Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘It’s the future of sugar’: new technology feeds Vermont maple syrup boom amid climate crisis

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 16:00:42 +0000

The season to tap trees is now earlier and longer, but new processes and generations are helping the industry thrive

On a warm May Monday, more than three dozen high school students took to the forest behind a former dairy barn at Vermont State University in Randolph.

In teams of four, they ran blue plastic tubing from tree to tree, racing to connect the tubes across three trees in 30 minutes. One student leaned back and pulled it taut with his body weight while another secured tube to tree. Quickly, they dashed to the next in what appears to be a twisted tug-of-war.

Shell to pause construction of huge biodiesel plant in Rotterdam

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 15:55:19 +0000

Technical difficulties blamed for new blow to firm’s sustainable energy plans

Shell has paused the construction of one of Europe’s largest biofuel plants which was expected to convert waste into green jet fuel and biodiesel by the end of the decade.

The oil company said on Tuesday it would “temporarily pause” work on one of its biggest energy transition projects to address the technical difficulties that have delayed its progress so far.

Ruling paves way for businesses and public to sue water firms over sewage

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 15:19:48 +0000

Decision by supreme court means water companies could be sued for damage caused by dumping of human waste

Water companies could face a spate of legal challenges by people and businesses affected by sewage pollution after a ruling that United Utilities could be sued by a private company for damage caused by the dumping of human waste.

Lawyers said it was a “watershed moment” as the courts had previously ruled that penalties for water companies were a matter for the regulator, and companies could not sue firms for damage caused to their property by sewage pollution.

Ants can carry out life-saving amputations on injured nest mates, study shows

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 15:00:43 +0000

Research on carpenter ants provides first example of a non-human animal severing limbs to curb infections

It sounds like a scene from a Spielberg film: an injured worker undergoes an emergency amputation, performed by one of her colleagues, allowing her to live another day. But this is not a human story – it is behaviour seen in ants.

A third of land set aside for restoration in worse state than before, Australian offset audit finds

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 15:00:43 +0000

Federal review sparks fresh warnings that biodiversity scheme is increasing risk of animals going extinct

Judge halts Biden administration’s delay of consideration of liquefied natural gas projects

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 14:14:16 +0000

Judge indicated that he expected states’ suit against Department of Energy to allow new LNG projects to succeed

The Biden administration cannot delay consideration of projects aimed at exporting liquefied natural gas while a legal challenge by 16 Republican-led states plays out in federal court, a Louisiana judge said on Monday.

US district judge James Cain Jr, a Trump appointee, sided with the states, granting a preliminary injunction that puts the Biden administration’s delay on hold.

Port infrastructure delays threaten UK’s transition to net zero, industry says

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 11:54:34 +0000

Dropoff in government approvals put billions of investment in offshore wind schemes at risk, ports bodies warn

Business live – latest updates

The UK’s transition to net zero is under threat as delays in approving new infrastructure put billions of pounds of investment in offshore wind schemes and other vital upgrades at risk, big ports have said.

The fossil finder: one man’s lifelong search for fragments of Britain’s Jurassic past – photo essay

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 11:15:36 +0000

Richard Forrest has spent half a century combing beaches for ammonites and other fossils. Along the Dorset coast, the constant shift of earth, rocks and sand continually reveals fresh evidence of life millions of years ago

Cambodia jails 10 environmentalists in ‘crushing blow to civil society’

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 09:26:02 +0000

Activists from the award-winning Mother Nature found guilty on charges of plotting against government

Ten activists from a prominent youth-led environmental group in Cambodia have been sentenced to between six and eight years in jail in a case human rights experts have widely condemned.

The activists from Mother Nature, an award-winning group of environmental campaigners, were found guilty on charges of plotting against the government, while three were also convicted of insulting the king. They denied the charges.

Biden unveils rules to protect millions of US workers from extreme heat

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 09:00:40 +0000

Proposal would create first federal standard for workplace exposure to extreme heat, which kills dozens each year

The Biden administration has unveiled a long-awaited proposal to protect workers from extreme temperatures.

If finalized, the rule will establish the nation’s first-ever federal safety standard for excessive heat exposure in the workplace and protect as many as 36 million indoor and outdoor workers from heat-related injury.