Breaking Waves: Ocean News

07/09/2024 - 08:00
From climate crisis being a crime story to presenting basic weather news in the context of climate change, here are some lessons from journalists Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope of Covering Climate Now (CCNow) hail the winners of their organization’s annual global climate journalism awards, and here describe some lessons they have taken from the more than 1,250 entries. Mark Hertsgaard is executive director and co-founder of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration committed to more and better coverage of the climate story, and the Nation magazine’s environment correspondent Kyle Pope is executive director of strategic initiatives and co-founder of Covering Climate Now, and a former editor and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review Continue reading...
07/09/2024 - 08:00
Key Largo tree cactus no longer growing naturally in US thanks to salt water inundation and soil depletion Scientists in Florida have recorded what they say is the first local extinction of a species caused by sea-level rise. The climate emergency has killed off the Key Largo tree cactus growing naturally in the US through saltwater inundation and soil depletion from hurricanes, according to researchers from the Florida Museum of Natural History, and Miami’s Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Continue reading...
07/09/2024 - 05:51
Vibrant blooms mean first stage of plan to cover 1,200 hectares is hailed as a success 18 months after planting When the sowing began on the coastline of south-west England, conservationists warned it may take a little while for the new wildflower meadows to flourish fully. But 18 months on, a vibrant display of blooms has popped up in north Devon, a joy for human visitors and a draw for precious birds, insects and mammals. Continue reading...
07/09/2024 - 05:00
Warning after intensification of storm aided by unusually hot ocean waters in much of Beryl’s path Hurricane Beryl, which slammed into Texas on Monday after wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, was supercharged by “absolutely crazy” ocean temperatures that are likely to fuel further violent storms in the coming months, scientists have warned. Beryl left more than 2m people without power after making landfall near Houston as a category 1 storm, after having rampaged through the Caribbean as a category 5 hurricane, with wind speeds reaching 165mph (265km/h), killing 11 people. Continue reading...
07/09/2024 - 04:00
Report says member states poured $1.34tn into their militaries last year – an increase of $126bn from 2022 As leaders from member countries gather to mark the 75th anniversary of Nato in Washington DC, researchers are warning that their military budgets are eroding the climate, producing an estimated 233m metric tonnes of greenhouse gas, more planet-heating pollution than some entire countries. “Our research shows that military spending increases greenhouse gas emissions, diverts critical finance from climate action, and consolidates an arms trade that fuels instability during climate breakdown,” says a new report from three international research and advocacy groups, the UK-based Transnational Institute and Tipping Point North South, and the Netherlands’ Stop Wapenhandel. Continue reading...
07/09/2024 - 03:45
Incidents from sites and pipe network increased by 19 last year to 350 amid delays in investment, company says Thames Water to tap investors for funds as it will run out of cash by next June Sewage pollution from ageing Thames Water treatment works that have not been upgraded increased last year, causing the company to again fail to meet its legal targets, according to its financial report. Across the Thames Water area, the number of incidents of pollution from treatment works and the pipe network increased to 350, compared with 331 in 2022. The rise was attributed to delays in investment to create more capacity at many of the company’s 400 ageing sewage treatment works. Chris Weston, Thames Water’s chief executive, said the works could not cope with a 40% increase in rainfall and exceptionally high levels of groundwater. Continue reading...
07/09/2024 - 03:39
Wildlife authorities are hopeful about a new technique to identify which waterways have crocs without needing to sight them Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast DNA testing could be the latest tool to help park rangers track down elusive crocodiles in tropical north Queensland. Researchers from the University of Canberra have developed a technique that can detect minute amounts of a crocodile’s mitochondrial DNA in water samples. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
07/09/2024 - 02:00
Blackened trees, dead animals and scorched earth – early wildfires have already devastated Brazil’s Pantanal and local people worry they may lose the battle to save them Perched atop blackened trees, howler monkeys survey the ashes around them. A flock of rheas treads, disoriented, in search of water. The skeletons of alligators lie lifeless and charred. The Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland and one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, is on fire. Huge stretches of land resemble the aftermath of a battle, with thick green shrubbery now a carpet of white ash, and chunks of debris falling from the sky. Continue reading...
07/09/2024 - 01:47
Activists are convinced a wartime campaign of resistance is the only way to highlight the existing system’s failure to meet the moment Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast As pro-Palestinian protesters sparked outrage scaling the roof of Parliament House last week, a few dozen activists at Newcastle were making an equally sharp point – mostly to less fanfare. Over more than two weeks, campaigners under the Blockade Australia banner have been interrupting trains near the world’s biggest coal port. My colleague Jordyn Beazley reported that by Monday at least 500 train journeys had been cancelled and more than 30 people arrested. Continue reading...
07/08/2024 - 21:23
A recently published study demonstrates how sucralose affects the behavior of cyanobacteria -- an aquatic photosynthetic bacteria -- and diatoms, microscopic algae that account for more than 30% of the primary food production in the marine food chain.