Breaking Waves: Ocean News

German minister defends ‘perfectly human’ decision to allow attempt to rescue whale Timmy

admin — Sun, 17 May 2026 14:56:47 +0000

Humpback stranded on sandbank was unlikely to survive, experts had said, recommending it be left to die in peace

The German authorities have defended their decision to allow a risky rescue attempt of a stranded whale to go ahead, despite experts warning it was “inadvisable” because the animal was hurt and unlikely to survive.

The American epoch of oil is collapsing. What comes next could be ugly | Jonathan Watts

admin — Sun, 17 May 2026 13:00:41 +0000

China is dominating the energy transition with astonishing result, while fossil fuel fascists in the US try to turn back the clock

“Farewell,” the flag-waving Chinese children chanted to Donald Trump as he strolled along the red carpet back to Air Force One at the end of his summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Experts sound alarm as North America’s bees start swarm season unusually early

admin — Sun, 17 May 2026 12:00:38 +0000

After record losses last year, beekeepers report a warm winter has led to bees ‘waking up earlier’ this year

After a series of record-breaking US heatwaves, the 2026 bee swarm season in North America has started 17 days earlier than last year, pushing beekeepers to adapt to a rapidly shifting season while raising new questions about how honeybees are responding to the climate crisis.

‘Green card for the planet’? Fifa’s World Cup is on pace to be a climate catastrophe

admin — Sun, 17 May 2026 10:00:35 +0000

The 2022 World Cup failed to deliver on its environmental promises. From air travel emissions to heat-related dangers, the 2026 edition will be even worse

Fire and ‘sheer volume’: how Britain’s 6m-vape problem is putting recycling under strain

admin — Sun, 17 May 2026 08:00:33 +0000

Despite the ban on disposables, waste professionals say the mountain of discarded devices is a £1bn-a-year issue

It is 2pm and Ana, 47, has just started the afternoon shift at the Suez recycling plant near Birmingham city centre, standing beneath a sign reading “Non-ferrous sorting station” with a bucket of vapes in front of her. Sorting and dismantling them is part of her job as a site operative.

‘You could dig up a lot of asphalt’: Tim Smit’s Chelsea garden prioritises growing food

admin — Sun, 17 May 2026 06:00:30 +0000

Eden Project founder wants to inspire councils to build community gardens so young people can grow vegetables

Local councils should “rip up asphalt” to build community gardens so young people can grow vegetables, a co-founder of the Eden Project has said.

Scientists warn that the world’s rivers are running out of oxygen

admin — Sun, 17 May 2026 03:35:49 +0000

Rivers around the world are quietly running out of oxygen — and climate change is emerging as the main culprit. A sweeping global analysis of more than 21,000 river systems found that nearly 80% have been steadily losing dissolved oxygen over the past four decades, threatening fish, biodiversity, and the overall health of freshwater ecosystems. Surprisingly, tropical rivers are being hit the hardest, even more than rivers in rapidly warming polar regions.

Timmy the whale confirmed dead by Danish authorities

admin — Sat, 16 May 2026 17:22:22 +0000

Humpback had been found deceased on Friday after rescue attempt criticised as ‘pure animal cruelty’

Timmy the whale has been confirmed dead by Danish authorities two weeks after the beached humpback was transported to the North Sea in a rescue attempt criticised as “pure animal cruelty”.

Pity the poor AI data centers facing ‘discrimination’ | Arwa Mahdawi

admin — Sat, 16 May 2026 12:00:10 +0000

The centers are diverting much-needed resources from regular people. Local resistance has the industry playing defense

Back in 2016, Marco Gutiérrez, the Mexican-born founder of Latinos for Trump, issued an ominous warning to the US. “My culture is a very dominant culture,” he said on MSNBC. “It is imposing and it’s causing problems. If you don’t do something about it, you’re going to have taco trucks on every corner.”

Peacock ‘invasion’ of Italian seaside town ruffles feathers

admin — Sat, 16 May 2026 12:00:08 +0000

With Punta Marina residents loving or loathing the incomers, ‘peacock rangers’ have been appointed to defuse tensions

Federico Bruni was sitting on a bench, eating a piadina romagnola (flatbread sandwich) and minding his own business, when a peacock strutted up in the hope of a few crumbs. High-pitched squeals emanated from the direction of a disused military barracks across the road. “That would be the call to love,” Bruni said. “The male peacocks are courting the female ones – we’re in peak mating season.”