Breaking Waves: Ocean News

11/28/2023 - 11:25
Campaigners take to streets after supreme court ruling that could shut down contentious copper mining project Environmental activists in Panama have taken to the streets to celebrate a ruling by the country’s supreme court which could shut down a contentious copper mining project and bring an end to weeks of mass protests which have paralysed the country’s major roads and ports. “Today Panama celebrates a historic moment that we have been waiting for for years. At first there were only a few of us but now we all understand that Panama’s gold is green,” said Serena Vamvas, who has been protesting the mine since 2021 with Foundation My Sea (Fundación Mi Mar). Continue reading...
11/28/2023 - 09:00
Minister says aftercare must be included in targets, after concerns from woodland experts that many trees are dying Housebuilders who “just shove trees in the ground” to meet planting targets will be made to ensure they survive by watering them properly, as part of plans being considered by ministers. Under the government’s legally binding environment improvement plan targets, which replace EU nature rules, the aim is to increase England’s woodland cover from 10% to 16.5% by 2050. The government has therefore set tree planting targets and asked private businesses to contribute in return for funding or as part of a biodiversity net gain plan. Continue reading...
11/28/2023 - 06:00
Evidence of Chemours-operated plant contaminating region is ‘alleged human rights violations’, say experts appointed by council A new investigation by human rights experts appointed by the United Nations has expressed alarm at evidence of pollution from a North Carolina PFAS manufacturing plant, describing it as “alleged human rights violations and abuses against residents”. The ongoing PFAS crisis in North Carolina has been linked to a Fayetteville Works plant operated by Chemours, a chemical giant that was spun off from DuPont in 2015. Continue reading...
11/28/2023 - 05:41
Virgin Atlantic flight, partly funded by UK government, hailed by ministers but criticised by campaigners Can UK’s ‘jet zero’ hopes take off with a plane fuelled by used cooking oil? The first transatlantic flight by a commercial airliner fully powered by “sustainable” jet fuel has taken off from London Heathrow. Tuesday’s Virgin Atlantic flight, partly funded by the UK government, has been hailed by the aviation industry and ministers as a demonstration of the potential to significantly cut net carbon emissions from flying, although scientists and environmental groups are extremely sceptical. Continue reading...
11/28/2023 - 00:30
Studies of cetaceans stranded in UK waters show high levels of toxins 20 years since global ban of most PCBs, say scientists Nearly half of the whales and dolphins found in UK waters over the past five years contained harmful concentrations of toxic chemicals banned decades ago, an investigation has found. Among orcas stranded in the UK, levels of PCBs, a group of highly dangerous and persistent chemicals that do not degrade easily, were 30 times the concentration at which the animals would begin to suffer health impacts, researchers said. Continue reading...
11/28/2023 - 00:00
Exclusive: Experts ‘alarmed’ after potentially toxic chemicals detected in sources at 17 of England’s 18 water firms Potentially toxic “forever chemicals” have been detected in the drinking water sources at 17 of 18 England’s water companies, with 11,853 samples testing positive, something experts say they are “extremely alarmed” by. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – a group of 10,000 or so human-made chemicals widely used in industrial processes, firefighting foams and consumer products – were found in samples of raw and treated water tested by water companies last year, according to the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), the Guardian and Watershed Investigations has found. Continue reading...
11/27/2023 - 22:02
Lane Cove council considering legal action after at least 100 trees illegally chopped down in Longueville near Sydney Harbour Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast At least 100 trees have been illegally removed from a New South Wales harbourside suburb in an incident described as the worst act of environmental vandalism in the area’s history. The incident occurred on public land on the foreshore of Woodford bay in the Sydney suburb of Longueville. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
11/27/2023 - 19:01
Gordon Brown leads those signing letter to Cop28 and G20 presidents calling for levy to help fill ‘loss and damage’ fund The bumper revenues of oil-producing states should be subject to a $25bn levy to help pay for the impact of climate disasters on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, a group of former world leaders and leading economists has said. Seventy international figures led by the former UK prime minister Gordon Brown signed a letter calling for the measure before a crucial UN climate summit, Cop28, that begins in Dubai on Thursday. The signatories include 25 former prime ministers or presidents. Continue reading...
11/27/2023 - 19:01
Greenpeace says consumer goods group is badly off track to meet target of halving virgin plastic use by 2025 Unilever is on track to sell 53bn non-reusable sachets containing anything from sauces to shampoo in 2023, breaking its commitment to switch away from single-use plastic, a report from Greenpeace has found. The global consumer goods group has committed to reducing its plastic footprint and has said it wants to create a “waste-free world”. Under its former chief executive Paul Polman, who stepped down in 2019, Unilever positioned itself as a global leader on sustainability. Continue reading...
11/27/2023 - 14:00
Climate scientists say fossil fuel use needs to fall rapidly – but oil-rich kingdom is working to drive up demand Saudi Arabia is driving a huge global investment plan to create demand for its oil and gas in developing countries, an undercover investigation has revealed. Critics said the plan was designed to get countries “hooked on its harmful products”. Little was known about the oil demand sustainability programme (ODSP) but the investigation obtained detailed information on plans to drive up the use of fossil fuel-powered cars, buses and planes in Africa and elsewhere, as rich countries increasingly switch to clean energy. Continue reading...