YOUR WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE
Planting more trees will increase rainfall across Europe.
Planting more trees to combat climate change across Europe could increase rainfall, study suggests. A new study found that changing agricultural land to forest would increase summer rain by 7.6% on average. The researchers also found that adding trees changed rainfall patterns far downwind of the new forests. The authors believe that extra rain could partially change the rise in dry conditions expected with climate change.
The endangered antelope saiga makes comeback.
The population of a quite rare kind of antelope has more than doubled since 2019, in a remarkable turn around in fortunes. Based on the first aerial survey in two years, the number of saiga in the Kazakhstan heartland has risen from 334,000 to 842,000. There were concerns that the animal was on the brink of extinction following a mass die-off in 2015. Alarming images of carcasses lying all over the steppes made world headlines.
Record temperatures means more extremes.
This will come as expected given the unprecedentedly high temperatures recently recorded during the heatwave that hit Canada and parts of the US. But UK residents may be startled to learn that despite the rain and cloud they experienced, it was the second warmest June on record for Europe.
It was also the fourth warmest June ever recorded worldwide. Climate experts say the findings point to a frightening escalation in temperature extremes.
Giant pandas no longer endangered.
Giant pandas are no longer classified as endangered but are still vulnerable, Chinese government say. The classification was changed as their number in the wild has reached 1,800.
Experts say that the country managed to save its iconic animal through its long-term conservation efforts, including the expansion of habitats. China considers pandas a national treasure, but have also loaned them to other countries as diplomatic tools.
NHS COVID app may need to be changed as rules change.
England puts an end to the 1m-plus rule on 19 July may mean the app’s sensitivity needs to be changed, he said. The app detects the distance between users and the length of time spent in close proximity – currently 2m or less and more than 15 minutes. It comes amid a huge rise in alerts as infections surge. The system allows people who test positive to anonymously share their test result, triggering alerts for those detected as close contacts in the days before the test.
Architects say building demolitions cause of carbon emissions.
Experts used to be proud to reduce emissions by replacing leaky old buildings with energy-efficient new ones.
Now the Royal Institute of British Architects says that was a mistake.
Instead, it says we should refurbish old buildings rather than scrap them, because of the pollution that would be involved in constructing a replacement building, otherwise known as embodied carbon.
