Latest news with #Pollution
The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Tom Lehrer, musical satirist and academic, dies at 97
WASHINGTON: Tom Lehrer, the sharp-witted pianist and satirical songwriter whose dark humor captivated mid-century America, has died at 97. The news was confirmed by his friend David Herder, as reported by The New York Times. Lehrer passed away peacefully at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Saturday. A Harvard graduate by 19 and later a mathematics professor at MIT, Lehrer blended intellectual brilliance with biting comedy. His songs, often laced with morbid wit, tackled topics from nuclear war to pigeons poisoned in parks. 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,' one of his most infamous compositions, cheerfully described the act with the line, 'It just takes a smidgen!' Lehrer's satirical genius shone brightest in the 1950s and 60s, with tracks like 'Who's Next?' mocking nuclear escalation and 'Pollution' critiquing environmental neglect. His work resonated with audiences who appreciated his ability to turn grim realities into absurdly catchy tunes. Despite his early retirement from music in 1965, Lehrer left an indelible mark. His periodic table song, 'The Elements,' set to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'A Modern Major General,' became a cult favorite, even earning praise from actor Daniel Radcliffe. Lehrer dismissed rumors that he quit due to political disillusionment, stating in a 2000 interview, 'I wrote 37 songs in 20 years—that's not exactly a full-time job.' His legacy endures as a master of musical satire, blending intellect, humor, and a touch of cynicism. - Reuters
Reuters
6 days ago
- Reuters
Exxon plastic waste suit faces first major hurdle
July 23 (Reuters) - Plastic waste is ubiquitous – from empty water bottles to grocery bags, the detritus litters beaches, parks and roadways. The question for a federal judge in San Francisco now is whether Exxon Mobil can be held liable for such pollution, or if a novel suit claiming the company has created a public and private nuisance should be dismissed. A coalition of four environmental groups last year sued Exxon, opens new tab, a leading producer of polymers used to make single-use plastics, alleging the company wrongly led consumers in California to believe that plastic was easily and safely disposed of, when in reality, less than 5% of it is recycled in the United States. A spokesperson for Exxon, which has denied wrongdoing, did not respond to requests for comment, and the company's outside counsel from O'Melveny & Myers declined comment for this column. Exxon in court papers, opens new tab said the plaintiffs' theory that consumers purchased more plastic based on statements by Exxon was 'to put it mildly, a real stretch.' During an hour-long oral argument last week over Exxon's motion to dismiss, Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg pushed lawyers on both sides to lay out the parameters of nuisance law, while also hinting he might allow the claim to move forward – but more on that later. Nuisance, a centuries-old legal doctrine with its roots in English common law, applies when a defendant's conduct interferes with a public or private right to the enjoyment of life or property. Classic examples include blocking a public road or a factory that emits noxious odors. In recent years, nuisance claims have also been successfully invoked by state and local governments in litigation against opioid makers for their role in the epidemic of addiction and overdose deaths, netting close to $50 billion in payouts. Lead paint manufacturers also settled nuisance claims in California in 2019, agreeing to pay $305 million without admitting wrongdoing. Unlike personal injury claims, nuisance cases do not seek damages to compensate plaintiffs for an injury. Instead, they seek to make the party responsible for the nuisance pay to abate, or fix, the condition. The defense bar has called public nuisance a "super tort, opens new tab," complaining that such claims offer a way to sidestep the more rigorous requirements to prevail in a product liability lawsuit. Here, the Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, and San Francisco Baykeeper, which also allege violations of California's unfair competition law, want abatement, injunctive relief, compensatory damages and attorneys' fees, noting in a press release, opens new tab that California taxpayers shell out an estimated $420 million each year to clean up and prevent plastic pollution. Their case was brought in tandem with a similar action by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The AG's higher-profile suit, opens new tab remains bogged down in a fight over venue after Seeborg remanded it to San Francisco Superior Court. Exxon has appealed that decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where the dispute remains pending. In the meantime, the suit by the environmental groups has proceeded in federal court, where Seeborg must now decide if it can survive the motion to dismiss. 'What is the nuisance?' he asked plaintiffs lawyer Tyson Redenbarger, a partner at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy. 'Is it that these items are plastic (and) plastics cause pollution? Or is it that people acquire it thinking it's more recyclable than it is?' 'It's a very broad claim,' Seeborg added. 