Breaking Waves: Ocean News

US lawmakers push to exclude lucrative chemicals from official PFAS definition

admin — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 10:00:20 +0000

Language in Senate defense bill is probably first step to shield widely used toxic F-gases from regulation

US lawmakers and the military are pushing for a new definition of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” that would exclude a subclass of toxic compounds increasingly used across the economy and considered to be potent greenhouse gases.

Big oil faces a rising number of climate-focused lawsuits, report finds

admin — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 10:00:20 +0000

Communities, states and advocacy groups push to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for role in climate crisis

Big oil is facing a soaring number of climate-focused lawsuits, a new analysis has found. It’s a sign that more communities are demanding accountability for the industry’s contributions to the climate crisis.

‘I’ll have them with hot sauce’: should vegans eat oysters?

admin — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 07:00:17 +0000

Bivalve veganism is built on the philosophy that molluscs such as mussels and oysters feel no pain. But some say the scientific jury is still out

Beware the great green deception: 'perceptionware' is being used to hoodwink us | George Monbiot

admin — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 07:00:17 +0000

Grand schemes, many backed by government, masquerade as taking action on the environment. They should be disowned

Let’s talk about perceptionware. Perceptionware is technology whose main purpose is to create an impression of action. Whether it will ever work at scale is less important, in some cases entirely beside the point. If it reassures the public and persuades government not to regulate damaging industries, that’s mission accomplished.

Low-carbon homes can save £1,341 in bills and should be compulsory, study shows

admin — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 05:00:14 +0000

UK government urged to change regulations so new homes incorporate solar panels, heat pump, high-grade insulation and battery storage

Building new homes to low-carbon standards would save the occupants thousands of pounds, new research has shown, as experts urged the government to change the regulations on housing development.

People living in a typical three-bedroom, semi-detached newly built house would save an average of £1,341 a year if it was equipped with solar panels, a heat pump, high-grade insulation and battery storage.

Europe saved its predators from the brink of extinction. So why is it killing thousands of bears, wolves and lynx?

admin — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 04:00:13 +0000

With Sweden issuing permits to kill a fifth of its bears, and Romanian MPs voting to double its quota, the debate over hunting season has become a political issue

Don’t eat up the claim, peddled by the Coalition and conservative media, that greenies are ‘coming for your steak’ | Temperature Check

admin — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 00:00:07 +0000

Climate Change Authority’s report didn’t even contain a recommendations section, let alone a command to eat less red meat

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The notion that “greenies” are coming for the Aussie barbecue and want to rip that eye fillet from your cold dead hands is a recurring culture war flash point for many conservatives.

Massachusetts man buys $395,000 house despite warnings it will ‘fall into ocean’

admin — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 19:55:57 +0000

David Moot nabs ‘dream’ Cape Cod home next to eroding cliff in imminent danger of crumbling due to climate crisis

A man who says life’s too short to resist buying a home that might fall off a cliff in a few years has taken ownership of a house with a beautiful view that’s just 25ft (7.6 metres) from a sandy, crumbling cliff.

David Moot paid $395,000 for the house on Cape Cod on the Massachusetts coast and said he intends to enjoy it while it lasts.

2024 Wainwright prizes are ‘heartwearming’ tribute to a new generation of nature writers

admin — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 19:45:02 +0000

Top nature writing honour goes to Late Light by Michael Malay, which explores modern Britain through the ‘unloved’ lives of eels, moths, crickets and mussels

A book that explores modern Britain by examining four “unloved” animals – eels, moths, crickets and mussels – has won this year’s Wainwright prize for nature writing.

Fracking explained: the controversial extraction process that Harris and Trump sparred over

admin — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 19:34:48 +0000

Thanks to hydraulic fracturing, record amounts of oil and gas have been produced in the US in the past six years

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump clashed over fracking during Tuesday’s presidential debate. Here’s an introduction to the gas and oil extraction process that has transformed the US fossil fuel industry.