Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘Largest ever’ NSW coalmine plan will put pressure on state’s net zero target, watchdog says

admin — Fri, 31 May 2024 08:10:31 +0000

EPA says proposal to keep Hunter Valley Operations mines going to 2050 would release almost 30m tonnes of CO2

Week in wildlife – in pictures: playful baby lemurs, kingfisher tug-of-war and a beautiful bee-eater

admin — Fri, 31 May 2024 07:00:32 +0000

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

Market value of carbon offsets drops 61%, report finds

admin — Fri, 31 May 2024 06:00:31 +0000

Negative scientific and press reports on the efficacy of carbon credit projects has led to a ‘direct pullback in buyer investment’

The market for carbon offsets shrank dramatically last year, falling from $1.9bn (£1.5bn) in 2022 to $723m in 2023, a new report has found. The drop came after a series of scientific and media reports found many offsetting schemes do nothing to mitigate the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.

Bids for bathing water status in England paused in blow for river cleanups

admin — Fri, 31 May 2024 06:00:31 +0000

Campaigners suspect block on new applications for at least two years was imposed to limit burden on water firms

The government has suspended all applications for bathing water status in waterways, delaying the cleanup of rivers and coastal waters for at least two years.

River campaigners fear the block on new applications to create bathing water areas, which are regularly tested for water quality, has been introduced to stop water companies facing huge resource implications to tackle poor water quality in new bathing areas.

India’s ‘sinking island’ looks to election for survival – in pictures

admin — Fri, 31 May 2024 06:00:30 +0000

For many on Ghoramara, the general election is about the climate crisis and survival. The island, 150km south of Kolkata and named the ‘sinking island’ by the media, has lost nearly half its area to soil erosion in the past two decades and could disappear if a solution is not found.

Cleaner air in West Midlands could prevent 2,000 deaths a year, study finds

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

Meeting WHO guidelines would avoid many cases of diseases and save the NHS millions, research shows

A study has revealed that cleaning up the air in the West Midlands could prevent the early deaths of about 2,000 people a year.

A traits-based approach to assess aquaculture’s contributions to food, climate change, and biodiversity goals

admin — Fri, 31 May 2024 04:00:00 +0000

npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 31 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s44183-024-00065-7

A traits-based approach to assess aquaculture’s contributions to food, climate change, and biodiversity goals

People are altering decomposition rates in waterways

admin — Thu, 30 May 2024 22:21:19 +0000

Humans may be accelerating the rate at which organic matter decomposes in rivers and streams on a global scale, according to a new study. That could pose a threat to biodiversity in waterways around the world and increase the amount of carbon in Earth's atmosphere, potentially exacerbating climate change. The study is the first to combine a global experiment and predictive modeling to illustrate how human impacts to waterways may contribute to the global climate crisis.

Edinburgh international book festival ends Baillie Gifford partnership

admin — Thu, 30 May 2024 18:49:12 +0000

Festival bows to pressure from authors and activists over investment firm’s links to Israel and fossil fuel companies

The Edinburgh international book festival (EIBF) has announced the end of its 20-year partnership with Baillie Gifford. Last week the Hay literary festival also dropped its sponsorship from the investment management firm after a series of last-minute drop-outs.

No need for countries to issue new oil, gas or coal licences, study finds

admin — Thu, 30 May 2024 18:00:16 +0000

Researchers say world has enough fossil fuel projects planned to meet demand forecasts to 2050 if net zero is reached

The world has enough fossil fuel projects planned to meet global energy demand forecasts to 2050 and governments should stop issuing new oil, gas and coal licences, according to a large study aimed at political leaders.