'My problem is, is it so broad that I can't really get my hands around?' Redenbarger countered that the nuisance standard itself is 'quite broad,' arguing that Exxon's 'years-long campaign to tell the public that plastic can be safely disposed of' led consumers to buy more of it, and that unrecycled plastic waste winds up in waterways or leaks chemicals into landfills. Redenbarger and spokespeople for the environmental coalition did not respond to requests for comment. Last year, New York Attorney General Letitia James came up short in a similar suit accusing PepsiCo of polluting the environment with single-use plastic packaging. In dismissing the case, a New York state court judge ruled it would run "contrary to every norm of established jurisprudence" to punish PepsiCo, because it was people, not the company, who ignored laws prohibiting littering. But Seeborg, who was appointed to the bench in 2009 by President Barack Obama, offered some indication he might not be so quick to toss the environmental groups' case – at least not at this stage of the litigation. When Exxon lawyer Dawn Sestito, a partner at O'Melveny, argued that unlike in the lead paint case — where companies allegedly touted the paint for interior use while knowing it was toxic — it's hard here "to imagine that talking about plastics as recyclable could be considered a promotion for hazardous use,' she said. Moreover, government entities also convey the message that plastic is recyclable, she said. Seeborg responded that the plaintiffs' "accusation is that you knew it wasn't, and you're in the business of polymer production,' he said. 'You may quite possibly prevail in terms of undermining the nuisance claim, but we're at the posture right now of just whether or not it can even go forward.' He added, 'This case isn't about whether going into the marketplace and saying 'Let's all recycle' is actionable. They're claiming something very different.' A few minutes later, when Sestito took aim at what she flagged as a basic disconnect in the plaintiffs' case – how is it, she said, that stating 'a product or plastics could be recyclable results in more plastic ending up in oceans or beaches or becoming pollution?' – Seeborg again shut her down. 'I don't want to beat the same drum over and over again, but is that something that would need to be explained at this stage of the litigation?' he said. 'It ultimately may need to be explained, but the question really is, have they articulated a legal theory that can advance, if they proved everything.'
North Wales Live
21-07-2025
- General
- North Wales Live
Historic Anglesey church in bid to extend its graveyard
An Anglesey church on the site of a "lost well" and with features dating back to the 12th century is bidding to extend its burial ground. St Morhaiarn's near Gwalchmai only sees two to three burials a year, but the existing cemetery is almost full. An application has been lodged with Anglesey County Council planners for the change of use of agricultural land to extend the existing cemetery. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday It has been made by Cyngor Cymuned Trewalchmai Community Council. The exact date of the church is unclear but according to the Coflein website, the chapel is circa 1500 with the chancel and nave being rebuilt in 1674. However, a doorway arch appears to include stone features dating back over 800 years. A well at the church was recorded on early maps including the 1888 Ordnance Survey Map, but was thought to have been filled in many years later with no trace remaining today. The proposed extension will be south of the existing cemetery on the eastern area of the church, a site of approximately 638 square metres. The land is currently unused pasture and plans note that all existing boundary plants will be retained and a further hedgerow boundary created, as part of the development. Natural boundaries will be planted to the east and south boundaries and a new gate to the extension area will be installed that will "provide a sufficient gap allowing hedgehogs to roam freely and forage for food and shelter without restriction," plans say. "This will also be of benefit to other small native species." One document notes that records had shown there may be otters, a protected species, in the vicinity of the site. A Groundwater Pollution Risk Assessment for the burial site was carried out. It stated: "A risk screening exercise was undertaken which indicated that as the rate of burial is low, it is considered that any discharge will have low concentrations of hazardous and non-hazardous substances. "Additionally, as there are limited water features within the area and limited potential for groundwater within the underlying geology, the risk of the cemetery extension on the groundwater and surface water is low." As the "anticipated rate of burial is low at 2-3 burials per year and therefore is considered any discharge will have low concentrations of hazardous and non-hazardous substances". It also states: "There are no other springs, boreholes or water features within 250m of the site where the water is intended for human consumption or used in food production. "The closest water course is over 30m from the proposed extension boundary (a stream located approximately 40m east)." According to the Well Hopper blog website, which explores the ancient holy wells and healing wells of North Wales, the lost well was unlikely to have been a holy well, and was known locally as "The Church Well". Little is also known of St Morhaiarn. The website suggests "maybe he is a local saint or the name may be a corruption of something else. It has been suggested that it is a variation of Mordeyrn, the saint of Nantglyn church in Denbighshire". The Coflein website describes the features and history of the historic church as "constructed of limestone rubble with grit dressings and modern slate roof". It adds: "The chancel, which is structurally undivided from the nave, has two single light windows of circa 1674, into one of which has been carved the date and initials OH 1674. "The nave features a blocked doorway of a similar date and although the North doorway is modern, it appears to incorporate the voussoirs [a stone feature ] of a C12 arch. "The North Chapel was added circa 1500 and is divided from the chancel by an arcade of two four-centred arches. "There is an original window of two 'tre-foiled' lights in a square frame in the North wall. The roof to the chapel may also be original." .
