Norway’s wilderness areas will keep their canine edge after the government scrapped plans to cull two-thirds of the country’s wolf population. The cull was intended to protect sheep flocks, but was opposed by thousands of people across the world who signed petitions in protest. The reprieve was announced in December, just in time to save 32 wolves. However, licensed hunting was still allowed for 15 wolves who are outside of the wolf management zone, some of which have already been shot.
A small French town has become a pioneer in renewable energy, opening the world’s first solar panel-covered road. The one-kilometre ‘Wattway’ in Touruvre-au-Perche did not come cheap, costing €5 million (around $5.3 million), but it is hoped that the 2,800 square metres of solar panels will power the town’s street lighting. The French government is planning over 1,000 kilometres of ‘solar roads’ within the next five years, but there are concerns that solar panels laid on flat surfaces are less efficient than those on sloping areas, such as roofs.
