Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves/index.php en Butterflies around the world are changing habitats – and experts say it’s ‘signalling a warning’ https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/butterflies-around-world-are-changing-habitats-and-experts-say-it-s-signalling-warning <p>New research shows early-warning species is on the move, expanding or contracting geographic range and changing altitude</p> <p>Butterflies, often considered a “sentinel of change”, are on the move across every continent they inhabit, shifting to survive as global heating reshapes their environment.</p> <p>About one in 10 species have already expanded or contracted their geographic range, or shifted in altitude, according to a global study <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03117-y">published</a> in Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/butterflies-around-world-are-changing-habitats-and-experts-say-it-s-signalling-warning" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:05:58 +0000 admin 104111 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Chris Bowen vows to override Queensland and NT to force renewables-powered AI datacentres https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/chris-bowen-vows-override-queensland-and-nt-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres <p>Energy minister says Australian households and energy reliability will be protected by new federal legislation</p> <ul> <li> <p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/chris-bowen-vows-override-queensland-and-nt-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:09:25 +0000 admin 104107 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org The ‘Cockroach Lord’ who names new species after Tolkien and Pokémon characters https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/cockroach-lord-who-names-new-species-after-tolkien-and-pok-mon-characters <p>Cristian Lucañas has discovered multiple species of cockroach in the Philippines, and believes there’s far more to the much-maligned insect than meets the eye</p> <p>When Cristian Lucañas tells people about his job, their response is normally a mix of shock and confusion. “The majority would actually be questioning why,” says Lucañas, 32, who is the only entomologist specialising in cockroaches in the Philippines, where he is known as the “Cockroach Lord”.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/cockroach-lord-who-names-new-species-after-tolkien-and-pok-mon-characters" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:00:14 +0000 admin 104109 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/el-ni-o-could-push-50m-people-acute-hunger-end-next-year <p>UN forecasters warn of worsening conditions in 45 countries currently experiencing severe food insecurity</p> <p>About 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/31/india-monsoon-el-nino-hot-dry-conditions-meteorologists">rapidly developing El Niño weather system</a>, according to forecasting.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/el-ni-o-could-push-50m-people-acute-hunger-end-next-year" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:00:13 +0000 admin 104108 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Murderous heat, an endangered food supply, decimated landscapes: embrace the Mediterranean life | George Monbiot https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/murderous-heat-endangered-food-supply-decimated-landscapes-embrace-mediterranean-life- <p>As climate disaster stares us in the face, the radical right says ‘Embrace the Mediterranean life’. Embrace death, more like it</p> <p>Can’t you leftists understand? Mass death is good for you. Reject the woke love of life! Welcome civilisational collapse! Watch it all burn, then dance in the ashes! This, roughly speaking, is how the dismissal of climate action is now being justified: the argument has shifted from science denial to outright nihilism.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/murderous-heat-endangered-food-supply-decimated-landscapes-embrace-mediterranean-life-" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 05:00:10 +0000 admin 104106 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Invertebrate of Year Q&A: discuss our countdown with Patrick Barkham https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/invertebrate-year-qa-discuss-our-countdown-patrick-barkham <p>This week, we launched our third annual vote to honour nature’s unsung heroes. The Guardian’s natural history writer – and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/03/common-woodlouse-invertebrate-of-the-year">woodlouse fanboy</a> – Patrick Barkham will be here from 4pm BST (11am EDT) to discuss this year’s poll and why we must celebrate the spineless<br /><br /><strong>Ask a question: log in or sign up </strong><a href="https://profile.theguardian.com/signin"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/invertebrate-year-qa-discuss-our-countdown-patrick-barkham" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 05:00:10 +0000 admin 104104 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Calls to ban ‘toxic’ pet flea treatments that harm UK wildlife and environment https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/calls-ban-toxic-pet-flea-treatments-harm-uk-wildlife-and-environment <p>Over-the-counter treatments for cats and dogs contain chemicals that are banned in pesticides and pollute waterways</p> <p>Over-the-counter flea treatment for cats and dogs should be banned as millions of hazardous chemicals are unnecessarily applied to UK pets each year, a parliamentary report has concluded.</p> <p>Cats and dogs are widely treated with topical, or “spot on”, treatments that include insecticides to prevent fleas. Vets often recommend regular treatments as a preventive measure, even when the animals do not have fleas.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/calls-ban-toxic-pet-flea-treatments-harm-uk-wildlife-and-environment" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 05:00:09 +0000 admin 104105 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘I just want to find them’: deadly cloudbursts devastate Kashmir’s mountain communities https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/i-just-want-find-them-deadly-cloudbursts-devastate-kashmir-s-mountain-communities <p>Increasingly erratic weather patterns due to climate change mean people are losing homes, crops and livestock</p> <p>As rain lashed the Pir Panjal mountains before dawn on 19 July, Haji Mohammad Latief stepped outside his home in Murrah, a remote mountain village in Indian-administered Kashmir. His daughter had asked him to move the family’s car to a safer place as the rain got heavier.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/i-just-want-find-them-deadly-cloudbursts-devastate-kashmir-s-mountain-communities" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 04:00:10 +0000 admin 104102 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Europe’s rivers are running dry, and the knock-on effects are disastrous | Yiannis Baboulias https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/europe-s-rivers-are-running-dry-and-knock-effects-are-disastrous-yiannis-baboulias <p>Droughts that were once a century now happen every year, and the impact on wildlife, industrial output and culture itself is catastrophic</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/europe-s-rivers-are-running-dry-and-knock-effects-are-disastrous-yiannis-baboulias" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 04:00:09 +0000 admin 104103 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Penguins and dolphins among nearly 400 Australian species under threat from bird flu as ‘true extent of disaster’ revealed https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/penguins-and-dolphins-among-nearly-400-australian-species-under-threat-bird-flu-true-e <p>Assessment of more than 2,000 native species warns nearly one in five at high risk of deadly H5N1, including parrots, fur seals and quolls</p> <ul> <li> <p>Follow our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/aug/05/australia-news-live-jetstar-charge-overhead-luggage-labor-tax-coalition-economy-wednesday-ntwnfb">Australia news live blog</a> for latest updates</p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/penguins-and-dolphins-among-nearly-400-australian-species-under-threat-bird-flu-true-e" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:36:21 +0000 admin 104101 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org