Breaking Waves: Ocean News

One in 12 golf clubs in England broke water extraction rules in past five years

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:06:30 +0000

More than 140 clubs breached licences, with a third caught taking water illegally, analysis shows – but no fines issued

More than 140 golf clubs in England have breached their water extraction licences in the past five years, according to data analysis by the Guardian.

More than a third of these clubs were caught taking water illegally from the environment, either by taking more than permitted or by removing it outside the permitted period.

Crocodile head found in luggage at Italian airport

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:05:17 +0000

Man, who had arrived in Turin from Miami via Istanbul, under investigation for smuggling and faces fine or prison

An Italian man is facing a hefty fine or possible prison term after the dried head of a critically endangered crocodile was found in his luggage at Turin’s Caselle airport.

The man had arrived at the airport in the northern Italian city on a flight from Miami via Istanbul, the Turin unit of Italy’s financial police squad said in a statement.

US datacenters face further backlash over wastewater pollution

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:47:13 +0000

From rare bacteria to ‘forever chemicals’, a series of cases of violations or alleged pollution has prompted alarm

When officials in Wyoming conducted a routine test on the water that was being discharged from a massive under-construction Meta datacenter, it was a shock to find it contained a rare and potentially hazardous bacterium.

‘We have really cool sharks’: three-year project to lift lid on Britain’s little-understood species

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:00:27 +0000

Anglers will help scientists investigate the porbeagle, tope and blue shark to boost knowledge and conservation

‘We have really cool sharks,” says Dr Lucy Hawkes. She is not referring to animals in the rich coastal waters of South Africa or Mexico, but instead talking about the species that live around Britain. Hawkes, an associate professor at the University of Exeter, is co-leading a new three-year project to investigate the lives of three of England’s most vulnerable shark species.

Linking blue economy sectors to ecosystem services and socio-economic priorities: a framework for integrated maritime spatial planning

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:00:00 +0000

npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 08 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00238-6

Linking blue economy sectors to ecosystem services and socio-economic priorities: a framework for integrated maritime spatial planning

Nepal says big polluters must ‘wake up’ as it calls for climate compensation over flood disaster

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:58:09 +0000

Foreign minister Shisir Khanal tells the Guardian the world’s biggest economies need to help Nepal, which contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions

Nepal is demanding $20m in climate compensation for the recent devastating floods, as a senior minister called on the world’s most polluting countries to “wake up” and accept shared responsibility for a disaster that led to the death or disappearance of more than 6,000 people.

Global move away from oil could lead to conflict and migration, experts say

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:21 +0000

Researchers urge governments to help worst afflicted countries, such as Nigeria and Algeria, which rely on oil revenues for public services

Conflict, migration and economic upheaval will accompany the global move away from oil, unless governments act urgently to help the worst afflicted countries to cope, research has found.

Syrian reactor could have been used for nuclear weapons if completed, UN says

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 16:37:31 +0000

Chief of nuclear watchdog says secret Assad-era facility would have been able to produce fissile material

A nearly complete nuclear reactor built secretly during the rule of the toppled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad would have been able to produce fissile material for possible use in nuclear weapons, the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog has revealed.

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last month visited two sites, one in Deir ez-Zor and a second in an undisclosed location identified to them by Syrian authorities.

French winemakers forecast 30-year low harvest after severe drought and heat

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:10:51 +0000

Estimates suggest drop in production with vineyards also concerned ‘smoke taint’ from wildfires may affect quality

French vineyards hit by severe drought and heatwaves are expected to report a 30-year low in wine production after the country’s hottest ever recorded summer, according to the agriculture ministry.

Initial estimates suggest winemakers will produce just under 34m hectolitres from this year’s harvest: a drop of 6% on last year, and 17% less than ‌the 2021-2025 average.

Record strength El Niño could mean bigger supermarket bills for Australians, experts warn

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:00:24 +0000

Predicted hot and dry weather in growing areas in eastern Australia identified as ‘one of the key issues’ that will affect food prices over next 12 months

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