Breaking Waves: Ocean News

How one American couple ditched their lawn and created a wildlife haven – and you could too

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:00:51 +0000

Novice gardeners James Reed McGuire and Crystal Fritz wanted to try something new when they moved out to the suburbs. Little did they know they were joining a nationwide movement

When James Reed McGuire and Crystal Fritz first decided to replace their lawn with native plants, they did not really know what they were doing. As former city-dwellers who had moved from Chicago out to the suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, they had never done much gardening together beyond growing some planters of herbs and flowers on their balcony.

Humans have learned to fear ‘bugs’, but we shouldn’t – life as we know it hinges on invertebrates | Chris Packham

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:00:50 +0000

At this point of the crisis in our relations with the natural world, we’ve got to protect these creatures – and we are running out of time

Read more from the Guardian’s invertebrate of the year 2026

Too many animals are regarded as “bugs”. And, if anything is a bug, it is a short step to it becoming a “pest”. Too many of us have a learned fear – it’s not innate – of anything with six legs or antennae.

Destructive and delicious: how an invasive deer in Hawaii is being turned into dinner

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 10:00:48 +0000

The overpopulation of axis deer has taken an environmental toll, but Maui Nui Venison sees it as a resource instead of a pest

In 1868, the government of Hong Kong gave eight axis deer to Hawaii’s King Kamehameha V. They were a beautiful gift, these creatures that hail from south Asia, with their honey-colored pelts marked by a smattering of white spots. But their incursion into Maui started much later, in the 1950s, when they were brought to the island for recreational hunters.

Burnham announces plans to clean up illegal waste dumps – UK politics live

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 08:50:22 +0000

The prime minister has promised a crackdown on criminal gangs making money from dumping waste

Value being generated by student loans is “not what it should be”, Reform UK’s deputy leader said.

Asked by reporters about the funding of the scheme by stopping foreign students accessing loans, Richard Tice said:

Regarding the funding of this, cash is cash. Whether you think that it’s cash as a positive in a balance sheet or a bank account, or whether you’re borrowing it, it’s money. It’s cash.

More than 1,000 birds found dead in three mass mortality events amid ‘significant’ H5 escalation in Australia

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 06:16:49 +0000

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas says there have still been no detections in poultry or livestock and no mass deaths involving mammals

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Monstera magic: Barbican hands out cuttings as ‘green lung of the city’ closes

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:00:44 +0000

Five hundred people turn up to adopt plants from conservatory that will reopen in 2030 after renovation project

Above the waxy monstera leaves and bright pink hibiscus flowers in the Barbican conservatory hangs a giant net to catch the panes of glass that are at risk of falling from the ceiling on the unwitting plant lovers below.

Oxfam ‘can’t guarantee future’ of charity shops as it also reviews warehouse business

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:00:43 +0000

Dwindling donations and stiff competition from secondhand sellers online prompt review but ‘no plans for closures yet’

Oxfam is reviewing the operations of its three warehouses in Batley, Bicester and Milton Keynes and says it “cannot give guarantees” on the future of its high street shops in a “difficult economic climate”.

The charity said it had no plans to close warehouses or shops but insiders fear that Batley, which houses Oxfam’s main textile recycling centre, will shut as part of a cost-cutting drive because the West Yorkshire site’s lease is up for renewal.

From bone-dry to soaked to the bone, welcome to the age of climate whiplash | Aditya Chakrabortty

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:00:43 +0000

This punishingly hot and dry summer will probably be followed by another wet winter. But it’s nothing compared with what Britain will endure in years to come

California becomes first US state to set efficiency rules for replacement tires

admin — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:48:06 +0000

Regulations that would block sale of older tires praised by environmental groups amid rightwing backlash

California has become the first state in the nation to mandate that replacement tires be energy efficient, a major auto industry regulation set to block the sale of older tires and make vehicles on the road greener.

Taxpayers to fund clear-up of illegal dumps in West Yorkshire, Surrey and Kent

admin — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:30:33 +0000

Andy Burnham promises drive to tackle toxic waste, raise fines and use AI-powered drones to detect illegal activity

Illegal dumps in West Yorkshire, Surrey and Kent will be cleared up using taxpayer money, Andy Burnham has announced, as the prime minister promises a new drive to tackle toxic waste.

Ministers have identified dumps in Bradford, Runnymede and the Isle of Sheppey, which collectively contain about 22,000 tonnes of illegal waste, to be cleared in the next phase of the government’s national clear-up effort.