A summary of today’s top climate and clean energy stories.
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UK Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary, Ed Davey
UK: Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary Ed Davey is facing a time-consuming “guerrilla war”, driven by Tory party climate sceptics who are determined to undermine his attempts to green Britain’s electricity supply. (Independent)
UK: Simon Greenwood, the owner of the drilling site in Balcombe that has become the focus of the UK’s biggest anti-fracking protests has told the Guardian he supports fracking on the West Sussex site if it is economically viable. (Guardian)
Research: Seagrass may be crucial in the battle against climate change as the humble plant is 35 times more efficient at locking up, or ‘sequestering’ carbon than rainforests, a new study has found. (Z News)
IPCC: A report from an international scientific team due next month will probably focus on a range of evidence that the Earth is warming rather than just changes in air temperature, according to a climate scientist who has seen drafts of parts of the study. (Bloomberg)
Arctic: As sea ice levels continue to decline in the northern hemisphere, scientists are observing an unsettling trend in harp seal young mortalities regardless of juvenile fitness. (Monga Bay)
Congo: Virunga National Park’s first hydropower plant has started to generate electricity this week. The Mutwanga hydroelectric facility will provide clean energy to rural communities that depend on Africa’s oldest national park, authorities say. (WWF)
US: The US Department of the Interior has criticised as “inaccurate” the State Department’s draft conclusions that the impact of the Keystone XL pipeline on wildlife would be temporary, and has warned instead that it could have long-term, adversarial effects. (Guardian)
Russia: Russia has blocked a Greenpeace ship from entering Arctic waters where the environmentalist group was planning to protest against oil exploration activities by Rosneft and ExxonMobil, the group said Wednesday. (Business Week)
Nigeria: Nigeria needs a minimum of $1 billion annually to implement an integrated plan to address environmental challenges in the country, a professor of Climatology, Emmanuel Oladipo, has said. (All Africa)
North Sea: North Sea oil and gas production could decline by as much as 22pc this year – the biggest annual slump on record – as maintenance on ageing infrastructure hits operations, the industry body has warned. (Telegraph)