New Zealand signs environmental trade deal with Switzerland, Costa Rica and Iceland

The Telegraph
Rare shark that lives for 500 years could hold secret to increasing human lifespan
The metabolism of a shark species which can live for 500 years could help scientists treat heart disease and increase people’s lifespan, scientists hope.
AFP News
Indonesia launches first EV battery plant
Indonesia launched its first electric vehicle battery plant on Wednesday, President Joko Widodo said, as Southeast Asian countries move to gain a foothold in the emerging industry.The plant is part of a $9.8 billion electric vehicle battery deal signed between Indonesia and LG in 2020.
The Conversation
Flirting with disaster: When endangered wild animals try to mate with domestic relatives, both wildlife and people lose
Conflicts between herders and the wild ancestors of their yaks, camels and reindeer are a serious threat to both people and wildlife, writes a scientist who has seen these clashes firsthand.
Time
Scientists Are Still Trying to Figure Out How to Kill Invasive Spotted Lanternflies
Scientists have been researching the best method for killing spotted lanternflies, and they may have gotten some new leads this year through the insects' attraction to vibrations.
Associated Press
Freya the rescued lion cub is safe in South Africa, but many other lions there are bred to be shot
Freya, a 6-month-old lion cub rescued from the wildlife trade in Lebanon, poked a curious nose out of her transport crate and sniffed the air. Satisfied, she took her first cautious steps in her new forever home in a sanctuary in South Africa. Freya's relocation to the Drakenstein Lion Park is only a partial success story.
Reuters Videos
'It's all gone': floods in southern China devastate residents
STORY: This shop owner in southern China's Hunan Province is busy cleaning up debris on Wednesday after heavy rainfall and flooding devastated her stationary store.She says she didn't receive any notice to move her goods and asks: "How can a family survive in this situation?"Heavy rainfall pounded parts of Hunan earlier this week, causing the water level of a local river to reach its highest level in 70 years.Local authorities have activated the maximum emergency response level.This restaurant owner said she had to flee before it became impossible to get herself out.Now, with her business flooded - she says she is heartbroken and doesn't know how she will provide for her children.Last week, President Xi Jinping urged authorities to put in all-out efforts to protect lives as floods and natural disasters increased.China has provided more than $316.4 million in funds to help with rescue efforts and emergency supplies as deadly floods and landslides caused by almost two weeks of torrential rain ravage several parts of the country.In Changsha, the capital of Hunan, the Xiang and Laodao rivers are expected to hit peak dangerous levels Thursday morning, state media reported.
CNN
To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species
To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their cousins.
The Guardian
Port infrastructure delays threaten UK’s transition to net zero, industry says
Dropoff in government approvals put billions of investment in offshore wind schemes at risk, ports bodies warn
Storyful
Adorable Black Bear Cubs Explore Neighborhood
Three adorable black bear cubs were spotted roaming around a New Jersey neighborhood in late May.Laura Geer captured this video of the cubs exploring the front lawn of a home before moving on and trotting up the road.“These adorable bear cubs were romping all over the neighborhood searching out mama bear who had walked up the street,” Geer said.New Jersey Fish and Wildlife advise New Jersey residents to take steps to avoid attracting bears, such as securing garbage and not leaving out any food that may encourage bears to linger in residential areas. Credit: Laura Geer via Storyful
Storyful
Air Force Hurricane Hunters Fly Into Eye of Hurricane Beryl
Members of the US Air Force Hurricane Hunters flew into the eye of Hurricane Beryl on Tuesday, July 2, to collect data as the storm churned across the Caribbean Sea.This footage was captured and posted by the Air Force Reserve 403rd Wing
Associated Press
Newborn white rhino Silverio takes his giant first steps in a Chilean zoo in a boost to his species
Hannah, a 13-year-old white rhinoceros, has delivered a newborn calf in a rare zoo birth for the almost endangered species. The arrival of the male calf, named Silverio, two weeks ago marked the third time that a white rhino had ever been born in South America. The Buin Zoo in Chile's capital of Santiago unveiled Silverio to the public on Tuesday as he took his first giant-footed steps after 12 days of medical care in confinement.
Reuters
Renewables produce almost 60% of Spain's electricity
Renewables accounted for 51% of the total a year earlier. Solar plants generated 16.3% of the total, up from 13.8%, while hydropower dams accounted for 15.9%, up from 9.8%. Spain aims to generate four-fifths of its electricity from renewables by 2030 under a government plan published last year.
Associated Press
GM will pay $146 million in penalties because 5.9 million older vehicles emit excess carbon dioxide
General Motors will pay nearly $146 million in penalties to the federal government because 5.9 million of its older vehicles do not comply with emissions and fuel economy standards. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement Wednesday that certain GM vehicles from the 2012 through 2018 model years did not comply with federal fuel economy requirements. The penalty comes after the Environmental Protection Agency said its testing showed the GM pickup trucks and SUVs emit over 10% more carbon dioxide on average than GM's initial compliance testing claimed.
CBC
Bylaw blocks B.C. family's bid to move older house onto property
A young family in British Columbia's Comox Valley thought they found a creative solution to expand their home, but a recent city bylaw change has put a stop to their plans. Paul Myers and Jessica Evans live in a 1940s one-bedroom rancher house in Courtenay. When they welcomed their baby last year, it didn't take long for their home to start feeling cramped. "He's taking up a lot more space than he would seem to if you just look at him," Myers said, laughing. But when the couple looked at moving
CBC
Diavik's solar plant is running. Officials hope it can be 'deployed elsewhere' when mine closes
Rio Tinto says its 3.5-megawatt solar plant, which it calls the North's biggest off-grid solar operation, is up and running at Diavik Diamond Mine in the N.W.T. The 6,620 solar panels are expected to generate 4.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, according to a press release from the company — amounting to 25 per cent of the electricity needed for closure work that's slated to happen between 2026 and 2029. Currently, while the mine is still in production, the plant is generating 2.
Oilprice.com
Can the West Afford to Ditch Cheap Chinese Green Tech Imports?
The U.S. and EU are imposing tariffs on Chinese clean energy products to boost domestic industries, but experts warn this could slow the global green transition and increase consumer costs.
The Telegraph
Why we’re all wrong about seagulls
A great annual conflict is underway. Each summer, as hordes of holidaymakers descend on beaches and seaside towns across the country, humans and seagulls come face to face in a chip-based standoff. ‘Giant swarms’ of gulls apparently attack beachgoers, traumatise children – and fill the tabloids. Gulls are even being blamed for postal delays: last month, Royal Mail claimed that aggressive birds had prevented postmen from making deliveries in Liskeard, Cornwall.
AFP News
Floods kill nine in India and Bangladesh, millions affected
Torrential rains and surging rivers across northeast India and neighbouring Bangladesh have killed at least nine people, disaster officials said Thursday, with more than three million people affected.In low-lying Bangladesh, downstream from India, the disaster management agency said floods had impacted around 1.8 million people.
Reuters
Not politics, not interest rates: India's surging economy at risk from water
Water delivered by tankers provides one additional bucket to each of its 1,000 residents for drinking and cooking. In parts of the arid state of Rajasthan, southwest of the Indian capital, tap water is available once every four days for an hour. In rural areas near Mumbai, women and children travel more than a mile to get water.
The Guardian
‘I totally understand why people are sceptical’: the co-founder of collapsed energy giant Bulb on his new venture
Amit Gudka is reinventing himself after the failure of his energy firm by plugging into the global battery boom

