GET T Y IMAGES X6, PRODELPHINUS
INVASIVE PLANTS IDENTIFIED
Scientists at the University of Exeter have
found a new way to predict which plants
are likely to take hold as invasive species.
Invasive plants grow faster in the region
they invade, meaning growth rate in their
native range can’t predict invasiveness.
But the study, which covered more than
500 plant species, looked at somethingFRIENDLIERFISHING
PlacingLEDlightsonfishing
netsreducesthechancesof
turtlesanddolphinsbeing
caught,accordingtoresearch
bytheUniversityofExeter.FLYINGSTART
Over 70 expertshave
setouta majorreport
tohelpinsectrecovery.
Compiledbya teamat
theNetherlandsInstituteof
Ecology,it detailsthebestwaystotackle
thehugedeclineseenininsectnumbers,
andcontainsguidelinestohelpfarmers
andurbanplannersboostdiversity.IT’S
EASY
BEING
GREEN
AccordingtoUKcharityWRAP,
UK homes throw away a fi h
of the food they buy, most
of which is edible. As well as
be er meal planning, make
sure you distinguish between‘useby’and‘bestbefore’.‘Use
by’datesareaboutsafety,and
foodshouldn’tbeeatenpast
this date. But ‘best before’
dates are about quality – the
food is still safe a er this
date, says the Food Standards
Agency. Put remaining foodwasteinanorganicwastebin
ratherthanlandfill.Inlandfill,
it willbreakdowntoproduce
methane, a greenhouse gas.
Consider home composting,
which avoids transport
impacts and produces
fertiliser for your plants.“ e spotlight is
now on Scotland’s
plan to deliver
meaningful
reductions
across all sectors
of the economy”
INSPIRED
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to raise the ambition of their
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to begin,” said Caroline Rance,
climate and energy campaigner
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Scotland,andotherindustrialised
nations,is notdoingenoughto
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UJCTG q UJG UC[U DISCOVERIESelse: resilience. It found that plants which
easily ‘bounce back’ aer disturbances like
ploughing, ooding or drought are more
likely to be invasive. “What we found was
a real surprise,” said co-author Prof Dave
Hodgson. “Based on this finding, we should
avoid the export of plant species that grow
well in disturbed environments.”9JKNG 5EQVNCPF JCU DGGP C
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and reducing emissions from
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made on cutting its emissions
in sectors such as transport and
CITKEWNVWTG REAL ACTION NEEDED
Last year, the CCC told the
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legally binding carbon budgets
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buildings, agriculture and land
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the climate front, is particularlyTHAWING RIVERS
River ice has declined globally
in the past 30 years, according
to the University of North
Carolina. Frozen rivers are an
important means of transport at
high latitudes and also help regulate
greenhouse gases released into
theatmosphere.LEMURS UNDER THREAT
Rued lemurs, the largest species of
lemur, could lose 38-93 per cent of their
habitat by 2070 due to climate change and
deforestation, according to the
University of Massachuses.CUT DOWN ON FOOD WASTE