Breaking Waves: Ocean News

02/08/2025 - 03:00
Developing countries urge biggest polluters to act as Trump’s return to the White House heightens geopolitical turmoil The vast majority of governments are likely to miss a looming deadline to file vital plans that will determine whether or not the world has a chance of avoiding the worst ravages of climate breakdown. Despite the urgency of the crisis, the UN is relatively relaxed at the prospect of the missed date. Officials are urging countries instead to take time to work harder on their targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and divest from fossil fuels. Continue reading...
02/08/2025 - 00:00
Exclusive: Analysis suggests development in flood regions result of Labour push for 1.5m new homes in five years More than 100,000 new homes will be built on the highest-risk flood zones in England in the next five years as part of the government’s push for 1.5m extra properties by the end of this parliament, Guardian analysis suggests. Building on areas with the highest risk of serious flooding is supposed to be discouraged. Experts say development should be avoided unless absolutely necessary because there is a significant chance of regular deluges, which will flood the properties, cause hundreds of millions of pounds of economic damage and make homes uninsurable. Continue reading...
02/07/2025 - 15:27
A scientist has discovered a hopping treasure trove -- 16 new species of grasshoppers living in the thorny scrubs of U.S. and Mexican deserts.
02/07/2025 - 14:00
Highway agency ordered states to no longer spend funds allocated under Biden’s EV charging station program The Trump administration has ordered US states to suspend a $5bn electric vehicle charging station program in a further blow to the environmental movement since the president’s return to the White House. In a memo issued on Thursday to state transportation directors, the transportation department’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) ordered states not to spend any funds allocated to them under the Biden administration as part of the national electric vehicle infrastructure (NEVI) program. Continue reading...
02/07/2025 - 12:26
New research using publicly-shared DNA barcodes and citizen science images have provided new evidence on the establishment and spread of a biological control agent used for the control of the major invasive shrub Lantana camara.
02/07/2025 - 08:36
Residents living near the Sarandí have long complained about pollution in the area A small river in greater Buenos Aires was dyed a deep and worrying shade of red on Thursday after what is thought to have been a leak of dye from a nearby factory. The violent hue of the Sarandí, which runs through the municipality of Avellaneda, six miles (9.6km) south of the Argentinian capital, alarmed local residents, who have long complained about industrial pollution in the area. Continue reading...
02/07/2025 - 06:00
Musk believes Tesla’s rivals are more vulnerable to Trump’s moves against electric vehicles Donald Trump’s attempts to slash incentives for electric cars would cause sales of the vehicles to plummet, with this effort cheered on by a seemingly confounding supporter – Elon Musk, the billionaire chief executive of Tesla and erstwhile champion for action on the climate crisis. Trump has said that he “will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American auto workers”. Continue reading...
02/07/2025 - 03:00
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
02/07/2025 - 02:00
We are the post-pandemic flâneurs: stepping out of social media silos to meet people and connect with the world around us When I moved back to London from Rome just before the second lockdown in 2020, I found a city that was hardly welcoming, with shops closed and an atmosphere of silent apprehension. Young, single people like me were only socialising online with existing friends, and opportunities to make fresh connections were rare. When I met Irenka from Poland at a literary festival, she looked as thirsty for new friends as I was. As we started complaining about the difficulties of mingling she introduced me to an app that allows people to find new pals on organised walks. I quickly downloaded it. Continue reading...
02/06/2025 - 19:01
Experts say mandatory reporting on energy and water use is needed to avoid irreparable damage to environment Tech companies should be required by law to report the energy and water consumption for their data centres, as the boom in AI risks causing irreparable damage to the environment, experts have said. AI is growing at a rate unparalleled by other energy systems, bringing heightened environmental risk, a report by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) said. Expand mandatory environmental reporting. Provide information on environmental impacts of AI systems. Set environmental sustainability requirements for data centres. And reconsider data collection, transmission, storage and management practices. Continue reading...