Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Swing states in US election are biggest winners in Democrats’ landmark climate bill

admin — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:00:10 +0000

Seven states received almost half of funds for clean energy manufacturing, though there is little evidence it will deliver electorally for Democrats

Suspected poisoning of 30 magpies in Cootamundra under investigation

admin — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 09:29:43 +0000

Local vet says nine birds have died and the rest are being treated, with many unable to stand or walk

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The New South Wales environmental watchdog is investigating a suspected poisoning that has left nine magpies dead and more than a dozen others needing treatment.

Residents near Lancashire chemicals plant told to wash homegrown produce

admin — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 09:00:34 +0000

Exclusive: council issues advisory as investigation begins and documents reveal estimates of PFOA emissions

People living near a chemicals plant in Lancashire have been told to wash and peel vegetables from their gardens before eating them, while an investigation into potential contamination of soil in the area with a banned toxic chemical gets under way.

UK weather: commuters face travel disruption after heavy rainfall

admin — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 06:00:45 +0000

Thirty-five flood warnings in place across England after some areas get more than 100mm of rain in 48 hours

Flooded roads and cancelled trains caused travel disruption to commuters on Tuesday, after some parts of England received more than a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

Woburn in Bedfordshire recorded 132mm rain in the last 48 hours, more than twice its September average rainfall, according to the Met Office.

‘The otter came so close I could smell her fishy breath’: scribbles and sketches from Scotland’s wild isles

admin — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 06:00:31 +0000

In an extract from her new book, Still Waters & Wild Waves, the artist and illustrator Angela Harding documents the wildlife and landscapes of the Scottish islands Fair Isle and Shetland

Words and images: Angela Harding

Norway is shying away from tourism – here’s what other countries could learn | Shazia Majid

admin — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 06:00:30 +0000

Norwegians are putting their natural environment (and weekend activities) ahead of tourism’s economic benefits

In Norway, nature is something of a national obsession. Norwegian children are taught that “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”, and Norwegian babies are packed into thermals and overalls and taken on day trips to the woods. Cross-country skiing, hunting for wild mushrooms or cloudberries, or huffing and puffing up a mountain are standard weekend activities.

Rich countries could raise $5tn of climate finance a year, study says

admin — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 05:00:29 +0000

Simple measures could raise five times more money than poorer countries are asking for, research claims

Rich countries could raise five times the money that poor countries are demanding in climate finance, through windfall taxes on fossil fuels, ending harmful subsidies and a wealth tax on billionaires, research has shown.

Bird photographer of the year 2024 winners – in pictures

admin — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 00:10:00 +0000

The winning images in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition have been selected from 23,000 entries from around the world. The overall winner Patricia Homonylo’s image showed birds killed by colliding with windows

Wildlife photographer of the year 2024 – preview

Kerry gives scathing rating on climate action: ‘Is there a letter underneath Z?’

admin — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 20:51:58 +0000

Former secretary of state accuses oil and gas companies of ‘business as usual’ at major climate summit in New York

Countries are ignoring commitments they made less than a year ago to shift away from fossil fuels and to provide aid to those most vulnerable to the climate crisis, a host of leading figures have admitted during a gloomy start to a major climate summit in New York.

Earth may have breached seven of nine planetary boundaries, health check shows

admin — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 18:00:15 +0000

Ocean acidification close to critical threshold, say scientists, posing threat to marine ecosystems and global liveability

Industrial civilisation is close to breaching a seventh planetary boundary, and may already have crossed it, according to scientists who have compiled the latest report on the state of the world’s life-support systems.

“Ocean acidification is approaching a critical threshold”, particularly in higher-latitude regions, says the latest report on planetary boundaries. “The growing acidification poses an increasing threat to marine ecosystems.”