current experience. Starting Feb. 24, customers can join the public preview, and the insights and learnings we’ll gain can help us shape the future of the Surface Management Portal.

    Learn more about Security Copilot in Surface Management Portal on the Surface IT Pro Blog.

    New Surface USB4 Dock

    Available starting Feb. 18, 2025, at $199.99 (MSRP)

    Enhance your team’s workspace with the new Surface USB4 Dock, the essential dock for productivity and connectivity. Connect and power devices like the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with accessories via two USB-C, one USB-A, Ethernet and HDMI ports. This new dock delivers fast charging with the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with up to 65W power passthrough and enables fast data transfer of up to 40 Gbps. Dual 4K monitor support, via USB-C or HDMI transforms your workspace into a three-screen powerhouse.

    New Surface Hub 3 experiences

    Surface Hub 3 is the first-party Teams Rooms touch board. We’ve brought iconic Surface design together with the inclusive and collaborative Teams Rooms experiences that define the meeting space. It’s helped our customers create a consistent experience across Hub and other conference rooms and collaborative spaces, for both the teams meeting in those spaces and the IT administrators managing the technology.

    Now, we’re partnering with Teams to bring new experiences to Surface Hub 3. Microsoft Edge on Surface Hub 3 will offer seamless access to websites, third-party web apps and personal content[xvii], with an easy-to-use home screen button for walk-up browsing. Edge will run in Kiosk Mode for privacy and security, and Edge sessions can be shared into Teams meetings.[xviii] General availability for Edge on Hub 3 is targeting Q3 2025.

    Employees want the option to share content however is best for them – so we’re also adding Miracast support to Teams Rooms on Windows devices. Miracast makes it possible to wirelessly project content from a Surface PC to Surface Hub 3.

    Learn more about the new experiences coming to Surface Hub 3 on the Surface IT Pro Blog.

    Order today

    With Windows 10 End-of-Support upcoming on Oct. 14, 2025, now is the time to transition your fleet from Windows 10 to Windows 11 with confidence. After providing 10 years of updates and support, Windows 10 PCs will no longer receive security or feature updates. Our focus is to help businesses and their employees stay protected and more productive by moving to Windows 11 PCs. Surface Copilot+ PCs are the ideal choice to modernize your business. They offer a powerful combination of hardware, software and unparalleled security, to support your business needs while future-proofing to take advantage of new Copilot+ PC experiences being released in the future.

    As you trial and deploy Copilot+ PCs in your environment, consider Surface as your partner to unlock exclusive AI features to help drive bottom-line business results. With options for both Intel and Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, Surface provides the flexibility to meet your specific business requirements. Order your Surface Copilot+ PCs today and experience the future of business productivity.

    Visit Surface.com/Business to learn more, find a partner or order the new Surface Pro and new Surface Laptop directly from the Microsoft Store. When shopping at Microsoft.com, customers can take advantage of free shipping and an extended 60-day price protection and return window.

    Footnotes:
    [i] Surface Laptop with 5G will be available later in 2025 and not available in all areas. eSIM and 5G support are also not available in all areas; compatibility and performance depend on carrier network, plan and other factors. See carrier for details and pricing

    [ii] Copilot for Microsoft 365 sold separately and requires a qualifying volume license or subscription. Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 | Microsoft 365.

    [iii] Up to 22 hours of battery life based on local video playback test on Surface Laptop 15-inch, 7th Edition with Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2). Based on local video playback test. Testing conducted by Microsoft in January 2025 using preproduction software and preproduction Surface Laptop 13.8-inch Intel Core Ultra 5 256GB, 16GB RAM devices and Surface Laptop 15-inch Intel Core Ultra 7 256GB, 16GB RAM devices. Testing consisted of full battery discharge during video playback of a .mov file through the Windows Media Player application in 1080p at 24 FPS. All settings were default except screen brightness set to 150 nits with Auto-brightness disabled. Wi-Fi was connected to a network. Battery life varies significantly with settings, usage and other factors.

    [iv] 6GHz band not available in all regions.

    [v] Integrated smart card reader available only on Surface Laptop 15-inch, 7th Edition with Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2). See Surface.com/Business for more information.

    [vi] Tested January 2025 using CineBench 2024 Multi-Core benchmark. Up to 26% faster comparing Laptop 13.8-inch with Intel Core Ultra 7 processors to Surface Laptop 5 13.5-inch with Intel Core i7. Up to 12% faster comparing Surface Laptop 15-inch with Intel Core Ultra 7 processors to Surface Laptop 5 15-inch with Intel Core i7.

