Characterized by darkness and intense pressure, the ocean's hadal zone seems uninhabitable, yet dozens of unique organisms call it home. Each species discovered there adds a crucial piece to the puzzle of how life has evolved and even thrives in one of Earth's most extreme environments. A new study highlights one of those species -- the newly named Dulcibella camanchaca. This crustacean is the first large, active predatory amphipod from these extreme depths.
Breaking Waves: Ocean News
12/09/2024 - 08:52
Energy company’s deal with Japan’s Jera will allow it to focus on exploiting oil and gas assets
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BP has agreed a deal worth up to £4.5bn to build offshore windfarms with Japan’s biggest power producer, in a shift that will allow it to gain some access to zero-carbon wind energy while focusing on fossil fuels.
The FTSE 100 company will create a 50-50 joint-venture with the Japanese power generator Jera to combine their offshore wind assets, the companies announced on Monday.
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12/09/2024 - 07:42
Conservation groups join those who helped plant woodland in opposing expansion of bottling plant
Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by the multinational Danone, is planning to cut down a wood planted by schoolchildren in order to expand its bottling factory in the North Yorkshire town.
Two primary schools, along with other local volunteers, helped to plant 450 trees in a project aimed at fighting climate breakdown organised by the Rotary Club of Harrogate almost 20 years ago.
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12/09/2024 - 03:00
An area nearly a third larger than India turned permanently arid in past three decades, research shows
An area of land nearly a third larger than India has turned from humid conditions to dryland – arid areas where agriculture is difficult – in the past three decades, research has found.
Drylands now make up 40% of all land on Earth, excluding Antarctica. Three-quarters of the world’s land suffered drier conditions in the past 30 years, which is likely to be permanent, according to the study by the UN Science Policy Interface, a body of scientists convened by the United Nations.
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12/09/2024 - 01:00
For every £1 spent on renewable energy projects, only 25p was invested in connecting them to grid, report finds
The UK is lagging behind in the race to rewire the world’s power grids by investing four times more on renewable energy projects than on the electricity cables needed to connect them to the grid and consumers, according to a new report.
For every pound the UK has spent on renewables it has spent only 25p on the cables and power lines, claims the report by Bloomberg NEF, which placed the UK eighth in an index of the world’s 10 biggest energy markets.
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12/09/2024 - 00:00
Social media sites have become crucial tools for the sale of endangered species and platforms should do more to combat it, say experts
When the baby parrots were delivered to Alice Soares de Oliveira’s desk they had no feathers and could barely open their eyes. Housed in a dirty cardboard box, the pair were barely a month old, and showed signs of underfeeding.
The parrots – along with a pair of young toucans that arrived just under a month later – were victims of wildlife traffickers. Snatched by poachers, perhaps from their mother’s nest, they were all advertised for sale on social media.
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12/08/2024 - 22:00
Average global temperature in November was 1.62C above preindustrial levels, bringing average for the year to 1.60C
This year is now almost certain to be the hottest year on record, data shows. It will also be the first to have an average temperature of more than 1.5C above preindustrial levels, marking a further escalation of the climate crisis.
Data for November from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) found the average global surface temperature for the month was 1.62C above the level before the mass burning of fossil fuels drove up global heating. With data for 11 months of 2024 now available, scientists said the average for the year is expected to be 1.60C, exceeding the record set in 2023 of 1.48C.
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12/08/2024 - 08:01
National science agency dismisses argument nuclear’s economics have not been adequately considered in new draft report
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The CSIRO has rejected Coalition arguments that nuclear power plants could be developed in Australia in less than 15 years and that their long operating life would make them cheaper than other options.
Instead, it has again found that “firmed” solar and wind are the cheapest new electricity options.
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12/08/2024 - 04:21
Drivers killed when vehicles were hit by falling trees, while quarter of a million people had power cut
Storm Darragh – live updates
A cleanup operation is under way across the UK as communities survey the damage brought by Storm Darragh, which killed two people over the weekend.
Sunday evening brings an end to severe weather warnings for wind and rain in place since Friday, which resulted in chaos on roads and rail in many parts of the country and severe flooding.
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Female footballers have shown us how – let’s build a sport free of fossil fuel deals | David Wheeler
12/08/2024 - 03:00
Male players must step up and add their voice to the campaign to stop our sport being sold out to the big polluters causing climate change
At the Cop29 climate conference last month Sofie Junge Pedersen and Katie Rood again called for Fifa to drop its sponsorship deal with the Saudi Arabian state oil company Aramco. They were among more than 130 female players who signed an open letter in October that described the partnership as a “middle finger to women’s football” that will do real damage to people and our planet.
After the letter was published, I spoke out in support of their initiative. I hoped other professional male players would join me. The women were widely applauded for speaking out but their male counterparts have not followed suit. On Wednesday, Fifa is poised to confirm Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 men’s World Cup.
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