Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Exclusive: Britain is key financial hub for destructive fossil fuel mega-projects, according to research Banks in the City of London have poured more than $100bn (£75bn) into companies developing “carbon bombs” – huge oil, gas and coal projects that would drive the climate past internationally agreed temperature limits with catastrophic global consequences – according to a study. Nine London-based banks, including HSBC, NatWest, Barclays and Lloyds are involved in financing companies responsible for at least 117 carbon bomb projects in 28 countries between 2016 – the year after the landmark Paris agreement was signed – and 2023, according to the study. Continue reading...

Guardian reporters map out how Trump is eviscerating efforts to protect the natural world – from ‘drill, baby, drill’ to mass firings 100 days of Trump: inside Trump’s whirlwind start to his second term Donald Trump has never been mistaken for an environmentalist, having long called the climate crisis a “giant hoax” and repeatedly lauding the supposed virtues of fossil fuels. But the US president’s onslaught upon the natural world in this administration’s first 100 days has surprised even those who closely charted his first term, in which he rolled back environmental rules and tore the US from the Paris climate agreement. Taken more than 140 actions to roll back environmental rules and push for greater use of fossil fuels. Set about rewriting regulations that limit pollution from cars, trucks and power plants. Officially reconsidering whether greenhouse gases actually cause harm to public health. Legally targeted states that have their own laws on tackling the climate crisis. Speeded up environmental reviews of drilling projects, from years to just a few weeks. Winding back water efficiency standards for showers and toilets and halting a phase-out of plastic straws Continue reading...

Government to press ahead with net zero plans as Keir Starmer rejects Tony Blair’s criticisms of climate policy Almost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels during construction within two years, the government will announce after Keir Starmer rejected Tony Blair’s criticism of net zero policies. Housebuilders will be legally required to install solar panels on the roofs of new properties by 2027 under the plans. Continue reading...

A warming tundra has seen unexpected shifts, raising the alarm about fragile ecosystems and those who rely on them Scientists studying Arctic plants say the ecosystems that host life in some of the most inhospitable reaches of the planet are changing in unexpected ways in an “early warning sign” for a region upended by climate change. In four decades, 54 researchers tracked more than 2,000 plant communities across 45 sites from the Canadian high Arctic to Alaska and Scandinavia. They discovered dramatic shifts in temperatures and growing seasons produced no clear winners or losers. Some regions witnessed large increases in shrubs and grasses and declines in flowering plants – which struggle to grow under the shade created by taller plants. Continue reading...