Class action led by two community leaders argued government had legal duty of care to prevent or deal with damage linked to global heating
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Two Torres Strait community leaders are shocked and devastated after the federal court dismissed a landmark case that argued the Australian government breached its duty of care to protect the Torres Strait Islands from climate change.
The lead plaintiffs, Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai from the islands of Boigu and Saibai, sought orders requiring the government to take steps to prevent climate harm to their communities, including by cutting greenhouse gas emissions at the pace climate scientists say is necessary.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
07/15/2025 - 00:02
07/15/2025 - 00:00
Former Durham county council climate lead calls motion to rescind climate emergency declaration ‘reprehensible’
Two councils that have been recognised for their work to cut emissions but are now under the control of Reform UK are expected to scrap climate pledges this week.
Durham county council’s deputy leader, the former GB News presenter Darren Grimes, has proposed a motion to rescind a 2019 declaration of a climate emergency, in what it is believed would be a UK first.
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07/14/2025 - 21:00
With a bottlenose population threatened by fishing gear, boats and pollution, campaigners on South Korea’s Jeju island are lobbying to extend legal status to the vulnerable cetaceans
It is a beautiful sunny day on the island of Jeju in South Korea and as the boat cuts through the water all seems calm and clear. Then they start to appear – one telltale fin and then another. Soon, a pod of eight or nine dolphins can be seen moving through the sea, seemingly following the path of the boat.
But as they start to jump and dive, fins cutting through the air, it becomes apparent that one dolphin is missing the appendage, his body breaking the surface but without the telltale profile of his companions. His name, given to him by a local environmental group, is Orae, which literally translates as “long”, but in this context means “wishing him a long life”.
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07/14/2025 - 16:30
Grant offering up to 10% off may benefit some cheaper Chinese models but leave Tesla fans paying full price
Buyers of new electric cars priced at less than £37,000 will be able to get a discount of up to 10% under a new UK government scheme, a move that may benefit some cheaper Chinese models but leave Tesla fans still having to pay the full price.
The Department for Transport has reintroduced a grant, which had been scrapped in June 2022, to encourage more drivers to switch from petrol and diesel to electric vehicles.
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07/14/2025 - 15:30
Camp Mystic leader, who died trying to save small children, waited over an hour after alert before starting evacuation
The Texas way: why the most disaster-prone US state is so allergic to preparing for disasters
The adult leader of Camp Mystic, the Texas summer camp where 27 children and counselors died in the Hill Country floods, waited more than an hour after receiving a severe flood warning before initiating an evacuation, it was disclosed on Monday.
Richard “Dick” Eastland, who had run the popular all-girls, Christian-values sleepaway camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River with his family since the 1980s, was among the fatalities after a wall of water rushed through the camp early on 4 July.
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07/13/2025 - 14:12
Grand Canyon Lodge consumed by two wildfires that have burned more than 45,000 acres in area
The historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the monument’s North Rim has been destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire, the park said on Sunday. The blaze has forced officials to close access to that area for the season.
The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, the park superintendent, Ed Keable, told park residents, staff and others in a meeting on Sunday morning. He said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing also were lost.
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07/11/2025 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 12 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s44183-025-00116-7
Climate-smart ocean planning in small island developing states—exploring pathways in Dominica
07/11/2025 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 12 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s44183-025-00138-1
Rethinking the Blue Economy: Integrating social science for sustainability and justice
07/11/2025 - 06:00
Pfas-laden pesticides and sewage sludge used as fertilizer move into crops and nearby water sources
The Trump administration has killed nearly $15m in research into Pfas contamination of US farmland, bringing to a close studies that public health advocates say are essential for understanding a worrying source of widespread food contamination.
Researchers in recent years have begun to understand that Pfas-laden pesticides and sewage sludge spread on cropland as a fertilizer contaminate the soil with the chemicals, which then move into crops and nearby water sources.
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07/09/2025 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 10 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s44183-025-00141-6
The rise and flows of blue carbon credits advance global climate and biodiversity goals
