Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves en Nursing a skink: endangered alpine lizard numbers set to rise after Omeo falls pregnant in Victoria https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/nursing-skink-endangered-alpine-lizard-numbers-set-rise-after-omeo-falls-pregnant-vict <p>Eleven guthega skinks could soon become 13 thanks to a captive breeding program in the Alpine national park</p> <ul> <li> <p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p> </li> </ul> <p>Eleven endangered skinks released into a gated community in Victoria’s Alpine national park could soon become 13, with a female known as Omeo due to give birth in March.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/nursing-skink-endangered-alpine-lizard-numbers-set-rise-after-omeo-falls-pregnant-vict" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:00:20 +0000 admin 102495 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Valium, health checks and fabric slings: the complex logistics of moving 30 beluga whales https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/valium-health-checks-and-fabric-slings-complex-logistics-moving-30-beluga-whales <p>Canada has reached a tentative deal for 30 belugas in an amusement park to be shipped to four aquariums in US</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/26/canada-captive-beluga-whales">‘It’s heartbreaking’: how 30 captive beluga whales have become pawns in row over animal cruelty</a></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/valium-health-checks-and-fabric-slings-complex-logistics-moving-30-beluga-whales" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:11:01 +0000 admin 102494 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Baltimore bridge collapse: crew members from ship still held by US two years on https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/baltimore-bridge-collapse-crew-members-ship-still-held-us-two-years <p>Despite no criminal charges being brought against them, four officers have been detained since the MV Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six workers</p> <p>Several crew members of a ship that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/26/baltimore-francis-scott-key-bridge-collapses-after-boat-collision">collided with a bridge in Baltimore</a> almost two years ago are still being held in the US by federal authorities despite the fact that no criminal charges have been brought against them.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/baltimore-bridge-collapse-crew-members-ship-still-held-us-two-years" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:00:23 +0000 admin 102493 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Tiny mammals are sending warning signs scientists can finally read https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/tiny-mammals-are-sending-warning-signs-scientists-can-finally-read <p>Small mammals are early warning systems for environmental damage, but many species look almost identical, making them hard to track. Scientists have developed a new footprint-based method that can tell apart nearly indistinguishable species with remarkable accuracy. Tested on two types of sengi, the system correctly identified them up to 96% of the time. It offers a simple, ethical way to monitor ecosystems before they quietly unravel.</p> Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:28:40 +0000 admin 102492 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Live TV report on cougar capture in San Francisco neighborhood interrupted by coyote https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/live-tv-report-cougar-capture-san-francisco-neighborhood-interrupted-coyote <p>‘Your eyes do not deceive you,’ ABC7 told viewers about unexpected turn during report from Pacific Heights</p> <p>Live television reporting about an incident where a young mountain lion was safely tranquilized and captured in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/san-francisco">San Francisco</a>’s Pacific Heights neighborhood took an unexpected turn on Tuesday when a coyote wandered into the background during the broadcast.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/live-tv-report-cougar-capture-san-francisco-neighborhood-interrupted-coyote" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:50:48 +0000 admin 102490 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘I wasn’t going to be diverted,’ says King Charles about campaign on the environment https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/i-wasn-t-going-be-diverted-says-king-charles-about-campaign-environment <p>Monarch says he has remained focused despite early criticisms of his beliefs, in new film Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision</p> <p>King Charles has revealed he “wasn’t going to be diverted” from his environmental campaigning despite criticism in the past in a new documentary showcasing his philosophy of “Harmony”.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/i-wasn-t-going-be-diverted-says-king-charles-about-campaign-environment" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:30:22 +0000 admin 102491 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Dutch government discriminated against Bonaire islanders over climate adaptation, court rules https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/dutch-government-discriminated-against-bonaire-islanders-over-climate-adaptation-court <p>Judgment in The Hague orders Netherlands to do more to protect Caribbean people in its territory from impacts of climate crisis</p> <p>The Dutch government discriminated against people in one of its most vulnerable territories by not helping them adapt to climate change, a court has found.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/dutch-government-discriminated-against-bonaire-islanders-over-climate-adaptation-court" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:55:03 +0000 admin 102489 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘Like a sea out there’: flooded Somerset residents wonder how water can be managed https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/sea-out-there-flooded-somerset-residents-wonder-how-water-can-be-managed <p>People in south-west mop up after Storm Chandra and prepare for next bout of rain, with major incident declared</p> <p>In the early hours, the Wade family’s boxer puppy began barking. Thinking it needed to be let out, they traipsed downstairs and opened the back door – to be greeted not by their neat garden but an expanse of water.</p> <p>“It was like a sea out there,” said James Wade. Over the coming hours the water crept into their home on a modern estate in Taunton, forcing James, his wife, Faye, and their three children, six, 11 and 12, out and into emergency accommodation.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/sea-out-there-flooded-somerset-residents-wonder-how-water-can-be-managed" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:40:52 +0000 admin 102488 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘Not radical, it’s fair’: Australian households would receive compensation in proposed ‘polluter pays’ levy scheme https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/not-radical-it-s-fair-australian-households-would-receive-compensation-proposed-pollut <p>Superpower Institute report fleshes out 2024 call from Labor heavyweight Ross Garnaut to re-embrace carbon pricing 12 years after Tony Abbott axed it</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/jan/29/victoria-bushfires-weather-nsw-protest-laws-coalition-split-sussan-ley-david-littleproud-ntwnfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/not-radical-it-s-fair-australian-households-would-receive-compensation-proposed-pollut" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:01:11 +0000 admin 102487 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘Shameful’: Trump’s EPA accused of prioritizing big business over public health https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/shameful-trump-s-epa-accused-prioritizing-big-business-over-public-health <p>A year into Trump’s second term, critics say the EPA is rolling back dozens of protections and giving a leg up to polluters</p> <p>After a tumultuous year under the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration">Trump administration</a>, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has adopted a new, almost unrecognizable guise – one that tears up environmental rules and cheerleads for coal, gas-guzzling cars and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/artificialintelligenceai">artificial intelligence</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/shameful-trump-s-epa-accused-prioritizing-big-business-over-public-health" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 28 Jan 2026 12:00:10 +0000 admin 102486 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org