Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Activists warn of ‘extreme anger’ if ministers fail to reform water regulator

admin — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 05:00:33 +0000

Sources say government has dismissed some of the more ambitious ideas for fixing sewage crisis

Anti-sewage campaigners have warned of “extreme anger” if the Labour government does not radically reform the water regulator.

Sources at the Environment Agency (EA) and in the Labour party have told the Guardian that while Labour had spent time considering reforms of the EA and Ofwat in order to fix the sewage crisis, some stricter options that had been proposed were now off the table.

Major incident in West Midlands after sodium cyanide spill into Walsall canal

admin — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 03:55:45 +0000

Public told to stay away from area and Environment Agency call in after spillage in Pleck of toxic chemical

A major incident has been declared in the West Midlands after sodium cyanide was spilled into a canal, with the Walsall council warning of a potential serious health risk to anyone who has had direct physical contact with the water.

Walsall council said people must avoid an extended area of the canal and towpaths from the Walsall lock flight to the lock flights at Rushall, Ryders Green and Perry Barr.

Half a billion children live in areas with twice as many very hot days as in 1960s

admin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 23:01:25 +0000

Unicef analysis also finds children in eight countries spend more than half the year in temperatures above 35C

Almost half a billion children are growing up in parts of the world where there are at least twice the number of extremely hot days every year compared with six decades ago, analysis by Unicef has found.

The analysis by the UN’s children’s agency examined for the first time data on changes in children’s exposure to extreme heat over the past 60 years.

RSPB criticised by watchdog for accusing politicians of being liars on X

admin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 23:00:26 +0000

Charity Commission says tweets about environmental protections were inappropriate in ‘tone and nature’

The RSPB has been criticised by the English charities watchdog over social media posts in which it accused named government ministers of being “liars” for watering down environmental protections.

Canada’s 2023 wildfires produced nearly a decade’s worth of blaze emissions

admin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 22:01:24 +0000

Fires made at least three times more likely by climate crisis and emitted about 2bn tonnes of CO2, data reveals

Canada’s “record-shattering” wildfires last year produced nearly as much greenhouse gas emissions in one season as would be expected over a decade of fires in normal circumstances, data has shown.

Study reveals urban trees suffer more from heat waves and drought than their rural counterparts

admin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 18:14:12 +0000

A recent study details how trees in New York City and Boston are more negatively impacted by heat waves and drought than trees of the same species in nearby rural forests. The finding highlights the challenges urban trees face in the context of climate change and underscores the importance of tailored urban forestry management as a tool for protecting tree species and reducing urban heat islands.

‘The dumbest climate conversation of all time’: experts on the Musk-Trump interview

admin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 17:59:15 +0000

Trump talked about ‘nuclear warming’ while Musk said the only reason to quit fossil fuels is that their supply is finite

US workers launch Heat Week to fight for ‘the right to water, shade and rest’

admin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 16:00:18 +0000

In probably the hottest summer ever, workers are organizing in 13 cities to raise alarm about workplace heat exposure

As temperatures in Baltimore neared 100F earlier this month, 36-year-old sanitation worker Ronald Silver II died after he was found lying on the hood of a car and asking for water.

Urban birds are teeming with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, study finds

admin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 15:00:18 +0000

Exposure to bacteria in landfill sites and polluted rivers may explain prevalence among city-dwelling birds

Urban ducks and crows might offer us a connection to nature, but scientists have found wild birds that live near humans are more likely to harbour bacteria resistant to important antibiotics.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is largely caused by the overuse of drugs such as antibiotics among humans and livestock.

Toyota hybrid among cars found to guzzle more petrol than advertised, study finds

admin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 15:00:17 +0000

Corolla Cross hybrid 2024 used 4.5 litres of fuel per 100km, 7% more than Toyota advertised, while Audi and Subaru models used less