Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Trump EPA’s arguments for letting power plants spew unlimited pollution ‘dead wrong’

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:20 +0000

Claims that dismantling pollution rules will lower energy bills and have little climate impact are far from convincing

In allowing US power plants to emit any amount of planet-heating pollution they wish to, the Trump administration made two striking claims – that this will cut Americans’ electricity bills and that the pollution itself doesn’t really matter anyway. Both claims struggle to stand up to even basic scrutiny.

Microplastics in soil pose global threat by acting like ‘Trojan horse’ to deliver toxins

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:19 +0000

Exclusive: Plastic surfaces form hotspots with an increase of antibiotic-resistant genes, study finds

Microplastics act like a “Trojan horse” delivering pollutants, pesticides and bacteria through the soil, a five-year multinational research project has found.

Datacenter rush will create ‘tsunami’ of discarded electronics, report says

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:00:19 +0000

Global push will triple toxic e-waste annually in 25 years, filling enough shipping containers to circle globe six times

The ongoing campaign to build thousands of massive datacenters for AI will create a “tsunami” of discarded electronics, putting the world on a course to triple its annual generation of toxic e-waste in the next 25 years, a new report projects.

‘We’re near a breaking point:’ firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire season

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:00:16 +0000

US grapples with federal firefighter shortage as crews say they’re spread thin and lack resources during unrelenting year of fire

Firefighters battling enormous wildfires in the United States say the federal government is failing them at a time when supercharged blazes have made their jobs exponentially more dangerous.

Company behind failed Surrey oilfield project sells site at massive loss

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:00:15 +0000

New owners apply for permission to extract oil in Horse Hill despite landmark ruling from supreme court in 2024

After years of trying to dig for oil in Surrey, the company behind the drilling project that was turned down in a landmark supreme court ruling has sold off the site for a fraction of the money it spent on it, and rebranded as a clean energy company.

Meanwhile, the new owners, who picked up the site for £1m, are applying, once again, for permission to dig.

People protecting nature and land set up self-defence units amid threat of murder

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 05:00:10 +0000

Defenders of forests and rivers killed at rate of one every three days in 2025, with 85% of deaths in Latin America

Nature and land defenders were murdered at the rate of one every three days last year, prompting many communities to set up self-defence units, according to the latest annual death toll by the independent watchdog Global Witness.

Airlines should pay for CO2 removal if Heathrow expands, say climate advisers

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:00:12 +0000

Climate Change Committee says government cannot expand airport without requiring aviation industry to clean up its emissions

Heathrow airport should be allowed to expand only if airlines pay for the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the government’s climate advisers have said.

Air pollution linked to higher suicide risk, international research suggests

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:30:01 +0000

Analysis of 29 studies highlights potentially heightened danger from small particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide

Air pollution is associated with an increased risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts, according to research.

3M, DuPont and more to face lawsuit on Pfas in US firefighters’ protective gear

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:06:55 +0000

Connecticut plaintiffs say ‘forever chemicals’ in turnout gear increase risk of cancer by absorption and inhalation

Indonesian wildfires threaten leading orangutan research site in Borneo

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:57:16 +0000

Critically endangered Bornean orangutans flee forests as staff at Cabang Panti work round the clock to stave off blaze

Wildfires in Indonesia are sweeping through a critical research site for Bornean orangutans and are now threatening a celebrated research camp, home to one of the world’s longest-running studies of wild apes.