Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Ministers consider making UK’s carbon targets easier to meet

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 06:00:22 +0000

Fears Climate Change Committee’s advice not to allow carryover from last carbon budget will be ignored

Ministers are considering plans to weaken the UK’s carbon-cutting plans by allowing the unused portion of the last carbon budget to be carried over to the next period.

This would go against the strong recommendation of the government’s statutory climate advisers, the Climate Change Committee.

Brutal heatwaves and submerged cities: what a 3C world would look like

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 04:00:16 +0000

Climate scientists have told the Guardian they expect catastrophic levels of global heating. Here’s what that would mean for the planet

Strobe lights and black outs: Australian power companies seek to reduce bat electrocutions

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 00:00:11 +0000

Loss of habitat and food sources driving fruit bats closer to urban centres, leading to bat deaths, power outages

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It’s an increasingly frequent occurrence on Australia’s east coast – a fruit bat foraging for food lands on a power line to rest.

Why we’re publishing a series on DIY climate solutions

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 23:38:36 +0000

The climate crisis can seem intractable – especially in an election year. But the remarkable actions of individuals are reason for hope

UK public warned after huge rise in fires caused by binned batteries

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 14:11:54 +0000

Fire chief says incorrect disposal of devices powered by lithium-ion batteries are ‘disaster waiting to happen’

Fires caused by batteries in waste have gone up by 71% in the UK since 2022, as the rise of disposable vapes and other portable battery-powered devices leads to more lithium-ion batteries ending up in the bin.

Two Just Stop Oil protesters attack Magna Carta’s glass case

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 14:07:43 +0000

Group says two women in their 80s took hammer and chisel to protective glass at British Library

Two Just Stop Oil protesters have smashed the glass around Magna Carta at the British Library.

The Rev Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, a retired biology teacher, targeted the protective enclosure with a hammer and chisel on Friday morning.

Chelsea flower show to introduce green medal to award eco-friendly gardens

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 14:00:18 +0000

All designers who have gone through carbon audit are eligible for consideration for green award

A green medal for sustainability is to be introduced at the Chelsea flower show, rewarding gardens with the lowest carbon impact.

Landscape designers are reporting that clients are commissioning them to make their gardens more wildlife-rich and eco-friendly, and that nature-friendly gardening is becoming increasingly important.

Juice: Wimbledon tennis fans may savour bigger strawberries after wet weather

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 12:05:18 +0000

British-grown fruit much bigger after unusual winter and spring conditions led to slower ripening

Tennis fans may be treated to juicier strawberries at Wimbledon this year after a wet and dark winter slowed growing times, resulting in bigger and more flavoursome fruits.

Growers said the further wet and cold weather this spring, as well as less sunlight, had delayed the British strawberry season by a fortnight, with the main harvest expected at the end of this month.

A (mostly) scientific ranking of takeout containers – from worst to best for the environment

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 12:00:06 +0000

One way to mitigate the eco-guilt of a to-go habit is to choose restaurants that serve food in sustainable containers

Getting restaurant meals to go often comes with a side of guilt: “Did I need to supersize? I should have saved the money and cooked at home.” And the final sting, perhaps muttered while hovering over the trash and recycling bins deciding where to toss the empty boxes: “Oh, the waste.”

Adder girl! Tunnels aim to encourage British snakes to mix and breed

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 11:00:07 +0000

Trust builds passes under road bisecting Berkshire commons for increasingly endangered venomous snake

How did the adder cross the road? It didn’t – it was too scared.

Now, however, road-shy populations of the increasingly endangered snake are being given a helping hand with the construction of Britain’s first adder tunnels.