Breaking Waves: Ocean News

09/06/2024 - 09:05
Party kicks off post-election conference saying chancellor is ‘not looking in the right place’ for money for public services Keir Starmer’s government is “not looking in the right place” when he says there is no money for public services, the Greens’ leaders have said as the party began a celebratory post-election conference with a series of attacks on a perceived lack of ambition from Labour. What should have been a joint speech in Manchester by Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer, co-leaders of the Greens in England and Wales was delivered by Ramsay alone after Denyer was struck down by flu-like symptoms. Continue reading...
09/06/2024 - 09:00
Many ready-to-drink cocktails have as much sugar as Coca-Cola – but a loophole avoids the ‘ultra-processed’ tag If you’ve browsed the refrigerated section of a liquor store recently, a bevy of pre-mixed cocktails may have caught your eye – piña coladas, vodka mules, rum and cokes, even a mojito. And if you’ve cracked one open, you may have thought, “A little sweet for my taste, but not bad.” Turn the bottle around to look for the nutrition facts label to figure out exactly how much sugar or artificial sweetener is in there … and you’re likely to come up empty. Many ready-to-drink cocktails and alcopops contain as much sugar as carbonated beverages like Coca-Cola. All that sugar – and other additives – has many alcoholic beverages falling into the category of “ultra-processed foods” (UPF). But unlike other sugary beverages, most alcoholic drinks aren’t required to print nutrition facts – opening up a loophole for ultra-processed foods to unknowingly sneak their way into our diets. Continue reading...
09/06/2024 - 07:36
Donald Trump gets everything wrong about the climate crisis. The results of the vote in November could reverberate for a million years Here is the biggest thing happening on our planet as we head into the autumn of 2024: the earth is continuing to heat dramatically. Scientists have said that there’s a better than 90% chance that this year will top 2023 as the warmest ever recorded. And paleoclimatologists were pretty sure last year was the hottest in the last 125,000 years. The result is an almost-cliched run of disasters: open Twitter/X anytime for pictures of floods pushing cars through streets somewhere. It is starting to make life on this planet very difficult, and in some places impossible. And it’s on target to get far, far worse. Continue reading...
09/06/2024 - 06:07
Authorities in Dutch capital launch ‘Operation plant pot’, saying excessive pot placement threatens accessibility Residents have reacted with bemusement at plans by authorities in Amsterdam to crack down on what it sees as a plague of messy plant pots. In an approach named “Operation plant pot” by the local media, the Dutch capital’s central district is limiting residents to two pots with footprints no larger than 50cm by 50cm, made of “sustainable” material and placed against their front wall. Rogue gardens of pots in parking spots and under trees will be confiscated, according to the policy memo. Continue reading...
09/06/2024 - 05:39
Activists says EU court ruling on transparency makes mockery of laws to protect the environment Campaigners have said that the EU is failing to enforce rules on illegal fishing, and allowing member states to conceal information that could help uncover breaches of fishing law. The court of justice of the EU ruled on Thursday that member states could keep vital details of their implementation of fishing rules under wraps, in a blow to environmental campaigners hoping to use the information to show whether the regulations are working. Continue reading...
09/06/2024 - 05:00
Research says outdoor light exposure in evening increases prevalence of the disease, especially in people under age 65 New research claims that exposure to outdoor light at night may increase the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in people under the age of 65. The researchers who conducted the study, funded by a National Institutes of Health grant and published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience on Friday, said they have found correlations between areas of the US with excessive exposure to artificial light at night and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading...
09/06/2024 - 02:00
Exclusive: Reliance on fossil fuels fell in August to less than one-fifth of all electricity generated across country Great Britain’s electricity system has recorded its greenest ever summer after growing numbers of wind and solar farms cut the need for gas power plants to fresh lows. Analysis of energy generation data, commissioned by the Guardian, revealed that Britain’s reliance on gas generation fell in August to less than one-fifth of all electricity, or 4 terawatt hours (TWh), its lowest ever level for a one-month period. Continue reading...
09/06/2024 - 02:00
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
09/06/2024 - 01:00
The third edition of Yeast looks at how human food consumption and production affects the social sphere and contributes to climate catastrophe • Yeast photo festival: From Planet to Plate, is in Matino and Salento, Italy, from 19 September to 3 November Continue reading...
09/05/2024 - 13:18
New research shows that cases of valley fever, which in rare cases can be fatal, have risen dramatically in recent years At least 19 people contracted valley fever, a fungal infection that in rare cases can be fatal, after attending an outdoor music festival in southern California in May, public health officials have reported. The number of illnesses associated with the five-day Lightning in a Bottle event has almost quadrupled over the last month. Valley fever is caused by inhaling Coccidioides, a fungus endemic to the soil of the US south-west. New research shows that cases of the illness have risen dramatically in recent years. Continue reading...