Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Tackling climate crisis will increase economic growth, OECD research finds

admin — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 09:00:53 +0000

Third of global GDP could be lost this century if climate crisis runs unchecked, says report

Taking strong action to tackle the climate crisis will increase countries’ economic growth, rather than damage their finances as critics of net zero policies have claimed, research from the world’s economic watchdog has found.

Charity faces legal action after relocated elephants in Malawi allegedly kill 10 people

admin — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 07:00:49 +0000

People living near Kasungu national park say they are living in fear after translocation of 263 elephants by International Fund for Animal Welfare

People living on the edge of a protected area in Malawi are taking legal action against an NGO that moved more than 250 elephants into the area, which they say have killed at least 10 people.

Glencore's Hail Creek coalmine methane emissions could be higher than official reports – video

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 23:24:28 +0000

UN-backed research has found emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane coming from Glencore's Hail Creek coalmine are probably between three and eight times higher than officially reported. Two aircraft with different types of monitoring equipment and flying at different altitudes looked for plumes of methane coming from the coalmine in Queensland's Bowen Basin – a site highlighted in a previous study as a major emitter. Glencore has challenged the results, saying in a statement it had 'significant doubts' about the research, claiming it used 'out of date' data

Methane emissions from Queensland mine may be gross underestimates, UN research finds

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 19:30:35 +0000

Data collected by two planes suggests large open-cut coalmine in Bowen Basin is releasing methane at higher rates than official estimates

Some water boss bonuses in England could be banned, says Ofwat

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 17:09:51 +0000

New powers mean regulator can ban payouts under criteria of Ofwat’s choosing

Bonuses for water bosses in England could be banned this year for companies that spill sewage, break the law or mismanage their finances, Ofwat has announced.

The regulator has launched a consultation into draft criteria under which it would ban bonuses being paid to chief executives. Sources at Ofwat told the Guardian they are near-certain to ban some water CEO bonuses this year.

Coalition may rethink rules that push car makers to create cheaper EVs and hybrids for Australians

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 14:00:52 +0000

Opposition says Labor’s national vehicle emission standard is ‘poorly designed’, despite data showing uptick in green vehicle sales

Meet the twerking pollinator with a bum-bag: the dark-edged bee-fly

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 14:00:51 +0000

Bombylius major, the thieving, deceiving, fluffy flying narwhal-like insect, that is a harbinger of spring

Hundreds of nominations for invertebrate of the year whittled down to 10

Everybody loves bees. But these bumbling pollinators are ten a penny. How about a pollinator who twerks? A pollinator with a bum-bag for storing sand? A pollinator that pretends it’s a bee but actually looks far cooler? A pollinator with a dark side?

‘Protect our future’: Alaskan Indigenous town fights ‘destructive’ uranium mine project

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 12:00:07 +0000

Panther Minerals set to start exploring Elim’s land as Trump seeks to expand drilling and resource extraction in Alaska

For generations, the people of Elim have subsisted off the forests and waters of north-west Alaska: hunting caribou and bearded seals in the late winter, gathering bird eggs and wild greens from the tundra in early spring, and fishing the salmon run in the late summer.

From foul to fuel: how a seaweed problem could power the Caribbean

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 12:00:03 +0000

As the climate heats up, Grenada’s beaches have become swamped with rotting sargassum. But biotech can turn it into fuel, fertiliser and plastic

Photographs by Haron Forteau

It is hard to describe the putrid stench of the decaying sargassum seaweed blanketing miles of shoreline in Soubise, a fishing village in Grenada. The pungent odour wafts into passing vehicles, persisting long after they have left the Caribbean island’s coves, where the ocean has deposited masses of the seaweed, which turns red then black as it rots.

Call for pets’ toxic flea treatments to be tightly restricted in UK

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 11:06:14 +0000

Lib Dems to urge government to control sale of products containing chemicals that kill wildlife such as fish and birds

The use of toxic flea treatments for pets should be tightly restricted, the Liberal Democrats will say in parliament on Tuesday, as the chemicals kill wildlife including fish and birds.