Climate change is causing UK plants to flower almost a month earlier on average, according to a study.Just as autumn leaf fall is being delayed by warmer weather, flowers are appearing earlier on trees and shrubs.But while some might welcome these untimely blooms, scientists are warning of the risks.They say if the trend continues, there are knock-on effects for birds, insects and whole ecosystems.Ecological mismatch may kick in, which would have a dramatic effect "on the functioning and productivity" of nature and farming, said lead researcher, Prof Ulf Buntgen of the University of Cambridge.ADVERTISEMENT"Our climate system is changing in a way that affects us and our environment," he told BBC News.One in three wild trees face extinctionPlant extinction 'bad news for all species'A really ...

A major deal to help end deforestation has missed its first deadline just months after it was signed at COP26, Sky News can reveal.At the Glasgow climate summit, a group of donor countries promised $500m (£370m) to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to protect the Congo Basin - which absorbs 4% of the world's carbon dioxide but is suffering widespread forest loss - in a pact signed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.Sponsored linkRecommended byMan Who Made $95 million in 2008 Reveals New PredictionVproIn return, the DRC promised to publish an audit of all logging contracts, which would help weed out the illegal ones, such as those failing to provide protections for frontline communities or biodiversity.But the audit was not published by the end of 2021 as promised, the DRC government h...

The way companies treat their employees will become the deciding factor for success or failure in our new post-pandemic era. We are in a war for talent. It's hard to believe after such a harsh 2020 and early 2021, with millions of Americans losing their jobs, we’re now talking about workers having the upper hand.We’ll likely see two types of corporate cultures arise. The winners will be the ones who learned that they need to treat their people with respect and dignity. Organizations that lack empathy and are callous toward their employees’ mental and emotional well-being will fall out of favor. Some companies have been relatively heavy-handed. David Solomon, the CEO of top-tier investment bank Goldman Sachs, demanded that his people come back to the office. He referred to remote...

 In South Korea, “business as usual” is set to change drastically with the enforcement of legislation that can hold company management, including CEOs, legally responsible for workplace accidents.The Serious Disasters Punishment Act, which came into force on Thursday, carries penalties of one year in prison or one billion won ($835,000) in fines for business owners and management in the event of accidents that cause death or serious injury.KEEP READINGlist of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Assumed as criminals’: Hong Kong defendants find bail elusivelist 2 of 4Holocaust Remembrance Day: Letters from Slovakialist 3 of 4Who should police social media?list 4 of 4Experts warn of ‘biosecurity risk’ at bustling Bali Bird Marketend of listAs the law takes effect, its themes are already in th...

Integrated container logistics company A.P. Moller – Maersk announced today an acceleration of its carbon reduction targets, aiming to achieve net zero gas emissions in 2040 across entire business and all scopes, a decade ahead of its initial 2050 ambition, and has set near-term 2030 targets to ensure emissions reductions in this decade.The company’s new targets also include a commitment to deliver net zero supply chain to customers by 2040. Maersk’s targets are expected to align the company with the net zero criteria of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) 1.5 C pathway.Supply chain decarbonization is emerging as a major focus for sustainability initiatives at companies globally, as efforts to address the climate impact of business increasingly shift to reducing emissions out...