    [vii] Based on 3D Mark WildLife Extreme Unlimited performance testing conducted by Microsoft in January 2025.

    [viii] Based on a Microsoft Teams 10-person video call test. Testing conducted by third-party lab in January 2025 using preproduction software and preproduction Surface Laptop 15-inch, 7th Edition Intel Core Ultra 7 266V, 16GB RAM, 256 GB and Surface Laptop 5 15-inch Intel Core i7-1265U, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB. Testing consisted of full battery discharge during a Microsoft Teams 10-person video call. All settings were default except screen brightness set to 150 nits with Auto-brightness disabled. Wi-Fi was connected to a network. Tested with Windows 11. Battery life varies significantly with settings, usage and other factors.

    [ix] Enclosure includes A Cover, C Bucket, D Cover. 100% recycled aluminum alloy in A Cover, C Bucket and SIM Tray. 100% recycled rare earth metals in magnets. Based on validation performed by Underwriter Laboratories, Inc. using Environmental Claim Validation Procedure (ECVP) for Recycled Content, dated June 20, 2024.

    [x] Contains 1.5% recycled cobalt, consisting of 100% recycled cobalt in the battery cell. Based on validation performed by Underwriter Laboratories, Inc. using Environmental Claim Validation Procedure (ECVP) for Recycled Content, UL ECVP 2809-2, Second Edition, dated June 20, 2024.

    [xi] Surface Pro Keyboard, Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, Surface Slim Pen sold separately.

    [xii] Based on Cinebench 2024 multithread performance testing conducted by Microsoft in January 2025.

    [xiii] Based on a Microsoft Teams 10-person video call test. Testing conducted by third-party lab in January 2025 using preproduction software and preproduction Surface Pro, 11th Edition Intel Core Ultra 7 236V, 16GB RAM, 256 GB storage and a Surface Pro 9 with an i7-1225U processor, 16GB RAM and 256GB storage. Testing consisted of full battery discharge during a Microsoft Teams 10-person video call. All settings were default except screen brightness set to 150 nits with Auto-brightness disabled. Wi-Fi was connected to a network. Tested with Windows 11. Battery life varies significantly with settings, usage and other factors.

    [xiv] Enclosure includes bucket and kickstand. 100% recycled aluminum alloy in bucket. 100% recycled rare earth metals in magnets. Based on validation performed by Underwriter Laboratories, Inc. using Environmental Claim Validation Procedure (ECVP) for Recycled Content, UL ECVP 2809-2, Second Edition, dated June 20, 2024.

    [xv] Solid State Drive (SSD) Retention is only available on Microsoft Surface devices in which the SSD is marketed as removable per the Technical Specifications. Solid State Drive (SSD) Retention is included in both Extended Hardware Service Plus and Microsoft Complete for Business Plus and is also available as an Optional Add-on when purchasing Microsoft Extended Hardware Service and Microsoft Complete for Business. Devices returned to Microsoft with a missing Solid State Drive (SSD) are subject to a Solid State Drive (SSD) replacement fee unless the device is enrolled in the Drive (SSD) Retention offer.

    [xvi] Releasing first to our Windows Insider community on Copilot+ PCs for select languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish) and file formats, starting early next year, before rolling out more broadly to our customers. See aka.ms/copilotpluspcs

    [xvii] Software license required.

    [xviii] Pre-release product shown; subject to change prior to commercial release.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Environmental Improvement Plan rapid review

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Statement of key findings from the Environmental Improvement Plan rapid review launched on 30 July 2024.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Interim statement on the EIP rapid review

    HTML

    Details

    This statement from Defra’s Secretary of State, Steve Reed, provides an update on the rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) launched on 30 July 2024. It sets out key strategic findings from the rapid review and plans for revising the EIP.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 January 2025

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Scheme to improve Verulamium Park lakes and adjoining meadow is approved

    Source: St Albans City and District

    Publication date:

    A major scheme to make lasting improvements to Verulamium Park’s artificial lakes and an adjoining meadow has been approved.

    The project will provide new wetlands, nature walks and plant beds where native species can thrive.

    Among the aims are enhancing the water quality of the lakes, improving biodiversity and making the area more attractive to visitors.

    One feature will be the dredging of the heavily silted lakes with silt recycled to provide highly fertile planting areas around the edges.

    Councillors on the Public Realm Committee of St Albans City and District Council, which owns the park, approved the scheme at its meeting on Tuesday 28 January.

    The project will likely cost a seven-figure sum with the Council previously having set aside a £2.2 million budget for the work.

    Councillor Helen Campbell, the Committee’s Chair, said afterwards:

    This is a landmark moment for the Council and everyone who loves our flagship Verulamium Park.

