Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Trump officials sue California cities over laws to restrict fossil fuels

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 02:35:07 +0000

Suit against San Francisco-area cities Petaluma and Morgan Hill latest attack on policies that seek to rein in oil and gas

The Trump administration sued two California cities on Monday, seeking to block local laws that restrict natural gas infrastructure and appliances in new construction.

The lawsuit is the administration’s latest attack on energy policies that seek to rein in the use of fossil fuels to combat climate change. California, a Democratic stronghold, has among the most aggressive climate change policies in the world.

UK car sales top 2m in 2025 as Chinese brands boom

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 00:01:22 +0000

Electric car sales rose by nearly a quarter to a record 473,000, or 23.4% of the overall market, says SMMT

A rise in the popularity of Chinese brands pushed total car sales in the UK above the 2m mark last year for the first time since 2019, figures reveal.

Chinese companies accounted for 9.7% of the 2m new car registrations in the UK in 2025, or 196,000 vehicles, according to preliminary figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. That was nearly double the 4.9% market share achieved by the country’s carmakers in 2024.

Nine scientific breakthroughs I’d like to see in 2026 – from earworms to procrastination | Emma Beddington

admin — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 13:43:16 +0000

There’s nothing more uplifting than hearing about a world-shaking, life-enhancing new development. But science shouldn’t overlook the small stuff, or stop looking for new species of cute, fluffy mammals …

Monarch butterflies could disappear. Butterfly Town USA is scrambling to save them

admin — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 13:00:08 +0000

Pacific Grove is known as ‘Butterfly Town USA’ for its role as an overwintering spot. As the insect’s population plummets, residents are coming to its rescue

In the tiny seaside village of Pacific Grove, California, there’s no escaping the monarch butterfly.

How demand for elite falcons in the Middle East is driving illegal trade of British birds

admin — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 08:51:55 +0000

Exclusive: data reveals hundreds of UK nests have been raided in the past decade amid growing appetite to own prized birds for racing and breeding

In the echoing exhibition halls of Abu Dhabi’s International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition, hundreds of falcons sit on perches under bright lights. Decorated hoods fit snugly over their heads, blocking their vision to keep them calm.

‘The perfect storm’: Trump has left the US less prepared for natural disasters, experts say

admin — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 17:00:11 +0000

Emergency managers say the US president has presided over a dangerous erosion in US capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters

Donald Trump has presided over a dangerous erosion in US capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, according to emergency management experts.

The electric vehicle revolution is still on course – don’t let your loathing of Elon Musk stop you joining up | Zoe Williams

admin — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 10:00:04 +0000

Other firms are taking advantage of Tesla’s sales slump, while technological advances mean that glitches are being left in the rear-view mirror

Aliens: the spread of invasive plants and animals across Europe – in pictures

admin — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 09:00:01 +0000

Erik Irmer has been documenting the spread of invasive plant and animal species that disrupt native ecology across Europe. He focuses on humans’ interactions with these plants and animals. Aliens is published by Fotohof

Jason White on plastic pollution in the food chain – cartoon

admin — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 11:00:35 +0000

China’s BYD overtakes Tesla as world’s biggest electric car seller

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 15:09:22 +0000

Sales at Elon Musk’s company slump after Donald Trump’s withdrawal of EV subsidies

China’s BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s largest electric carmaker in 2025, after the US company run by Elon Musk reported a slump in deliveries at the end of the year.

BYD sold 2.26m battery electric cars during the year, easily outstripping the 1.63m deliveries reported on Friday by Tesla for the same period.