Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Adder girl! Tunnels aim to encourage British snakes to mix and breed

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 11:00:07 +0000

Trust builds passes under road bisecting Berkshire commons for increasingly endangered venomous snake

How did the adder cross the road? It didn’t – it was too scared.

Now, however, road-shy populations of the increasingly endangered snake are being given a helping hand with the construction of Britain’s first adder tunnels.

Farmers’ union lobbied to increase pesticide limit in UK drinking water

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 09:00:09 +0000

NFU’s director of strategy asked for review of EU-derived protections as part of post-Brexit loosening of rules

The National Farmers’ Union lobbied to increase the amount of pesticides allowed in the UK’s drinking water and to allow farmers to spread manure more frequently as part of a post-Brexit loosening of environmental regulations, it can be revealed.

Week in wildlife – in pictures: an eel gets a shock, bees take Manhattan and a possum on the pitch

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 07:00:35 +0000

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

Mass planting of marsh violets key to saving rare UK butterfly, says National Trust

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 05:00:31 +0000

Trust aims to boost small pearl-bordered fritillary colonies in Shropshire Hills by planting 20,000 violets this year for their caterpillars

A mass planting of marsh violets across England’s Shropshire Hills is to take place to try to prevent further decline of the small pearl-bordered fritillary or Boloria selene, a rare UK butterfly.

Fixation on UK nuclear power may not help to solve climate crisis

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 05:00:31 +0000

Waste and cost among drawbacks, as researchers say renewables could power UK entirely

In the battle to prevent the climate overheating, wind and solar are making impressive inroads into the once dominant market share of coal. Even investors in gas plants are increasingly seen as taking a gamble.

‘I am starting to panic about my child’s future’: climate scientists wary of starting families

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 04:00:30 +0000

A fifth of female climate scientists who responded to Guardian survey said they had opted to have no or fewer children

“I had the hormonal urges,” said Prof Camille Parmesan, a leading climate scientist based in France. “Oh my gosh, it was very strong. But it was: ‘Do I really want to bring a child into this world that we’re creating?’ Even 30 years ago, it was very clear the world was going to hell in a handbasket. I’m 62 now and I’m actually really glad I did not have children.”

Jim Chalmers claims there won’t be ‘any new money’ for gas in budget as Labor faces caucus revolt

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 02:51:41 +0000

Albanese government has already telegraphed budget will include $566m over 10 years to map Australia’s soil and seabed for gasfield exploration and $100m to speed up environmental approvals

Transformation of ocean management is underway

admin — Thu, 09 May 2024 19:55:25 +0000

Despite its benefits and recognition as a keystone practice of ocean stewardship and conservation, adoption of ecosystem-based management has been slow to take hold. To support this change in ocean management, a group of researchers and practitioners investigated the global progress of marine EBM initiatives.

‘Sugar is brown!’: there’s more to the sweet stuff than its pure white version

admin — Thu, 09 May 2024 18:00:18 +0000

Sugar’s texture and taste can be as individualistic as coffee beans or wine grapes grown in specific regions, but most of us don’t know that

One night, I was preparing steak for dinner and mistakenly reached for the wrong white granulated substance. Instead of salting my steak to create a brown crust by searing, I created a brown crust with notes of caramel.

Ocean biodiversity work needs improvement

admin — Thu, 09 May 2024 16:47:40 +0000

An international collaboration says the world's largest marine protected areas aren't collectively delivering the biodiversity benefits they could be because of slow implementation of management strategies and a failure to restrict the most impactful human activities.