    I am thrilled that we have at last agreed a sound and exciting plan for an area of the park that is in need of improvement.

    The next stage will be commissioning detailed designs and putting the work out to tender to see if it is indeed affordable.

    This has been a complex and challenging task, not least because of the financial constraints upon our budget, but with this plan in place I know our residents will be delighted to hear that we are making substantial progress.

    The Council had been looking at various options for improving the area around the lakes and Bell Meadow which is beside the park’s St Michael’s Street entrance.

    Bell Meadow is a flood plain and the ground is often under water or waterlogged. It   is currently closed for safety reasons as parts of the footpath were persistently flooded and slippery underfoot.

    The lakes were built more than 80 years ago to a design that would not be allowed today.

    One possible option, supported by the Environment Agency, was to return the Ver to its natural path as it flows through Bell Meadow.

    A working group, set up to look at options, has ruled this out as it would cost between £4m to £6m, well beyond the available budget.

    The group’s preferred option, accepted by the Committee at its meeting, is to retain the river in its current channel, but create a wetland in the meadow along with a permanent, raised footpath.

    Both artificial lakes will be narrowed by planting beds created around the perimeter, using extracted silt. Nature walks will wind through these areas.

    Cllr Campbell added:

    I know our residents are keen to see this area of the park improved, but I would warn this is a long-term project and it will be a few years before it is completed.

    The goal is to transform this area of much-loved Verulamium Park and create new wetlands, footpaths, wildlife habitats and nature walks. It won’t solve the flooding as the area is a floodplain, and with climate change we are getting more and more deluges of rain.

    This means we have had to adapt our project to these conditions in order to make improvements that are sustainable.

    We have now agreed on an imaginative and realistic option and can move forward, finalise detailed plans, gain the necessary permissions and put the work out to tender to see if it is within our budget.

    The Council has been working with partner organisations, including the Environment Agency, on a project to ‘Revitalise the River Ver’ as it flows through central St Albans.

    Work will start shortly on restoring the Ver, a rare chalk stream, to its more natural state in a stretch from Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub to the Cottonmill allotments.

    Cllr Campbell added:

    The Environment Agency, which has a responsibility for rivers, will continue to support our work on Bell Meadow and the lakes. This will be our project, though, rather than a joint one as the river will be largely unaffected.

    Photo: Verulamium Park.

    Media contact:  John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727- 819533; john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Rouge Bouillon closure update30 January 2025 ​Rouge Bouillon continues to remain closed between Clarendon Road and Palmyra Road as investigations continue into the stability of an adjacent building wall, affected by a burst water main. The Government… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    30 January 2025

    ​

    Rouge Bouillon continues to remain closed between Clarendon Road and Palmyra Road as investigations continue into the stability of an adjacent building wall, affected by a burst water main. 

    The Government of Jersey is monitoring and facilitating ongoing meetings held with all relevant stakeholders to ensure public safety. These include Highways, Network Management, Drainage, Building Control, Jersey Water, CYPES and other key parties, alongside property owners impacted by the issue.

    Statement from Constable Simon Crowcroft of St Helier:
    “I fully understand the frustration and inconvenience that the ongoing closure of Rouge Bouillon is causing for residents, businesses, and commuters. 

    “This is a highly complex situation involving multiple parties, and ensuring the safety of everyone remains our priority. 

    “We appreciate the patience and cooperation of the public as investigations and repair work continue. We hope to provide a firm timetable for the necessary works and the reopening of the road next week.

    “The Minister for Infrastructure and I wish to see the Ring Road re-opened as soon as possible. 

    “In the meantime, I urge Islanders to continue using alternative routes where possible, and I thank everyone for their understanding during this challenging period.”

    Current Status with investigatory and repair work: 

    • private parties (residents and private owners) responsible for the affected buildings are undertaking detailed investigations and repair work, which are expected to take some time
    • the situation is highly complex with several adjacent walls & buildings that are unsafe and severely cracked 
    • multiple parties are involved, including Infrastructure and Environment (I&E), Jersey Water, structural engineers, building surveyors, loss adjustors, and insurance companies. 

    Alternative routes and safety assurance 

    We have considered other options to manage the traffic around the closure however, the decision to retain the current traffic arrangement is based on the following factors: 

    • reversing Clarendon Road poses additional safety risks for residents and pedestrians
    • allowing right-turn access onto Clarendon Road from Val Plaisant could cause severe traffic congestion, particularly near the Gyratory
    • •reversing Midvale Road, while potentially useful, would necessitate signal junction changes, creating confusion, complications, and further safety concerns. 

