Breaking Waves: Ocean News

05/03/2024 - 16:26
A new study shows stony coral tissue loss disease is causing drastic changes in the Caribbean's population of corals, which is sure to disrupt the delicate balance of the ecosystem and threaten marine biodiversity and coastal economies.
05/03/2024 - 13:13
Science Advances report also finds people of color and low-income residents in US disproportionately affected Using a gas stove increases nitrogen dioxide exposure to levels that exceed public health recommendations, a new study shows. The report, published Friday in Science Advances, found that people of color and low-income residents in the US were disproportionately affected. Indoor gas and propane appliances raise average concentrations of the harmful pollutant, also known as NO2, to 75% of the World Health Organization’s standard for indoor and outdoor exposure. Continue reading...
05/03/2024 - 11:05
Extraordinary general meeting of the UK writers’ union narrowly voted against making an official protest at violence that has killed ‘at least 95 journalists and media workers’ The Society of Authors (SoA) has come under fire from all sides after members voted against a resolution demanding it issue an official statement condemning Israel’s military action in Gaza. The campaign group Fossil Free Books (FFB) submitted two motions to the SoA, the UK’s largest trade union for writers, illustrators and translators, triggering an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Thursday night. Members voted 1,480 to 251 in favour of the first, which called for the publishing industry to divest from ties with the fossil fuels industry. Calls for the book industry to break ties with investment firm Baillie Gifford, which sponsors the UK’s most prestigious nonfiction prize and a number of literary festivals, began after Greta Thunberg pulled out of her scheduled appearance at the Edinburgh international book festival last year. Since then, FFB was formed, and a number of authors have continued to speak out against Baillie Gifford, which has a proportion of its investments in corporations that profit from fossil fuels. Continue reading...
05/03/2024 - 07:00
Jason Williams, known as the cloud gardener, is campaigning for green spaces in new builds and rights for tenants to grow plants Developers and landlords should give tenants a “right to garden”, a leading horticulturist has said as he campaigns for more green spaces in new-build homes. To inspire those who live in homes without gardens, Jason Williams worked with students to create balcony gardens for the Royal Horticultural Society urban show, held this month in Manchester, to demonstrate what can be done in a small space. Each garden cost £500 to create. He also created an example allotment with easy-to-tend plants, which a developer could easily put into a new-build block of flats. Continue reading...
05/03/2024 - 06:00
Florida wildlife corridor will spearhead climate resilience if allowed to evolve and essential preparatory work done, study says Climate predictions in Florida, for the most part, make pretty grim reading. Rising oceans threaten to submerge most of the state by the end of the century, and soaring temperatures could make it too hot to live here anyway. But new research by a coalition of prominent universities paints a more upbeat picture of Florida’s future as a thriving state for humans and wildlife, with natural resources harnessed to mitigate the worst effects of the climate emergency generally, as well as extreme weather events such as hurricanes and floods. Continue reading...
05/03/2024 - 05:44
Environmental campaign groups took joint action against decision to approve carbon budget delivery plan The UK government’s climate action plan is unlawful, the high court has ruled, as there is not enough evidence that there are sufficient policies in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The energy secretary, Claire Coutinho, will now be expected to draw up a revised plan within 12 months. This must ensure that the UK achieves its legally binding carbon budgets and its pledge to cut emissions by more than two-thirds by 2030, both of which the government is off track to meet. Continue reading...
05/03/2024 - 04:35
Researchers find many countries unprepared for influx of new species and will be vulnerable to bites Climate breakdown is likely to lead to the large-scale migration of venomous snake species into new regions and unprepared countries, according to a study. The researchers forecast that Nepal, Niger, Namibia, China, and Myanmar will gain the most venomous snake species from neighbouring countries under a heating climate. Continue reading...
05/03/2024 - 02:00
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
05/03/2024 - 01:00
Appeal tribunal orders firm to share details on hundreds of thousands of tonnes of outflows into North Sea A water company that tried to keep secret details of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of raw sewage discharges into the sea has been ordered by an appeal tribunal to release the data in the public interest. Northumbrian Water has repeatedly refused to release details about the scale of raw sewage discharges into the North Sea from an outflow at its pumping station in Whitburn, after a campaigner asked under freedom of information and environmental information regulations. Continue reading...
05/02/2024 - 19:00
A pocket-sized city terrace extension and a multigenerational riverside property inspired by a country shed are among the innovative dwellings shortlisted in the sustainability category of the Houses awards, Australia’s premier residential design prize. This year’s five-panel jury noted a number of new sustainable design trends, including a move towards net-zero housing, abodes that accommodate adult children, innovative multi-use spaces for working from home, a growing appreciation for restoring dated dwellings and inspired designs for downsizers and elderly occupants. From Spanish mission extravaganzas to art deco curves: other people’s homes – in pictures Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Continue reading...