Regional governments bow to pressure from agricultural industry, often amplified by far-right Vox party
Only last year it was hailed as a conservation success story: the Iberian lynx, which had been close to extinction, had sprung back to life thanks to a two-decade-long effort to expand the population.
Now, however, that progress is at risk after several regional governments in Spain acceded to pressure from farmers and hunters to block the reintroduction of the species into the wild.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
03/03/2025 - 12:39
03/03/2025 - 07:00
Scientist sounds alarm over ‘canary in the coalmine’ species including beetles and spiders
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Donald Trump’s blitz on federal science agencies has increased the risk of endangered species going extinct, fired government experts have warned.
The new administration, and its so-called “department of government efficiency”, led by the billionaire Elon Musk, has fired thousands of employees at science agencies, with funding halted at the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
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03/03/2025 - 06:35
Sudden stratospheric warming event expected to develop in next two weeks and will probably weaken the jet stream
A sudden stratospheric warming event is expected to develop over the next two weeks, leading to a rapid collapse of the polar vortex.
This will be the second and probably final disruption of the polar vortex this winter in the northern hemisphere, the first having taken place earlier last month, which was associated with a severe cold spell across much of the eastern half of the US.
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03/03/2025 - 02:00
Melting Antarctic ice is releasing cold, fresh water into the ocean, which is projected to cause the slowdown
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In a high emissions future, the world’s strongest ocean current could slow down by 20% by 2050, further accelerating Antarctic ice sheet melting and sea level rise, an Australian-led study has found.
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current – a clockwise current more than four times stronger than the Gulf Stream that links the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans – plays a critical role in the climate system by influencing the uptake of heat and carbon dioxide in the ocean and preventing warmer waters from reaching Antarctica.
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03/02/2025 - 19:01
Scottish Wildlife Trust plans to create rainforest, restore peatland and end deer stalking on Highland sporting estate
Scottish conservationists hope to convert a Highland sporting estate into a rewilding showcase after a mystery benefactor gave them more than £17.5m to buy it.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT), best known for its small nature reserves, has bought Inverbroom estate near Ullapool in north-west Scotland, complete with an 11-bedroom lodge that boasts an indoor swimming pool.
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03/02/2025 - 18:43
Lithuanian rower’s two-day wait to be rescued off Queensland comes to an end
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A Lithuanian rower has been rescued off the Queensland coast after he was caught in a tropical cyclone’s 130km/h winds and monster waves.
Aurimas Mockus ran into trouble about 740km east of Mackay while attempting a 12,000km Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego to Brisbane in his solo rowing boat.
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03/02/2025 - 12:25
Bold pledges to fund climate projects now appear under threat, exposing deeper fiscal constraints and policy dilemmas within the government
In October, the prime minister, chancellor and energy secretary pledged billions to kickstart the UK’s first carbon capture projects – one of the biggest green spending promises of the parliament. By December, Ed Miliband was signing contracts, Sir Keir Starmer vowed to “reignite our industrial heartlands” and Rachel Reeves warned that without bold action, Britain would be stuck with low growth and falling living standards. More importantly, net zero targets wouldn’t be met without removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Fast forward and the Treasury is, reportedly, preparing to scrap the £22bn plan, after economic growth failed to materialise. What a difference a few weeks make.
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03/02/2025 - 09:00
Inaugural Tune into Nature prize is aiming to highlight how the natural world is central to creative life
One is a dreamy soundscape collected from the peaks of the Dolomites. The other is a drum’n’bass track that samples a nightingale’s quickfire song.
These contrasting tunes have won the inaugural Tune into Nature music prize, a contest that seeks to showcase new music by upcoming artists that is inspired by the natural world.
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03/02/2025 - 05:00
With a beauty that belies its name, the sea slug is an invertebrate that reminds me of a happy Scottish summer
It has been a long time since I’ve thought about nudibranchs, let alone spotted one. But a lifetime ago, as a zoology undergraduate at Glasgow University, I spent hours underwater, swimming through kelp forests, corals and shipwrecks, looking out for the tiny, colourful creatures.
Diving on the west coast of Scotland is spectacular for all the reasons you might expect: the drama of the islands, bays and meandering sea lochs against the mountains, the rugged rocky shores, the awe-inspiring wildness.
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03/02/2025 - 03:30
Self-denial will save the Earth, we’re told. But big emitters seemingly haven’t had the memo
That I fully expect to be dead by the time the UK achieves net zero is, of course, no reason to dodge interim advice from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK’s official climate authority. Its latest report to government is of particular interest to the public, in arguing that a third of the emissions cuts required to achieve net zero by 2050 will have to come from consumers themselves.
Unless we – individual households – accept heat pumps and electric cars and deterrents to flying and less meat (skipping two kebabs per week), the CCC explains, the target cannot be met. And assuming the introduction of a selective news blackout that reduces public awareness of UK plutocrats, celebrities and influencers with colossal carbon footprints, such a behavioural transformation may not be impossible.
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