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What 'once-in-a-generation' water reform report will mean for your bills
Water industry regulator Ofwat is to be abolished following a major review into the state of water companies in England and Wales. The Independent Water Commission had been commissioned by the UK and Welsh governments to carry out the largest review of the sector since privatisation, amid a backdrop of widespread public anger over increasing pollution of rivers and seas, rising bills and bosses' bonuses. The report, released on Monday morning, outlined 88 recommendations to turn around the ailing industry. Shortly after it was published, the UK government announced it will scrap Ofwat, and bring the functions from four different regulators into one "powerful" new watchdog. Sir Jon Cunliffe, the author of the Independent Water Commission's final report, also warned that "bills are going to rise by 30% over the next five years". "There are some inescapable facts here," he told BBC Breakfast, explaining that the rising cost of producing water and dealing with wastewater, climate change, higher environmental standards and demographic pressure means infrastructure needs renewal. 'The problem comes when you suddenly go from not investing for a long period, to massive investment in order to catch up. That's really what's driven those huge bill increases that we've seen," he added. What the report says about bills The average water bill in England and Wales is forecast to rise to £603 in 2025/26, equating to approximately £1.65 per day. This would be an increase of 26% from the average of £480 last year, although there is regional variability in how much customers are charged for their water. "While in comparison to other utilities this is relatively low, there are concerns over the impact of significant increases in customer bills when set against the backdrop of cost-of-living challenges," the report says. It notes, however, that water companies in England have made a commitment to make bills affordable for all households by 2030 and develop a strategy to eliminate water poverty (households who spend more than 5% of their net income after housing costs on water). Having declined in real terms for a decade, water bills will "rise markedly" over the next five years in line with a "huge step-up of investment in the water sector", the report says. With Ofwat estimating bills rising to £2,000 a year by 2050, the commission says national social tariffs will be needed to help poorer households. Social tariffs are currently offered by individual water companies. How have bills gone up over the years Figures from Ofwat show a substantial increase in bills in the first decade after privatisation in 1989. This, according to trade association Water UK, was largely due to new environmental requirements and the addressing of "systemic underfunding" under the previous water authorities. Bills dipped in the early 2000s (to roughly the same as 2023 levels accounting for inflation), and rose through the second half of the decade. Average water bills peaked again in 2010, and have been falling since then, with the size bills not reflecting the surge of inflation we saw during the cost-of-living crisis of 2021. However, according to Ofwat's projections, we can expect a sharp uptick in the coming years as water companies attempt to make up for underinvestment in new infrastructure and poor asset maintenance in the face of rising demand and environmental challenges. In its report, the commission suggests that while other factors were at play, pressure from the government and regulators to keep bills low between 2009 and 2024 could explain a sudden surge in investment. Last year Ofwat approved a quadrupling of investment for the water sector over five years in a bid to tackle rising sewage pollution. What do water bills get spent on? Evidence provided to the Independent Commission by Ofwat provides a breakdown of how water bills are spent by companies on average. As shown in the chart below, a large proportion is spent on operating costs, which are the day-to-day expenses of providing water and sewerage service. Capital charges, the cost of borrowing money to buy or improve infrastructure, buildings and equipment, also takes up a significant portion of people's bills. Allowed return - an amount set by the regulator to determine how much money a company can make on its investments - also accounts for a significant portion. This is a way of controlling how much water companies collect from their customers in bills, but Ofwat does not have control over profits. This can be higher if a company performs efficiently, but many firms have been accused of putting profit over pollution, by neglecting their infrastructure. Large bonuses for executives of failing water companies has left many consumers angry in recent years, particularly those of Thames Water, the worst-performing in a recent Environment Agency report on pollution. Thames Water awarded bonuses worth £2.5m to senior staff this year, despite suffering an annual loss of £1.65 billion while struggling with a debt mountain of £16.79bn. However, rules introduced by Ofwat in 2023 allow the regulator to prevent water companies from using customer money to fund bonuses if they cannot show that the payouts are linked to performance. Read more Majority of Brits scared of wild swimming because of sewage (The Independent) Pledge to halve sewage pollution after 'brutal truth' of serious incidents by water companies revealed (Yahoo news) Water pollution incidents in Wales hit ten-year high (WalesOnline)
CBC
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Tales of hippo and bear encounters detailed in B.C. river conservationist's new book
River conservationist Mark Angelo, who helped create the World Rivers Day event, is set to release a new book titled River Magic: Tales From a Life on 1,000 Rivers. The longtime conservationist says that the book contains many exciting stories centred on rivers, but also talks about the importance of preserving them in the face of pollution and development.
