Alien Pythons Kill Native Mammals

The growth of the Burmese python population in the Everglades, Florida, is being blamed for a reduction in the number of native mammals like rabbits and bobcats. Burmese pythons are not native to the Everglades and are believed to have been introduced over 30 years. They are now the top predator and have even been known to tackle alligators. The sightings of some animals like racoons have gone down over 99% since the snake's introduction.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16791094

Japan's Population to Shrink by a Third

The Japanese government believe that there population will shrink by one third by 2060 and that by the same date over 40% of the population will be old dependents. The declining and ageing population is blamed on falling birth and fertility rates and rising life expectancy - Japan already has the highest life expectancy in the world, but this is expected to go up. Ageing and declining populations can cause a lot of problems including: healthcare costs, pension costs, worker shortages and falling tax revenue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16787538

Pending Food Crisis in Niger

The charity Save the Children has warned that some six million people in Niger, over half of them children are at risk from food shortages because of a poor harvest and rising food prices. The charity believe that the crisis could be as bad as the ongoing crisis in East Africa and have made an appeal to raise nearly $50 million.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16771603

New Forests for the UK

The Woodland Trust is planning to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee by planting 1 billion trees in February. Over half will be planted in a new Diamond Wood in Leicestershire and the others will be planted at over 60 locations around the UK. The new trees will help to offset carbon as well as creating homes for the UK's fauna and flora and providing open spaces for leisure users.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16741078

First UK Report on Climate Change Published

The first official report about climate change in the UK has said that there will be both problems and opportunities. Problems may include more flooding, more heatwaves and heat-related deaths and increased water shortages. However, it has also stated that shipping lanes north through the Arctic could improve, cold deaths could reduce and the crop yields might actually rise.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16730834

Government Solar Subsidies Will Continue

The UK government has been told by the Court Of Appeals that it must continue its subsidies for solar panels. The UK government currently pays households with solar panels, money for the electricity that they generate. The government wanted to half the payments, because they said that they wanted the scheme to extend within its current budget. However, critics claim that they are trying to save money and that jobs will be lost as a result. The UK government has said that they will take there case to the Supreme Court.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16721328

Sustainable Forestry Not Sustainable

Recent research has suggest that so called sustainable logging techniques are not sustainable. The research was carried out in the Solomon Islands. The research found that the standard growing cycle of 30-40 years was not longer enough for trees to grow to the size desired by manufacturers. Therefore there was increased pressure on primary forests in order to gain the desired size of tree. Th research also found that as much as 50% of timber on the world market was illegally obtained.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16682177