Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘132F’: meet the man calling out NYC’s infernally hot subway stations

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:00:41 +0000

Jack Klein takes heat readings, gives fans to overheated passengers and lugs big jugs of water into the stations

On a recent August day in the subterranean furnace of New York City’s subway, one bearded, curly haired man was studying his phone for different reasons than the other wilting passengers – to track the soaring temperatures and ponder how underground train stations can cool down in an era of climate crisis.

Extreme heat linked to deaths of over 40,000 people in England between 1988 and 2025

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:47:00 +0000

ONS data shows rising toll of climate crisis, with officials warning this summer on track to set further records

More than 40,000 more people died on the hottest days in England between 1988 and 2025 than would be expected in normal temperatures, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday.

Heatwaves show UK must do more to promote cycling and walking, campaigners say

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 07:00:37 +0000

Civil society groups argue climate crisis means transport sector needs to urgently reduce its carbon emissions

Dozens of civil society groups have demanded the UK government do more to promote cycling and walking, after this summer’s extreme heat exposed the desperate need to decarbonise transport.

This summer’s heatwaves and wildfires were “immediate, real-world manifestations of the climate emergency”, the groups said, making reform of transport – responsible for more carbon emissions than any other sector in the UK – an urgent priority.

Call to ban marmot hunting in France as campaigners say they are ‘killed for fun’

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 04:00:35 +0000

Protests and petitions planned amid growing concerns over impact of climate crisis on numbers of Alpine rodent

Animal rights campaigners are gearing up for protests and petitions aimed at persuading the French government to ban the hunting of Alpine marmots.

Open season on the rodents, members of the squirrel and groundhog family, begins in September, a few weeks before they go into a long winter hibernation.

Mood-boosting benefits of birdsong drowned out by traffic noise, study finds

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 04:00:34 +0000

Even low levels of traffic noise can negate the benefits of listening to natural sounds, researchers say

Hearing the trill or whistle of a bird while going about daily life is well known to boost people’s mood. But a new study suggests the psychological benefits of hearing birdsong are being threatened by traffic noise.

Fears for ‘gregarious’ local celebrity Sammy the elephant seal in Victorian bird flu hotspot

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:31:54 +0000

Seals and sea lions often communicate by touch and share spaces with wild birds, placing them at risk of infection from H5N1 virus

Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

Record-breaking heat dome expected to bring dangerous temperatures to US south-west

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 22:40:43 +0000

As wildfires rage and intense heat builds across the region, daytime highs of 110-11F (43-46C) are forecast

Surging temperatures are expected to broil more than 45 million people as a heat dome settles in across the south-western US through the end of August and into early September, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

London bus drivers resume strike over heatwave working amid fears over air con deal

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:59:22 +0000

Drivers concerned that bus operator’s offer to retrofit cabs on 730 buses will not be complete by next summer

London bus drivers have resumed strike action over having to work in high temperatures, amid fears that proposed improvements to air conditioning will not be complete by next summer.

About 1,500 members of the Unite union working across north London and Essex are taking part in the four-day strike from Tuesday to Friday, after industrial action earlier this month. Further stoppages are planned for the coming weeks.

NSW’s koala national park will protect threatened species and cap logging across the state. Could the Greens really block it? | Adam Morton

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:00:18 +0000

The Albanese government approved a proposal allowing the park to create carbon credits worth hundreds of millions of dollars, sparking a schism among environmentalists

What qualifies as a win in environmental campaigning?

Is it when a huge forest area that is home to a stack of threatened species, including koalas, and has been the focus of years and years of campaigning, is protected from logging?

‘I love rats but we can’t live with them’: the headache of rising rodent populations around the world

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:00:38 +0000

Robert Corrigan has been dealing with the ‘smart’ rodents all his life – and believes there are better solutions to deal with the growing infestation in the world’s cities

“The rodents have paid for every single bill I’ve ever had – every mortgage, every car payment, every pint of Guinness,” says Dr Robert Corrigan. “It’s been a great ride and I’m still at it.”

New York-based Corrigan is one of the most respected voices in the world of rodentology. Now in his 70s, he has devoted his entire adult life to studying rats and our relationship with them.