    We advise the traveling public to continue to avoid the area and use alternative routes to access town where possible. 

    Public impact 

    We understand that the closure has significant impacts on daily travel and local businesses. The road will only reopen once the buildings are stabilised and all risks of structural collapse have been mitigated. 

    Next steps 

    A further update on the situation will be provided in seven days.

    ​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Subway Fare Evasion Down 26 Percent in New York City

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced significant progress on multi-faceted efforts to combat fare evasion across the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). In the last six months, from June 2024 through December 2024, subway fare evasion is down 26 percent. Across buses, including both the local and express bus network, fare evasion is down by 9.1 percent over the same period of time. This progress follows a comprehensive strategic response implemented by Governor Hochul, MTA and NYPD — including strategic deployment of enforcement, modifications to fare gates at numerous transit stations, and other measures helping to reduce fare evasion. The Governor also highlighted ongoing efforts to further crack down on fare evasion, including new anti-fare evasion measures being installed at all subway turnstiles this year and new fare gates being installed at 20 high-traffic stations this year.

    “We’re turning the tide against fare evasion to help protect transit riders and taxpayers and continue strengthening our transit system,” Governor Hochul said. “Our work is far from over – and we’ll continue to crack down on fare evasion this year through strong enforcement and new measures coming to subway turnstiles and fare gates throughout the system.”

    MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “Our strategy has been to publicize the seriousness of the problem, to put in place stronger physical barriers, and to make sure there’s plenty of enforcement. We welcome the support we’re getting from Governor Hochul and the NYPD, and also the work that MTAPD is doing on the railroads, and it’s all starting to pay off.”

    NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said, “Fare evasion undermines the very system that moves New York City and provides essential transportation for our communities. Our team has made real progress, driving down fare evasion for the first time in years. We will continue to explore all measures and means to ensure fare compliance and sustain a system that is equitable for all.”

    NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said, “This significant decline in fare evasion is a critical first step in our efforts to make the transit system safer for all New Yorkers. Everyone should be able to ride the subway without fear of violence or chaos, and the NYPD will continue to patrol every station and overnight train to ensure that crime continues to decrease across our transit system. I thank Governor Hochul and the MTA for their partnership in keeping our city safe.”

    According to the MTA’s Blue-Ribbon Panel report, the situation regarding fare evasion had reached crisis levels, with the MTA losing an estimated $690 million in unpaid fares and tolls in 2022.

    To drive down fare evasion, Governor Hochul and the MTA have utilized recommendations from the report to advance a comprehensive strategy that has included strategic deployment of enforcement and ongoing modernization of turnstiles and fare gates, as well as other measures. This effort has also included strengthening coordination with NYPD to boost on-the-ground resources and increase the number of summonses for fare evasion.

    The results have shown clear progress. From June 2024 through December 2024, subway fare evasion is down 26 percent – from 14 percent of subway riders evading the fare to 10 percent. Across buses, including both the local and express bus network, fare evasion is down by 9.1 percent – from 50 percent of riders evading the fare last summer down to 45 percent, marking a pivotal shift in combating fare evasion.

    Strategic Deployment of Enforcement

    NYPD Collaboration

    NYPD issued 143,100 TAB summonses for subway fare evasion in 2024, a 96 percent increase from 2019. NYPD also created a new uniformed Bus Enforcement Unit that has been deployed alongside the MTA’s “EAGLE Team” to support fare compliance across all five boroughs.

    Bus Fare Enforcement: MTA EAGLE Team

    Following recommendations from the Blue-Ribbon Panel Report, the MTA took a data-driven approach to optimize deployment of the EAGLE Team, the MTA’s civilian bus fare inspection team, to the bus stops and times of day with the highest concentration of fare evaders. EAGLE Team inspectors are charged with inspecting fares on local and SBS bus routes, and with NYPD support, the officers both educate members of the community on fare payment options and issue summonses. The MTA has stepped up EAGLE Team deployment, enforcing bus fare payment on 148,000 buses at over 370 stops since September 2024. In 2025, the MTA will also implement sensors and screens on buses to further track and deter fare evasion.

    Subway Fare Enforcement – Gate Guards

    The MTA deployed unarmed gate guards across more than 208 subway stations, an expansion from 50 stations, taking a data-driven approach to optimize deployments based on station characteristics, ridership patterns, and more. Gate guards deter fare evasion.

    Environment: Improving the Fare Control Environment

    Expanding on several successful pilots from 2024, the MTA is rolling out data-backed modifications to more fare gates across the subway system and expects to see an even greater impact by combining multiple efforts together.

