Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Son who found mother’s body after Storm Babet calls for more flood defence money

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 16:40:40 +0000

Maureen Gilbert, 83, was discovered drowned in her home after river in Chesterfield overflowed

The son of an 83-year-old woman who died during Storm Babet has called for more money to be invested in protecting homes from flooding.

An inquest at Chesterfield coroner’s court heard on Friday that Maureen Gilbert drowned in her home in Chesterfield after the River Rother overflowed on 21 October 2023 during the storm.

UK children face barriers to outdoor play due to poor planning, says study

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 15:00:26 +0000

‘Fragmented’ policies leading councils to prioritise approval of housebuilding over parks, researchers find

Children in cities across Britain face barriers to playing outside because urban planners are prioritising housebuilding over parks, a study has found.

Japanese man becomes oldest person to reach Mount Fuji summit at 102

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 11:49:24 +0000

Kokichi Akuzawa climbed with 70-year-old daughter to break record for oldest person to make ascent – a second time

Kokichi Akuzawa has become the oldest person to climb to the top of Mount Fuji at the age of 102 – despite almost giving up during his trek.

“I was really tempted to give up halfway through,” Akuzawa said. “Reaching the summit was tough, but my friends encouraged me, and it turned out well. I managed to get through it because so many people supported me.”

Weather tracker: British Columbia breaks Canada’s September heat record

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 10:20:29 +0000

Temperatures climb above 40C, while a powerful hailstorm in the US lashes Kansas and Oklahoma

A spate of extremely hot weather in British Columbia has broken Canada’s national maximum temperature record for September.

On Tuesday, it reached 40C (104F) in Lytton, matching the previous all-time high. That was only the third time that temperature has been recorded in the country in September.

Public strongly backs aim of 30% of land and sea set aside for nature, poll finds

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 09:15:37 +0000

Survey of eight countries finds 82% of people support 30x30 biodiversity target, as progress stalls on protected areas

Much of the world favours protecting 30% of the world’s land and water for nature by 2030, according to new research that has found overwhelming public support for the goal across eight countries on five continents.

Draining the sea: fishing in crisis in south-east Asia – in pictures

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 07:00:18 +0000

Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia are beautiful tourist destinations, but off their coasts is a darker hidden reality, where overfishing and unregulated catches are rife and fishers face exploitation and loss of income. The freelance photojournalist Nicole Tung spent nine months reporting in south-east Asia and was this week awarded laureate of the 15th edition of the Carmignac Photojournalism Awards

Week in wildlife: a slow loris, a tiny deer and a glamorous dumpling squid

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 06:00:16 +0000

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

Fears for England riverbank habitats amid relaxed post-Brexit rules

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 05:00:15 +0000

Exclusive: Analysis shows farmers ploughing to the edge of waterways, destroying crucial wildlife ecosystems

Huge tracts of precious riverside habitats for water voles and other wildlife in England are being lost as they are not covered by post-Brexit farming rules, campaigners warn.

New analysis by the Wildlife Trusts found more than 400 square km of riverside habitat in England may have been lost since the UK left the EU in 2020.

Air pollution can drive devastating forms of dementia, research suggests

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 18:00:01 +0000

Airborne particles cause toxic clumps of proteins in brain that are hallmarks of Lewy body dementia, study indicates

Fine-particulate air pollution can drive devastating forms of dementia by triggering the formation of toxic clumps of protein that destroy nerve cells as they spread through the brain, research suggests.

Exposure to the airborne particles causes proteins in the brain to misfold into the clumps, which are hallmarks of Lewy body dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.

Rhode Island and Connecticut sue over Trump administration’s wind farm halt

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 16:53:41 +0000

States claim Revolution Wind project was stopped illegally, threatening jobs, clean energy and billions in investments