Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Coalition plan to scrap energy rules for new houses condemned as ‘cost-of-living timebomb’

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:00:32 +0000

Proposal to cut building costs by scrapping the construction code would increase bills for the poorest households, critics say

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Burnham to consider ban on disposable barbecues as wildfires rage in UK

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:20:10 +0000

PM to look at imposing restriction on devices in public spaces, though campaigners fear it does not go far enough

The government will look at banning disposable barbecues as wildfires continue to rage across the UK, Andy Burnham has said.

Disposable barbecues have been the cause of a number of serious fires over the last few years, but campaigners were critical of the prime minister’s failure to link those fires more broadly to the climate crisis.

Too many holes! Why badgers are digging up Britain’s lovingly maintained golf courses

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:04:38 +0000

Thanks to the drought, these black-and-white beauties are struggling to catch worms in the rock-hard earth. But there’s still good foraging on well-watered fairways and greens

Name: Badgers.

Age: European badgers live for five to eight years in the wild. They have been in the UK, where this story is set, for half to three-quarters of a million years.

Powerful storms in US midwest leave three dead and 800,000 without power

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:11:21 +0000

Winds of more than 80mph, severe flooding and tornadoes swept through Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky

Powerful storms swept across ⁠the midwest on Tuesday, leaving three dead and more than 800,000 without power in four states as winds gusts of more than 80mph (130km/h) tore down trees and power lines.

⁠In Indiana, a four-year-old child died after a tree fell on his ⁠home in Geneva Township and a person died in a suspected weather-related house explosion in Portage, a city about 30 miles south-east of Chicago.

Top chefs find grouse in short supply as wildfires add to heat over shoots

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:19:57 +0000

As London restaurants say wild birds are smaller and fewer this year, experts say countryside should not be ‘playground for bloodsports’

Every year on 12 August, fans of traditional British cuisine flock to plush restaurants in Mayfair to dine on grouse served with bread sauce and game chips. But those hoping to find the small wild birds, sourced from the UK’s moorlands, may be disappointed.

Wildfires have been raging on moors across the UK, burning habitats and incinerating wildlife, after record-breaking heat turned the landscape into a tinderbox.

Humpbacks return to Rio: the whales are back from the brink of extinction – but will tourism help or hinder?

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:00:28 +0000

The gigantic aquatic acrobats are exciting Brazil’s tourists as numbers recover from whaling. But some marine biologists question how booming tourism and conservation can coexist

The anticipation is palpable onboard the Boaventura II as the yacht sets off from Rio de Janeiro at sunrise. Once beyond the Cagarras Islands, rocky outcrops just three miles off Ipanema beach, the group gathers at the bow and starts scanning the horizon.

A huge AI datacenter is planned near Mar-a-Lago. The Everglades could pay the price

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:30:27 +0000

Plans for hyperscale datacenter in Palm Beach county prompt concerns over water and electricity demands

Halting the march of the armyworm: fungus discovery offers hope to African farmers

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:27 +0000

South African scientist’s breakthrough research shows soil fungus could be used in fight against devastating crop pest

Hearing about fields full of dead caterpillars enveloped in a mysterious white substance intrigued the South African scientist Letodi Luki Mathulwe. Something was killing off the African armyworm – one of the most devastating pests for farmers in east and southern Africa.

The white substance was a naturally occurring fungus and it was wiping out the caterpillar, which gained its name from its march-like advance through fields of crops.

Drone footage shows rare bird’s-eye view of stingrays off New York coast

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:27 +0000

With wing spans up to 3ft, the shy cownose ray species typically arrive in Long Island waters in the warmer months

Drone footage of dozens of stingrays in the ocean off New York has captivated beachgoers and marine enthusiasts, offering a rare bird’s-eye view of a species that scientists say has visited the area for decades.

I was enjoying growing vegetables. Then the climate crisis raised its ugly head | Bim Adewunmi

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:26 +0000

My child and I were bonding over our hit-and-miss approach to reaping crops. But with heatwaves pushing more of Britain into drought, it’s starting to feel like a luxury we can’t afford