    Turnstile Modifications

    The MTA has made steps to tackle evasion tactics at the turnstiles to create stronger, more resilient barriers against fare evasion. This includes reconfiguration of turnstiles to prevent back-cocking at 75 percent of all turnstiles and installation of turnstile fins at 20 fare control areas, which have dissuaded and reduced the number of individuals jumping the turnstile.

    In the coming months, the MTA will scale up this initiative and implement a newer generation of fins, pilot additional anti-jumping interventions, and complete anti back-cocking modifications at the remainder of the turnstiles systemwide.

    Stopping the “Superhighway” of Fare Evasion

    Delaying the opening of the emergency exit gate by 15 seconds has proven to be cost-effective in pilots, reducing gate evasion by nearly 40 percent. The MTA will build on this successful pilot and roll out this delay at exit gates in at least 150 stations in 2025, beginning at 34 St-Penn Station, Canal St, 161 St-Yankee Stadium, and Jay St-MetroTech.

    Modern Fare Gates

    The MTA replaced traditional emergency exit gates with new, accessible wide-aisle gates at Atlantic Av-Barclays Center, 34 St-Penn Station and Astoria Blvd, and introduced a new full array at Sutphin Blvd-Archer  Av, where fare payment increased by 20 percent compared to 2023.

    In December 2023, the MTA released a Request for Information (RFI) to qualify the next generation of secure, accessible, and modern fare gates. After receiving and evaluating 12 responses from gate vendors, the MTA began in-lab testing of promising gate technology. The MTA will be conducting in-system testing and implementation of new fare gates at 20 stations by the end of 2025, and an additional 20 stations in 2026.

    The MTA will prioritize stations with higher ridership traffic, accessibility features and those with high fare evasion. Initial installation is scheduled to begin at 42 St-Port Authority, Delancey St-Essex St, and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av.

    The MTA’s proposed 2025-2029 Capital Plan will accelerate this implementation even further, including $1.1 billion to install modern fare gates in at least 150 stations systemwide.

    Additional Strategies to Reduce Fare Evasion

    In 2024, the MTA began adopting best practices in behavioral change to further reinforce the need for fare payment. Through campaigns that highlight the humanity of transit workers and create a sense of collective responsibility to digital signs on buses stating that fares are required, the MTA is resetting social norms around fare payment.

    The MTA’s work with NYCPS to encourage student use of OMNY cards reinforces the importance of fare payment. Since the launch of student OMNY cards in September there has been a 51 percent increase in rides and 18 percent increase in weekly active rides among students. There has also been a 27 percent increase in taps-per-active-card during the previous semester compared to 2023. The new partnership with New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) has resulted in consistent fraud monitoring to ensure student cards are being used by the student to which they are assigned. The MTA has also created 15 Customer Service Centers that will be integrated with enrollment in Fair Fares, the City of New York’s program to provide eligible New Yorkers with half-fare MetroCards and OMNY accounts, as well as the MTA’s Reduced-Fare program.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: We studied more than 500 giraffe skulls from all over Africa – and confirmed there are 4 distinct species

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Nikolaos Kargopoulos, Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town

    Giraffes are among the world’s most recognisable animals. With their elongated necks and long legs, their gracious movements and unique coat patterns, they have inspired people’s imaginations for centuries.

    But is a giraffe just a giraffe? Or is there more variety between the animals at a genetic level than is evident just from looking at them?

    For more than a decade many researchers have compared the DNA of giraffes from all parts of Africa. These studies have revealed that there are four distinct giraffe species: the southern (Giraffa giraffa), Masai (Giraffa tippelskirchi), reticulated (Giraffa reticulata), and northern (Giraffa camelopardalis) giraffe.

    Different giraffe species face different risks. Some are among the most threatened large mammals in the world. While the southern and the Masai giraffe are relatively numerous and their populations estimated at approximately 45,000 and 50,000 individuals respectively, the situation does not look quite as rosy for the reticulated and the northern giraffe. Based on the latest estimates from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), only 16,000 and 6,000 individuals respectively remain in the wild.

    Therefore, it is critical to verify whether there are indeed different species of giraffe or not so that direct conservation efforts for the most threatened species can be increased before it’s too late.

    Read more: How many giraffe species are there? Understanding this is key to their protection

    The concept of species is fundamental in biology – but there is no consensus on its definition. There are many different approaches depending on individual scientists’ points of view. The best possible way to clarify the taxonomy (the system that organises living entities into groups) of organisms is through multiple approaches.

    Read more: Giraffes could go extinct – the 5 biggest threats they face

    There have been several studies of giraffe species based on their DNA, as well as on their ecology, behaviour, health and coat patterns.