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New Zealand signs environmental trade deal with Switzerland, Costa Rica and Iceland

Latest stories

Rare shark that lives for 500 years could hold secret to increasing human lifespan

Indonesia launches first EV battery plant

Flirting with disaster: When endangered wild animals try to mate with domestic relatives, both wildlife and people lose

Scientists Are Still Trying to Figure Out How to Kill Invasive Spotted Lanternflies

Freya the rescued lion cub is safe in South Africa, but many other lions there are bred to be shot

'It's all gone': floods in southern China devastate residents

To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species

Port infrastructure delays threaten UK’s transition to net zero, industry says

Adorable Black Bear Cubs Explore Neighborhood

Air Force Hurricane Hunters Fly Into Eye of Hurricane Beryl

Newborn white rhino Silverio takes his giant first steps in a Chilean zoo in a boost to his species

Renewables produce almost 60% of Spain's electricity

GM will pay $146 million in penalties because 5.9 million older vehicles emit excess carbon dioxide

Bylaw blocks B.C. family's bid to move older house onto property

Diavik's solar plant is running. Officials hope it can be 'deployed elsewhere' when mine closes

Can the West Afford to Ditch Cheap Chinese Green Tech Imports?

Why we’re all wrong about seagulls

Floods kill nine in India and Bangladesh, millions affected

Not politics, not interest rates: India's surging economy at risk from water

‘I totally understand why people are sceptical’: the co-founder of collapsed energy giant Bulb on his new venture