Unesco report highlights ‘unprecedented’ glacier loss driven by climate crisis, threatening ecosystems, agriculture and water sources
Retreating glaciers threaten the food and water supply of 2 billion people around the world, the UN has warned, as current “unprecedented” rates of melting will have unpredictable consequences.
Two-thirds of all irrigated agriculture in the world is likely to be affected in some way by receding glaciers and dwindling snowfall in mountain regions, driven by the climate crisis, according to a Unesco report.
Continue reading...
Breaking Waves: Ocean News
03/20/2025 - 18:00
03/20/2025 - 13:46
Amendment brought by coalition of parties says wolves add to food waste due to remains of livestock they kill
The Spanish parliament has voted through a measure that will in effect lift the hunting ban on wolves that was imposed in 2021.
A coalition led by the conservative People’s party, with the support of the far-right Vox party and Basque and Catalan nationalists, added an amendment to a law aimed at reducing Spain’s estimated 1.2bn kilograms of food waste.
Continue reading...
03/20/2025 - 13:14
Thousands of acres of rainforest is being cleared to produce palm oil, used in popular Nestlé and Mondelēz brands
West Papua’s Indigenous people have called for a boycott of KitKat, Smarties and Aero chocolate, Oreo biscuits and Ritz crackers, and the cosmetics brands Pantene and Herbal Essences, over alleged ecocide in their territory.
All are products that contain palm oil and are made, say the campaigners, by companies that source the ingredient directly from West Papua, which has been under Indonesian control since 1963 and where thousands of acres of rainforest are being cleared for agriculture.
Continue reading...
03/20/2025 - 13:00
A consortium of Black farmers in the north-east take financial hits as harsh USDA cuts threaten their operations
For the last several weeks, ever since US Department of Agriculture cuts have put her work in jeopardy, Jocelyn Germany has been asking herself: “Is it safe for us to exist” as Black farmers?
Germany is the farmer advocate of Farm School NYC (FSNYC), an urban agriculture education center focused on food sovereignty and social, economic and racial justice. About 85% of FSNYC’s funding comes from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Continue reading...
03/20/2025 - 12:54
Warm weather brings blue skies as well as pollution warnings and high pollen count
The UK has recorded its warmest day of the year so far as temperatures topped 21C on Thursday, coinciding with the spring equinox.
The highest recorded temperature was 21.3C in both Northolt, west London, and Chertsey, Surrey, the Met Office said.
Continue reading...
03/20/2025 - 11:32
Exclusive: Representatives of king, National Trust and others called on to work together to protect environment
Steve Reed called in some of England’s biggest landowners for a meeting on Thursday, asking them to come up with meaningful plans to restore nature on their estates.
Representatives for King Charles and Prince William were among those at the meeting, asked by the environment secretary to draft new land management plans to help meet the country’s legal Environment Act targets.
Continue reading...
03/20/2025 - 10:41
Campaigners condemn North Dakota jury’s ruling as Greenpeace must pay Energy Transfer at least $660m
Never miss global breaking news. Download our free app to keep up with key stories in real time.
The verdict against the environmental group Greenpeace finding it liable for huge damages to a pipeline company over protests has been described by advocacy groups as a “weaponization of the legal system” and an “assault” on free speech and protest rights.
A North Dakota jury decided on Wednesday that Greenpeace will have to pay at least $660m to the pipeline company Energy Transfer and is liable for defamation and other claims over protests in the state in 2016-2017.
Continue reading...
03/20/2025 - 08:00
Conservationists voice concern that the Ontario theme park will struggle to find suitable homes for its animals
Canada’s embattled Marineland theme park is to raise money to “expeditiously” remove animals from its grounds, including the world’s largest captive beluga population, as it looks for a buyer. But a lack of available sanctuaries in the country suggests finding a home for stranded whales, dolphins and pinnipeds will be a daunting task.
In February, the park won approval to divide its sprawling property so it can take out mortgages on separate parcels, with the aim of using the funds to keep the park operating and to move the animals. In documents filed to the city of Niagara, Marineland said the financing it had secured “requires the owner to remove the marine animals from the property expeditiously”.
Continue reading...
03/20/2025 - 06:00
The contagious, fatal illness in deer, elk and moose must be taken seriously, say experts as it takes hold in the US and reaches other countries. While it has not infected humans yet, the risk is growing
In a scattershot pattern that now extends from coast to coast, continental US states have been announcing new hotspots of chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The contagious and always-fatal neurodegenerative disorder infects the cervid family that includes deer, elk, moose and, in higher latitudes, reindeer. There is no vaccine or treatment.
Continue reading...
03/20/2025 - 05:00
Experts warn new memo could deter families from accessing food assistance, despite no changes to eligibility rules
The Trump administration is now using popular anti-hunger programs, including food assistance and school lunch, as part of its attack against immigrants in the US – a move many say will prevent large numbers of families, especially children, from getting the food benefits they’re eligible for.
In a recent memo, agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins told senior staff at the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS): “It is essential to use all available legal authority to end any incentives in FNS benefit programs that encourage illegal immigration.”
Continue reading...