    But there haven’t been many based on their skulls. That’s where our new study comes in. By examining the skulls of more than 500 giraffes from across the African continent, we were able to show that there are significant differences in the skull shapes of the different types of giraffe – and confirm that there are four species.

    These new findings are crucial for giraffe taxonomy and, ultimately, their conservation.

    How the study was done

    Giraffe skulls are important to the animals’ reproduction and evolution. That’s because of their ossicones, the horn-like structures that are longer and wider in males than in females.

    The size and shape of the ossicones is important in the dominance of males and their mating success with female giraffe. While some preliminary data already suggested some potential differences in the ossicone morphology between the giraffe species, limitations on the available specimens and the methodologies at the time reduced the validity of the results.

    Comparison of male and female skulls of the four species in lateral view. Kargopoulos et al 2024

    For our research we used state-of-the-art equipment and methodologies, and we studied more than 500 giraffe skulls from all over Africa. The skulls were directly sampled in the field from across their natural range in Africa, as well as museum collections, wildlife authority offices, and taxidermists in different countries in Africa, Europe and the US.

    Map showing the geographical range of the extant giraffe species and subspecies as well as representative male skulls of each subspecies in lateral view. Kargopoulos et al 2024, CC BY

    This extensive study required help from many different partners. While the project was initiated and guided by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the University of Cape Town, many colleagues in Africa, Europe and North America contributed.

    We used a handheld 3D scanner to capture the skulls’ shape in 3D. Then we used 3D geometric morphometrics methods to compare the shape of the giraffe skulls and find out if we could group them and find any significant differences. We chose so-called landmarks – specific points on the skulls – and captured their coordinates in space (their 3D distance from the centre of mass of the skull).

    Finally, specialised software was used to compare the differences in the coordinates of landmarks between our specimens and to conduct statistical analyses to show if these differences were significant or not.

    Skull variations

    These rigorous analyses allowed us to show skull variations between four species.

    These differences mostly concerned the ossicones. But there were also minor differences in their face, eye sockets, the region around the teeth, and the back part of the skull.

    The most striking difference concerned the median ossicone of the males. This is a smaller third ossicone situated in the midline of the skull above their eyes. We determined that there is a general trend in the size and shape of this ossicone that follows geography and taxonomy. In southern giraffe, the third ossicone is practically a small protrusion; in northern giraffe it is large and pointed; the Masai and reticulated giraffe have ossicones that are somewhere between those two forms.

    Such differences are likely important in the way individuals of a species recognise each other, thus affecting their reproductive success. Males with more developed ossicones intimidate their rivals to gain access to territory and females.

    Attention for individual species

    Angolan giraffe eating in north-west Namibia. © Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Author provided (no reuse)

    Our study is confirmation of what scientists have known for almost a decade and supports the taxonomic split of the giraffe.

    Similar discussions over two decades finally resulted in the African elephant being split into two distinct species in 2021.

    The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – which, it must be pointed out, is not a taxonomic authority – still only recognises one species of giraffe. It lumps all giraffes into one broad, threatened Red List category.

    We strongly believe that the IUCN needs to stand tall for these animals and reassess their status. It is time for each giraffe species to get separate and enhanced attention, both locally and internationally, in particular when it comes to their conservation. Giraffes and their wild habitats must be protected before it’s too late.

    – We studied more than 500 giraffe skulls from all over Africa – and confirmed there are 4 distinct species
    – https://theconversation.com/we-studied-more-than-500-giraffe-skulls-from-all-over-africa-and-confirmed-there-are-4-distinct-species-247466

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Jail terms for men who ran Kent waste warehouse

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Rubbish later caught fire, disrupting town – Lancashire and Devon men guilty of waste crime

    Fire-ravaged unit at Westwood Business Park in Margate

    Routine complaints about flies in a seaside town unearthed a vast cavern of illegally-stored waste.

    No wonder the flies, as well as rats, were interested. David Weeks and Lee Brookes had built up a massive stockpile of rubbish, neatly packaged in black plastic.

    The Environment Agency prosecuted the pair, resulting in suspended prison sentences totalling 20 months between them for filling a Margate warehouse with the waste.

    It was spring 2017. As the weather warmed up, frustrated residents rang the local council to report swarms of flies close to an anonymous building.

    Officials at Thanet District Council contacted the Environment Agency, which began an investigation. It discovered the illegal storage of thousands of bales of household and construction waste inside the building, unit P, on the Westwood Business Park.

    Baled waste stored inside unit P before the fire.

    A director of Devon-based DW Land Ltd, Weeks signed a one-year lease with the building’s owners at the start of 2017.

