Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Eight climate activists arrested in Germany over airport protest

admin — Sat, 18 May 2024 11:42:29 +0000

About 60 flights cancelled after members of Letzte Generation glue themselves to ground at Munich

Eight climate activists have been arrested after causing Munich airport to close, leading to about 60 flight cancellations.

Six activists broke through a security fence and glued themselves to access routes leading to runways, officials and local media reported.

Fresh floods in Afghanistan kill at least 50 after heavy rain brings devastation

admin — Sat, 18 May 2024 10:35:02 +0000

Thousands of homes and farming land damaged in Ghor province, a week after over 300 killed in flash floods

At least 50 people were killed in a fresh bout of heavy rain and flooding in central Afghanistan, according to an official.

Cases of waterborne disease in Devon may rise for two weeks, official says

admin — Sat, 18 May 2024 10:16:49 +0000

Local health director says cryptosporidium in Brixham ‘more or less dealt with’ but new cases likely because of delayed symptoms

Health officials are expecting more cases of a waterborne disease in Devon, as an MP said “heads are going to roll” over the outbreak and that the anger among residents was “palpable”.

The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed 46 cases of cryptosporidium infection in the Brixham area, while more than 100 other people have reported symptoms, including diarrhoea, stomach pains and dehydration.

Sticky trick: new glue spray kills plant pests without chemicals

admin — Sat, 18 May 2024 05:00:04 +0000

Edible oil droplets trap bugs without the harm to people and wildlife that synthetic pesticides can cause

Tiny sticky droplets sprayed on crops to trap pests could be a green alternative to chemical pesticides, research has shown.

Differing values of nature can still lead to joined up goals for sustainability

admin — Fri, 17 May 2024 15:16:02 +0000

Recognizing and respecting the different ways nature is valued can enable better environmental decision-making, according to new research.

Honduran city’s air pollution is almost 50 times higher than WHO guidelines

admin — Fri, 17 May 2024 14:43:12 +0000

San Pedro Sula is rated ‘dangerous’ as effects of forest fires, El Niño and the climate crisis cause a spike in respiratory illnesses

The air quality in San Pedro Sula, the second-largest city in Honduras, as been classified as the most polluted on the American continent due to forest fires and weather conditions aggravated by El Niño and the climate crisis.

Economic damage from climate change six times worse than thought – report

admin — Fri, 17 May 2024 14:00:37 +0000

A 1C increase in global temperature leads to a 12% decline in world gross domestic product, researchers have found

The economic damage wrought by climate change is six times worse than previously thought, with global heating set to shrink wealth at a rate consistent with the level of financial losses of a continuing permanent war, research has found.

Cop29 at a crossroads in Azerbaijan with focus on climate finance

admin — Fri, 17 May 2024 11:00:37 +0000

Fossil-fuel dependent country hopes to provide bridge between wealthy global north and poor south at November gathering

Oil is inescapable in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The smell of it greets the visitor on arrival and from the shores of the Caspian Sea on which the city is built the tankers are eternally visible. Flares from refineries near the centre light up the night sky, and you do not have to travel far to see fields of “nodding donkeys”, small piston pump oil wells about 6 metres (20ft) tall, that look almost festive in their bright red and green livery.

Devon businesses fear loss of tourism as cases of parasitic disease double

admin — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:56:12 +0000

Authorities confirm 46 cases and warn of weeks-long disruption as firms in Brixham hit by cancellations before school half-term

Cases of an illness caused by a microscopic parasite in a Devon harbour town could continue for a further two weeks, experts said, with businesses predicting thousands of pounds of losses as school half-term approaches.

The comments came as the UK Health Security Agency confirmed that cases of cryptosporidium infection in the Brixham area had more than doubled from 22 to 46, with more than 100 others reporting symptoms of the disease.

Looking for lichen: Church of England launches search for life on gravestones

admin — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:00:36 +0000

Church asks people to record species found in local graveyards, which can provide good habitat for complex life form

The still calm of graveyards invites visitors to think about the dead, but now the Church of England is asking people across the country to look for surprising signs of life within them.

Graves are a haven for lichen, with more than 700 of the 2,000 British species having been recorded in English churchyards and cemeteries so far. According to surveys by the church, many sites have well more than 100 species on the stonework, trees and in the grassland.