Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Marineland Antibes, the French government and animal welfare groups all agree on the need to rehome the listless killer whales but no one can agree where In a sprawling aquarium complex in south-eastern France that once drew half a million visitors a year, only a few dozen people now move between pools that contain the last remaining marine mammals of Marineland Antibes. Weeds grow on walkways, the stands are empty and algae grows in the pools, giving the water a greenish hue. It is here that Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son pair of orcas, are floating. They were born in these pools, and for decades they performed in shows for crowds. But since the park’s closure in January 2025, they no longer have an audience. When they are alone, they “log”, or float at the water’s surface, according to a court-ordered report released last April. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: ​Misinformation, rising bills and shifting party lines ​have reshape​d attitudes toward green policies​ at a time when the UK has experienced unprecedented weather events Good morning. It has rained for 40 days and 40 nights. No, I’m not reciting the story of Noah’s Ark, but a tale from the Met Office. In some parts of the UK, the forecaster said it really has rained for 40 days in a row. Devon, Cornwall and Worcestershire have barely had a break. Politics | Female Labour MPs have told Keir Starmer to appoint a woman as his de facto deputy to oversee a “complete culture change” in Downing Street after a series of scandals. Canada | Canadian police have identified the suspect who carried out a school massacre in remote British Columbia as an 18-year-old woman with a history of mental health problems. UK news | An undercover officer who deceived three women into sexual relationships said his superiors did nothing to prevent him from doing so, the spycops public inquiry has heard. US news | A Cheshire woman who was shot dead by her “reckless” father while visiting him in the US after a row about Donald Trump was unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled. Television | James Van Der Beek, the actor best known for playing the lead in hit 90s teen drama Dawson’s Creek, has died. Continue reading...

npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 12 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00184-3 Towards climate-ready marine protected areas: challenges and strategic pathways

Continued global heating could set irreversible course by triggering climate tipping points, but most people unaware The world is closer than thought to a “point of no return” after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said. Continued global heating could trigger climate tipping points, leading to a cascade of further tipping points and feedback loops, they said. This would lock the world into a new and hellish “hothouse Earth” climate far worse than the 2-3C temperature rise the world is on track to reach. The climate would also be very different to the benign conditions of the past 11,000 years, during which the whole of human civilisation developed. Continue reading...