Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Albanese government says Australia on target to reduce emissions – but campaigners say they could do more

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 14:00:29 +0000

Departmental analysis includes contentious measurements, but climate minister says government is cleaning up after ‘decade of denial, delay, dysfunction and utter neglect’

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In Wales, we’re one more flood away from another disaster like Aberfan | Aaron Thierry

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 12:00:03 +0000

It is only a matter of time before a mountainside is brought down. We need climate adaptation help – and we need it now

Record number of English bathing sites classified as having poor water quality

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 11:48:56 +0000

River water quality distinctly worse than that of coastal bathing sites, results from tests for harmful bacteria found

Water quality has been designated as poor in a record number of bathing areas this year after 16 rivers were included in summer testing for harmful bacteria, figures reveal.

Selfies and surf simulators: the young cruisers driving boom in sea holidays

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 07:00:05 +0000

A new generation is taking to the ocean in growing numbers – and fears over the environmental impact of cruise ships appear not to be denting their popularity

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This summer was the first time 31-year-old Daisie Morrison had been on a cruise when she set sail on a two-week holiday with two friends, also in their early 30s.

Uncontacted hunter-gatherers facing threat of genocide because of minerals mining, claims report

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 05:00:02 +0000

Survival International says Hongana Manyawa in Indonesia are at risk but mining company says the people in ‘voluntary’ contact with workers

Uncontacted hunter-gatherers in Indonesia “are facing a severe and immediate threat of genocide” because of mining for minerals on their lands for use in electric vehicles, a report claims.

'Biodiversity is not a luxury': Connection between wealth and ecosystem health

admin — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 21:30:30 +0000

This study examines the positive correlation between an area's wealth and biodiversity, known as the 'luxury effect.' The authors present an alternative framework for understanding links between socio-economic factors and ecosystem health which emphasizes the agency of less-wealthy communities in promoting healthy ecosystems where they live.

Managing forests with smart technologies

admin — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:56:35 +0000

Deforestation has remained a significant issue globally, with primary forests contributing to 16 per cent of the total tree cover loss in the last two decades, driven by climate change and intensive human activity. This threatens natural resources, biodiversity, and people's quality of life. To protect forests, scientists have developed Forest 4.0, an intelligent forest data processing model integrating blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

Revealed: how a San Francisco navy lab became a hub for human radiation experiments

admin — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:00:02 +0000

Operations at a cold war lab exposed at least 1,073 people to radiation. Risks to the nearby communities persist

Exposed: The Human Radiation Experiments at Hunters Point is a special report by the San Francisco Public Press, an independent non-profit news organization focused on accountability, equity and the environment.

In September 1956, Cpl Eldridge Jones found himself atop a sunbaked roof at an old army camp about an hour outside San Francisco, shoveling radioactive dirt.

Inheritance tax on farms should be delayed to avoid unfairness, says thinktank

admin — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 17:49:07 +0000

IFS suggests gifts of land before a certain date could be tax-free so that elderly farmers would not be caught out

Ministers should give farmers an inheritance tax holiday for the next few years, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said as it warned that government changes to agricultural taxes risked treating some landowners unfairly.

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, announced in her budget last month that farmers with a business worth more than £1m could be subjected to 20% inheritance tax, prompting a tractor protest outside parliament.

Cop29 deal fails to consider inflation so is not tripling of target, economists say

admin — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 17:22:19 +0000

Experts say financial movements mean poor nations will in effect get billions less in value from £300bn pledge

A failure to factor in inflation means the $300bn (£240bn) climate finance deal agreed at Cop29 is not the tripling of pledges that has been claimed, economists have said.