Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Solar booms in industrial US midwest as energy crisis persists

admin — Sat, 02 May 2026 16:00:29 +0000

Electricity has become one of the most important commodities in the region thanks to demand from datacenters, Iran war and rising utility charges

For decades, the only regular visitors to the Twin Lake Reservoir in Lima, Ohio, were fishers passing hot summer evenings trying to snag a largemouth bass.

But today, it’s a hive of activity.

Two buses, three hours and 13 miles: how Americans in ‘transit deserts’ get groceries without cars

admin — Sat, 02 May 2026 15:00:28 +0000

As Covid-era funding dries up and bus services are cut, a food insecurity crisis is brewing from Tennessee to Rhode Island

Zen’Yari Winters’ job, at a pet shop in East Memphis, Tennessee, should be a 20-minute trip from her house. She leaves herself three hours to get there. “The bus is always, always late,” she said – if it shows up at all.

‘They don’t belong in our environment’: US vineyards battle spotted lanternflies as invasive insects spread

admin — Sat, 02 May 2026 13:00:26 +0000

From Virginia to New York, the bugs drain vines, cut yields and leave growers resorting to one simple fix: squash them

Around grape harvest time about three years ago, an employee at Zephaniah Farm Vineyard in Leesburg, Virginia, noticed bugs, about 1in long with gray and black wings and a bright red underwing, atop some trees.

While the insects were pretty, they were there for the grapevines and not welcome guests at the vineyard, which sits atop a farm that the Zephaniah family has run since 1949.

‘Living in survival mode’: Houston’s embattled immigrant community faces health, climate and petrochemical crises

admin — Sat, 02 May 2026 12:00:25 +0000

Amid immigration raids, chemical spills, massive floods and costly healthcare, less-affluent residents of one of the most diverse US cities struggle to pull through

Cándido Álvarez has made it his policy never to go to the doctor.

“Not when I’m sick, not even when it’s serious,” he said. “I prefer not to go.”

Rescuers release humpback whale that was stranded off German coast

admin — Sat, 02 May 2026 11:38:52 +0000

Calf was transported by water-filled barge in operation deemed ‘inadvisable’ because of low chance of survival

Rescuers have released a young humpback whale that became a national sensation after it was beached in shallow waters off the coast in Germany, although marine experts have said its chances of survival are low.

The whale, variously nicknamed Timmy or Hope, was released into the North Sea off Denmark after being transported there in a water-filled barge by rescuers.

To give young people wings: The Lost Words duo reunite for book of birds

admin — Sat, 02 May 2026 11:00:23 +0000

Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane give the Guardian exclusive extracts as they aim to open eyes to the wonder of Britain’s declining and endangered species

When the artist Jackie Morris collaborated with the writer Robert Macfarlane to celebrate the names of plants and animals controversially removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary, they never imagined their book, The Lost Words, would become a cultural phenomenon.

Momentum building for Scottish-style land access rights in England, says film

admin — Sat, 02 May 2026 06:00:18 +0000

Documentary makers seek to start ‘informed conversation’ in country where public is allowed on just 8% of land

Anger and momentum are building for Scottish style rights of access to mountains, meadows, rivers and woodlands in England where the public is allowed on just 8% of land, a new documentary suggests.

Our Land, a film whose title is a nod to the protest song by Woody Guthrie, explores the rise of the right to roam movement in England.

Federal government accused of watering down proposal to protect Australia’s threatened species and ecosystems

admin — Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:10 +0000

Wilderness Society says changes undermined intent of national standards intended to reverse decline of plants, animals and ecosystems

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Green groups have accused the Albanese government of watering down a proposal to protect threatened species and ecosystems.

Octopus Energy boss: some people would accept blackouts if bills cut

admin — Fri, 01 May 2026 14:42:13 +0000

Greg Jackson argues against costly investments in UK’s power grid that are adding to household bills

The boss of the UK’s biggest energy supplier has suggested that some households would accept an occasional electricity blackout in exchange for much lower energy bills.

Could Santa Marta climate talks mark ground zero in push to ditch fossil fuels?

admin — Fri, 01 May 2026 14:19:29 +0000

Colombia hosted nearly 60 countries at pivotal time on world stage for fight to transition to a clean energy future

Looking out to sea from the grey sandy beaches of Santa Marta, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, it is never hard to spot evidence of the country’s thriving fossil fuel export trade. Oil tankers ride at anchor on the horizon and sometimes, locals say, lumps of coal wash up on the shore, blown off the collier ships that carry cargos from the nearby mines.