    Lorry after lorry dumped waste

    But no sooner was the ink dry on the lease that lorry after lorry began arriving in Margate from across the home counties – a procession of 220 vehicles over three months, offloading 6,000 blocks of waste and placed in the building.

    Totnes businessman Weeks employed Brookes’ firm, OMC Outdoor Maintenance Company, of Whitworth, in Lancashire, to secure and manage unit P. Weeks told the Environment Agency he was the agent for two companies wanting the site for an energy-from-waste plant. 

    Judge Simon Taylor KC heard the waste had left legal sites in Hampshire and Hertfordshire, bound for the Kent coast, to be stored inside the building, but outside the law. Neither Brookes nor Weeks obtained an environmental permit for the storage of waste.

    Risk became reality when building went up in flames

    Matt Higginson, environment manager for the Environment Agency in Kent, said:

    Weeks and Brookes profited financially from payments made to the sites where the waste originated and from its storage in Kent.

    Not getting an environmental permit for the building, avoiding the cost and requirements of getting one, Weeks and Brookes gave themselves an unfair advantage over legitimate waste operators

    A permit for the site would have required a plan to manage the risk of fire. Risk became reality when the building went up in flames. The disruption for local people went on for almost a month.

    This case proves you must use firms authorised to take away your waste. Check the register of waste carriers’ licences on gov.uk.

    Throughout 2017 and 2018, Weeks and Brookes gave the Environment Agency several excuses as to why they couldn’t clear the waste from the building. 

    On 18 September that year, the building caught fire. Kent Fire and Rescue Service fought the blaze for 25 days. At its peak, rubbish burst out of the packaging. Although no cause for the fire has ever been found, roads and businesses had to close, and the disruption led to operations cancelled at the local hospital.

    View of fire-ravaged unit P at Westwood Business Park in Margate.

    It was only a year later, towards the end of 2019, and almost three years after the first delivery of rubbish, what waste survived the fire was finally removed by the battered building’s new owner.

    Weeks and Brookes gave scant assistance to the Environment Agency’s investigation. Even after the fire, the pair kept a very low profile.

    David Weeks, 55, of School Hill, Totnes, Devon, was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years. He also to pay £5,000 in costs, and a victim surcharge of £140.

    Judge Taylor also gave Weeks 150 hours unpaid work and 20 hours of rehabilitation activity aimed at preventing him from reoffending. He’ll have to wear an electronic tag to monitor his daytime movements for the next two months. 

    Lee Brookes, of Tonacliffe Way, Whitworth, Lancashire, received a sentence of four months in prison, suspended for a year. He was also given 80 hours of unpaid work and the same 20 hours of rehabilitation programme. The court also ordered the 49-year-old to pay costs of £1,000 and a £115 victim surcharge.   

    At the hearing on 21 January, the court was told Weeks was fined almost £10,000 seven years ago for his part in the management of a site in Plymouth where 13,000 tonnes of wood was stored illegally.   

    The two men pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to knowing their respective companies, DW Land and OMC Maintenance, ran the waste operation in Margate without an environmental permit between 13 January 2017 and 22 August 2019, against regulation 12 (1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. 

    DW Land Ltd, of Paignton Road, Stoke Gabriel, Totnes, Devon, and OMC Outdoor Maintenance Company Ltd, also of Tonacliffe Way, Whitworth, Lancashire, are no longer trading.

    Contact us: Journalists only –

    0800 141 2743 or communications_se@environment-agency.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: We studied more than 500 giraffe skulls from all over Africa – and confirmed there are 4 distinct species

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Nikolaos Kargopoulos, Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town

    Giraffes are among the world’s most recognisable animals. With their elongated necks and long legs, their gracious movements and unique coat patterns, they have inspired people’s imaginations for centuries.

    But is a giraffe just a giraffe? Or is there more variety between the animals at a genetic level than is evident just from looking at them?

    For more than a decade many researchers have compared the DNA of giraffes from all parts of Africa. These studies have revealed that there are four distinct giraffe species: the southern (Giraffa giraffa), Masai (Giraffa tippelskirchi), reticulated (Giraffa reticulata), and northern (Giraffa camelopardalis) giraffe.

    Different giraffe species face different risks. Some are among the most threatened large mammals in the world. While the southern and the Masai giraffe are relatively numerous and their populations estimated at approximately 45,000 and 50,000 individuals respectively, the situation does not look quite as rosy for the reticulated and the northern giraffe. Based on the latest estimates from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), only 16,000 and 6,000 individuals respectively remain in the wild.

