Breaking Waves: Ocean News

What are Labour’s six pledges and how likely is their success?

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 16:56:09 +0000

Commitments range from cutting NHS waiting times to delivering economic stability – and are united by a lack of detail

Swallow, swift and house martin populations have nearly halved, finds UK bird survey

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 16:46:56 +0000

Reduction in insect numbers contributes to drop, and there are declines across more than a third of bird species surveyed

Swallows, swifts and house martins were once a common sight over UK towns and cities, dextrously catching insects on the wing. But these spring and summer visitors are becoming increasingly rare, according to the definitive survey of the country’s birds.

Fire management in Victoria amounts to de facto native logging industry, conservationists say

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 15:00:11 +0000

Campaigners accuse Forest Fire Management Victoria of ‘knowingly’ killing endangered wildlife after greater glider found dead

Activists sue Russia over ‘weak’ climate policy

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 14:28:44 +0000

Russian constitutional court is considering claim, which activists hope will raise awareness about emissions

A group of activists are fighting for the right to scrutinise Russia’s climate policies, and in particular its enormous methane emissions, in court.

Russia’s constitutional court is considering a claim brought by 18 individuals and the NGO Ecodefense that insufficient action by the Russian state to cut national greenhouse gas emissions is violating their rights to life, health and a healthy environment.

United Utilities raises investor payouts a day after Windermere sewage discharge revealed

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 14:23:36 +0000

Near-10% dividend increase follows allegation that water company failed to prevent illegal pollution for 10 hours in February

• Business live – latest updates

One of Britain’s most polluting water companies has increased its payouts to shareholders by nearly 10% in the same week that it emerged it had pumped raw sewage into Windermere in the Lake District for 10 hours.

Ron DeSantis signs bill scrubbing ‘climate change’ from Florida state laws

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 12:42:17 +0000

State, which just had its hottest year since 1895, will ban offshore wind power, boost natural gas and reduce gas pipeline rules

Climate change will be a lesser priority in Florida and largely disappear from state statutes under legislation signed on Wednesday by the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, in a move which experts say ignores the reality of Florida’s climate threats.

School closed amid outbreak of parasitic disease in south Devon

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 12:40:46 +0000

Council says primary school in Brixham shut due to having no drinking water as cases of cryptosporidiosis investigated

A primary school in south Devon has closed as it does not have drinking water as officials investigate a local outbreak of a disease that causes sickness and diarrhoea.

Alleged ‘deal’ offer from Trump to big oil could save industry $110bn, study finds

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 10:00:06 +0000

Ex-president at Mar-a-Lago last month hosted more than 20 executives, including from Chevron, Exxon and Occidental

A “deal” allegedly offered by Donald Trump to big-oil executives as he sought $1bn in campaign donations could save the industry $110bn in tax breaks if he returns to the White House, an analysis suggests.

The search for the perfect wetsuit: is there one that doesn’t harm the planet?

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 07:00:03 +0000

Neoprene is made from toxic chemicals, hard to recycle and, with 400,000 tonnes made a year, a growing problem. So can surfers and swimmers find green wetsuits?

I have been hesitating for months. The wetsuit I swim in every week to keep me toasty warm in the winter and safe from jellyfish stings in the summer is riddled with holes. Yet I can’t bring myself to buy a new one because I’ve learned that comfortable, flexible and insulating neoprene is manufactured using some of the most toxic chemicals on the planet.

‘It’s unbelievable the difference a path has made’: how volunteers are building a cycle network a yard at a time

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 06:00:02 +0000

The Strawberry Line network of paths in Somerset has found a way to speed up planning permission and harness the goodwill of the community

In the past two years, multiple sections of a hoped-for 76-mile rural cycling and walking route spanning Somerset have sprouted up around the small town of Shepton Mallet, seemingly every few weeks.