Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Study estimates 53,000 females have died on South Georgia since 2023, with ‘dramatic impact’ on future of the species Bird flu has wiped out half of South Georgia’s breeding elephant seals, according to a study that warns of “serious implications” for the future of the species. The remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean is home to the world’s largest southern elephant seal population. Researchers estimate 53,000 females died after bird flu hit in 2023. Continue reading...

Advocates say conservative states’ push to define gender as ‘biological sex’ would backslide on decade-old language within the UN A row over the definition of the term “gender” threatens to bog down pivotal talks at the Cop30 climate summit. Before the UN talks in Brazil, hardline conservative states have pushed to define gender as “biological sex” over their concerns trans and non-binary people could be included in a major plan to ensure climate action addresses gender inequality and empowers women. Continue reading...

Climate Action Tracker report finds pledges made in past year have not cut the forecast for global heating More than half of all delegation members at Cop30 have withheld or obscured details of their affiliations, potentially concealing conflicts of interest and undermining trust in the Cop process, warns Transparency International. According to the campaign group’s examination of the UNFCCC’s official list of registered participants, 54% of participants in national delegations either did not disclose the type of affiliation they have or selected a vague category such as “Guest” or “Other”. Yet, at Cop30, thousands of delegates still do not share enough information, most from within national delegations. If Cop30 is indeed the Cop of truth, the lresidency and the UNFCCC Secretariat should now commit to reviewing and strengthening participant disclosure rules ahead of future summits, ensuring integrity and accountability at every level. Continue reading...

Amendment restricts protection for animals to allow faster house building Housing secretary Steve Reed has told Labour MPs to vote down an amendment to the new planning bill intended to protect British wildlife and its habitats from destruction. The amendment, which was passed with a large majority in the House of Lords, restricts the most controversial part of the draft bill by removing protected animals such as dormice, badgers, hedgehogs, otters and nightingales, and rare habitats such as wetlands and ancient woodlands, from new rules which allow developers to sidestep environmental laws to speed up house building. Continue reading...