Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Africa particularly vulnerable as Iran conflict disrupts supply chains, say experts

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:03:00 +0000

Food production in many African countries depends heavily on fertiliser imported from the Gulf through the strait of Hormuz

Countries in Africa, where farmers depend heavily on imported fertiliser and a large share of household income goes on food, are particularly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East, experts have said.

The conflict has drastically disrupted trade through the strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane not just for oil and gas but also for fertiliser, which is produced in vast quantities in the Gulf.

‘We cannot replace USAID, but we can do big things’: conservation plots a future without American money

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:00:18 +0000

The Trump administration’s cuts to biodiversity funding have imperiled species, habitats and the people who defend both. Now the world is seeking a new way forward

On 22 January 2024, at the inauguration of the current Liberian president, Joseph Boakai, the US-based Liberian poet Patricia Jabbeh Wesley paid tribute to the west African nation’s tropical forests – one of the places where, she said, “our fathers came / centuries ago, and planted our umbilical cords / deep in the soil”.

Mining made this US tribal area a toxic wasteland. This Indigenous nation brought it back to life

admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:00:28 +0000

The Quapaw Nation is the only US Native community to carry out a cleanup of one of the country’s worst sites of environmental contamination

I love vultures, mosquitoes and, yes, even wasps. This is why you should too | Jo Wimpenny

admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 13:00:25 +0000

No species is a ‘villain’ – and even humans’ least favourite creatures are part of a web that makes all life possible

A wasp has just flown into your kitchen. Do you: a) scream and run away; b) roll up a magazine and try to bash it; or c) open a window and usher it outside? Now imagine it’s a bee – do you respond in the same way?

Can scientists really resurrect the dodo? Inside the company that says it can

admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 10:00:23 +0000

Colossal Biosciences’ CEO says its work follows a ‘moral obligation’ while critics say it’s ‘tech bro’ hype that could undermine conservation

Can and should we resurrect animal species that have been extinct for thousands of years? Such weighty, existential questions were once the preserve of science fiction but are now being played out within an unassuming brick building in a Dallas business park.

Scared of spiders? Scientists say the real nightmare is losing them

admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:37:58 +0000

Spiders and insects may not be fan favorites, but they are vital to the health of ecosystems—and scientists barely know how they’re doing. Researchers found that nearly 90% of North America’s insect and arachnid species have no conservation status, leaving their fate largely unknown. Even more striking, most states don’t protect a single arachnid species. The study warns that these overlooked creatures are essential to planetary health and urgently need better monitoring and protection.

Germany misses climate targets as emissions barely fall in 2025

admin — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 13:04:34 +0000

Greenhouse gases dropped just 0.1% last year as environment minister criticises lack of improvement

Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany have again missed targets set by the Climate Protection Act and barely fell at all in 2025.

Emissions decreased by just 0.1% last year compared to the previous year, according to data from the German Environment Agency.

Some top US lobbying firms are working both sides of the Pfas issue at the same time

admin — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 12:00:19 +0000

Review from non-profit finds range of scenarios of firms simultaneously lobbying for and against Pfas regulations

Some top US lobbying firms are simultaneously working both sides of the Pfas “forever chemicals” issue, raising serious conflict of interest questions and concerns that their activity is slowing states’ efforts to rein in the public health threat.

Fetuses likely have more ‘forever chemicals’ in blood than thought – report

admin — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 12:00:19 +0000

US test of 120 umbilical blood cord samples identified 42 Pfas compounds, which do not naturally break down

‘Drinking from a fetid pond’: superbug-creating genes found in UK’s largest lake

admin — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 05:00:11 +0000

Exclusive: Lough Neagh, which supplies drinking water for 40% of NI, contains genes resistant to last-resort antibiotics

Genes capable of creating antibiotic-resistant superbugs have been detected in the UK’s largest lake, which supplies drinking water to about 40% of Northern Ireland.

Testing of water from Lough Neagh, which has a surface area 26 times bigger than Windermere, found genes resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, including carbapenems – drugs reserved for life-threatening infections when all other treatments have failed.