Breaking Waves: Ocean News

I believed sustainable fashion’s hype. But between Everlane and Allbirds, the letdowns keep coming | Clare Press

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 08:52:11 +0000

Sustainability promised to change the industry. With Shein reportedly acquiring Everlane, and Allbirds pivotting from eco sneakers to AI, it seems that promise was mostly marketing

Rachel Reeves to protect ‘critical’ clean energy projects from legal challenges

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 08:50:22 +0000

Chancellor’s planning shake-up would ‘reduce exposure from judicial review on all but human rights grounds’

Rachel Reeves is preparing to announce a planning shake-up ‌that would fast-track clean energy and infrastructure projects by curbing judicial reviews, the Treasury said.

The chancellor will propose that parliament should be able to designate and approve the most important clean energy projects as of “critical national importance”, as part of a wider package seeking to blunt the impact of the Iran crisis.

‘Floral buzzing’ to collect pollen as exhausting for bees as flight take-off, study shows

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 08:41:51 +0000

Vibrating flowers uses huge amounts of energy, forcing bees to choose which plants to visit and affecting which ones are pollinated

Bees use as much energy collecting pollen through “floral buzzing” as they do taking off in flight, a study shows.

Scientists have found the vibrations bumblebees use to shake pollen loose from flowers are among the most exhausting behaviours they perform, forcing bees to “carefully choose” which flowers are worth visiting.

Rainforests pushed to breaking point by new demands for resources, report says

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 07:00:26 +0000

Need for minerals, biofuels and pulp adding to pressures from ranching, monocrops, oil and logging, analysis finds

The growing extraction of rainforest resources is pushing the Amazon and similar biomes towards breaking point, a report has shown.

Fresh demands for critical minerals, biofuels and pulp – used in fast fashion, processed food and packaging – are compounding existing pressures from cattle ranching, monocrops, oil and logging, the analysis finds.

Lost for 150,000 years: Rainforest discovery upends human history

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 06:22:18 +0000

For decades, scientists believed ancient humans avoided dense rainforests, treating them as nearly impossible environments for early survival. But a groundbreaking discovery in West Africa is rewriting that story. Researchers uncovered evidence that humans were living deep within rainforest environments in present-day Côte d'Ivoire around 150,000 years ago — far earlier than anyone thought possible.

Melbourne teenager Bianca Adler becomes youngest Australian to climb Mount Everest

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 05:50:20 +0000

The 18-year-old high school student reached the top of the world’s tallest mountain on her second attempt

An 18-year-old high school student from Melbourne became the youngest Australian to climb to the top of Mount Everest on Wednesday.

Scientists use DNA from poop to save the world’s rarest marsupial

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 04:45:48 +0000

Scientists in Australia are using cutting-edge DNA techniques to help save one of the world’s rarest marsupials — the critically endangered Gilbert’s potoroo, with fewer than 150 left in the wild. By analyzing tiny traces of DNA in the animals’ scat, researchers uncovered clues about the elusive fungi the potoroos depend on for survival. The findings could help conservationists identify safer new habitats and establish backup populations before disasters like bushfires wipe them out.

UK ‘built for climate that no longer exists’ and needs urgent changes to survive global heating, report warns

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 23:01:17 +0000

Landmark report calls for widespread air conditioning and says UK temperatures forecast to exceed 40C by 2050

British homes will need air conditioning to survive predicted levels of global heating, the government’s climate advisers have warned in a report, as measures such as drawing curtains, opening windows and growing trees for shade are not likely to be enough.

Spending watchdog warns £38bn cost of Sizewell C nuclear plant is ‘risky’

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 23:01:16 +0000

National Audit Office says potential benefits are ‘considerable but uncertain’ while risks are ‘immediate and substantial’

The cost of the government’s £38bn nuclear plant in Suffolk is subject to “significant uncertainty” and may outweigh the benefits for UK households until at least 2064, according to the government’s spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that although the potential benefits of the Sizewell C nuclear plant are considerable, they remain uncertain. The risks, however, are “immediate, substantial and borne by the public”.

Aerial footage shows California brush fire spreading across Simi Valley – video

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 16:46:16 +0000

A fast-growing brush fire that started on Monday morning in southern California has prompted evacuation orders for thousands of people and damaged at least one home.