Experts call change likely to pose problems for Americans with limited internet access ‘troubling to say the least’
Current and former Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) officials are concerned over a new agency rule requiring disaster victims to have an email address in order to apply for federal aid.
The policy change, first reported by Wired and confirmed by a Fema official to the Guardian, was “troubling to say the least”, said Jeremy Edwards, former spokesperson for Fema and the White House under Joe Biden’s presidency.
Continue reading...
Breaking Waves: Ocean News
08/22/2025 - 07:00
08/22/2025 - 04:12
More than 300 dead after downpours in mountainous regions and several killed in Indian city of Mumbai
Heavy monsoon rains have continued to pummel the Indian subcontinent over the past week, bringing devastating flooding and landslides and leaving hundreds of people dead in what has already been one of the deadliest monsoon seasons in recent years.
Moist air surging inland from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea was driven into Pakistan and north-west India late last week by strong southwesterly monsoon winds. Combined with developing areas of low pressure, this triggered a succession of torrential downpours.
Continue reading...
08/22/2025 - 01:00
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world
Continue reading...
08/22/2025 - 00:00
Corridors of nectar-rich plants encourage pollination and brighten up city streets at the same time
Take a closer look at the colourful plants dotted along an initially unassuming Bristol alleyway and you’ll see them teeming with insects. Bumblebees, hoverflies and ladybirds throng around a mixture of catmint, yarrow, geraniums and anemones. “It’s buzzing with pollinators now,” Flora Beverley says.
Just over a year ago, the alley we are walking down was a dreary, litter-strewn dumping ground. Now, thanks to the pollinator pathways project, it is filled with nectar-rich plants and bee hotels. Colourful murals line the walls. A neighbour and her son passing by stop to tell Beverley they watered the plants yesterday. The local people who helped to transform the pathways continue to maintain them too.
Continue reading...
08/21/2025 - 23:22
Almost 200 endangered southern right wales have been spotted off state’s coastline this year, amid concerns about impact of algal bloom
Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here
Scientists say a bumper season for southern right whales in South Australia is a “sign of hope” for the state amid the ongoing effects of a devastating algal bloom.
Flinders University marine biologist and chief scientist of the Australian right whale research program, Dr Claire Charlton, said research teams were pleased to record early sightings of almost 200 whales off the state’s coastline, after lower numbers in recent years. It comes amid concerns about the harmful algal bloom which has caused the deaths of some marine life off the SA coast.
Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter
Continue reading...
08/21/2025 - 19:51
Central Coast council says residents should not touch the balls and avoid beaches where they wash ashore
Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
Debris balls have again washed up along the New South Wales coast as officials warn residents not to touch the mysterious spherical globules and to avoid beaches where they appear.
Central Coast council said on Thursday the debris balls – which are grey and about 10mm to 40mm in size – had been found on beaches including at The Entrance, the Grant McBride baths, Blue Bay, Toowoon Bay, North Shelly, Shelly and Blue Lagoon.
Continue reading...
08/21/2025 - 13:00
Researchers ‘shocked’ to discover some species settling down for sleep 50 minutes later than rural counterparts
Urban birds stay up significantly later than their rural counterparts, according to research that highlights the impact of light pollution on wildlife.
The study, based on recordings submitted by bird enthusiasts to a popular species identification and mapping website, showed that light pollution caused birds to sing for an average of 50 minutes longer each day, with some species waking up an hour earlier and settling down for the evening an hour later.
Continue reading...
08/21/2025 - 10:00
Eucalyptus regnans – which regularly reach 60 to 80m tall – lose about 9% of their trees for every degree of warming, research finds
Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here
Victoria’s mountain ash forests are thinning rapidly as the globe heats up, and could lose a quarter of their “giant” trees that grow up to 80m tall in the coming decades, research has found.
Forests of Eucalyptus regnans – one of the tallest tree species in the world – lose about 9% of their trees for every degree of warming, according to a University of Melbourne-led study published in Nature Communications.
Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter
Continue reading...
08/21/2025 - 10:00
Sponsorship of News Corp’s event series has given Australia’s richest person a vehicle for her anti-net zero crusade
Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
You won’t be able to have a cremation because the ovens won’t be allowed to run on fossil fuels, and hospitals will be forced to shut for more than half the year because they have emitted too much CO2.
Are you terrified yet?
Defence manufacturers would “be forced to close for much of the year at least”
The Royal Flying Doctor Service would not be able to collect any patients for eight months of the year “as we’ve exceeded our emissions permitted”
Cancer and maternity patients would be left to fend for themselves because “we have to close the hospitals for nine or 10 months of the year”
Funerals would be delayed because of something to do with refrigeration and “ovens” – honestly, you’ll have to work that one out for yourself
Continue reading...
08/21/2025 - 10:00
Researchers also suggest system could resolve problems with irregular and weather-dependent Earth-based supply
Solar panels in space could cut Europe’s terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80% by 2050, a study has found.
Using a detailed computer model of the continent’s future power grid, the researchers found that a system of space-based panels designed by Nasa could reduce the cost of the whole European power system by as much as 15%. It could also cut battery use by more than two-thirds.
Continue reading...