    Therefore, it is critical to verify whether there are indeed different species of giraffe or not so that direct conservation efforts for the most threatened species can be increased before it’s too late.



    Read more:
    How many giraffe species are there? Understanding this is key to their protection

    The concept of species is fundamental in biology – but there is no consensus on its definition. There are many different approaches depending on individual scientists’ points of view. The best possible way to clarify the taxonomy (the system that organises living entities into groups) of organisms is through multiple approaches.



    Read more:
    Giraffes could go extinct – the 5 biggest threats they face

    There have been several studies of giraffe species based on their DNA, as well as on their ecology, behaviour, health and coat patterns.

    But there haven’t been many based on their skulls. That’s where our new study comes in. By examining the skulls of more than 500 giraffes from across the African continent, we were able to show that there are significant differences in the skull shapes of the different types of giraffe – and confirm that there are four species.

    These new findings are crucial for giraffe taxonomy and, ultimately, their conservation.

    How the study was done

    Giraffe skulls are important to the animals’ reproduction and evolution. That’s because of their ossicones, the horn-like structures that are longer and wider in males than in females.

    The size and shape of the ossicones is important in the dominance of males and their mating success with female giraffe. While some preliminary data already suggested some potential differences in the ossicone morphology between the giraffe species, limitations on the available specimens and the methodologies at the time reduced the validity of the results.

    For our research we used state-of-the-art equipment and methodologies, and we studied more than 500 giraffe skulls from all over Africa. The skulls were directly sampled in the field from across their natural range in Africa, as well as museum collections, wildlife authority offices, and taxidermists in different countries in Africa, Europe and the US.

    Map showing the geographical range of the extant giraffe species and subspecies as well as representative male skulls of each subspecies in lateral view.
    Kargopoulos et al 2024, CC BY

    This extensive study required help from many different partners. While the project was initiated and guided by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the University of Cape Town, many colleagues in Africa, Europe and North America contributed.

    We used a handheld 3D scanner to capture the skulls’ shape in 3D. Then we used 3D geometric morphometrics methods to compare the shape of the giraffe skulls and find out if we could group them and find any significant differences. We chose so-called landmarks – specific points on the skulls – and captured their coordinates in space (their 3D distance from the centre of mass of the skull).

    Finally, specialised software was used to compare the differences in the coordinates of landmarks between our specimens and to conduct statistical analyses to show if these differences were significant or not.

    Skull variations

    These rigorous analyses allowed us to show skull variations between four species.

    These differences mostly concerned the ossicones. But there were also minor differences in their face, eye sockets, the region around the teeth, and the back part of the skull.

    The most striking difference concerned the median ossicone of the males. This is a smaller third ossicone situated in the midline of the skull above their eyes. We determined that there is a general trend in the size and shape of this ossicone that follows geography and taxonomy. In southern giraffe, the third ossicone is practically a small protrusion; in northern giraffe it is large and pointed; the Masai and reticulated giraffe have ossicones that are somewhere between those two forms.

    Such differences are likely important in the way individuals of a species recognise each other, thus affecting their reproductive success. Males with more developed ossicones intimidate their rivals to gain access to territory and females.

    Attention for individual species

    Our study is confirmation of what scientists have known for almost a decade and supports the taxonomic split of the giraffe.

    Similar discussions over two decades finally resulted in the African elephant being split into two distinct species in 2021.

    The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – which, it must be pointed out, is not a taxonomic authority – still only recognises one species of giraffe. It lumps all giraffes into one broad, threatened Red List category.

    We strongly believe that the IUCN needs to stand tall for these animals and reassess their status. It is time for each giraffe species to get separate and enhanced attention, both locally and internationally, in particular when it comes to their conservation. Giraffes and their wild habitats must be protected before it’s too late.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. We studied more than 500 giraffe skulls from all over Africa – and confirmed there are 4 distinct species – https://theconversation.com/we-studied-more-than-500-giraffe-skulls-from-all-over-africa-and-confirmed-there-are-4-distinct-species-247466

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Expert Forum for Producers and Users of Climate Change-related Statistics 2024

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    The 2024 UNECE Expert Forum took place from 29 to 30 August in Geneva. The UNECE Expert Fora for Producers and Users of Climate Change-Related Statistics have been organized annually since 2014 to serve as a platform for collaboration, sharing ideas and experience, discussing concepts and measurement issues, and identifying areas for developing practical guidance.

    The Expert Fora provide a link between producers and users of climate information and support the implementation of the CES Recommendations on Climate Change-Related Statistics (2014) and the CES Set of Core Climate Change-related Indicators and Statistics Using the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (2020). 

    See also:

    MIL OSI United Nations News –