Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Despite a deep conviction planet Earth is heading in the wrong direction, voters are trusting Labor to navigate the wormholes Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Our prime minister has navigated the world stage this past week as if being shepherded by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the fictional intergalactic wiki that predated the internet, bearing the reassuring aphorism: “Don’t panic.” From setting mildly ambitious climate targets, to joining a belated coalition recognising the Palestinian state, to enduring the US president’s best impression of Vogon poetry at the UN, Anthony Albanese has proceeded with calculated sobriety. Continue reading...

Investors in talks about supporting up to 15 government-backed nature restoration projects in Scotland Private investors are in talks about spending tens of millions of pounds on government-backed nature restoration projects in Scotland, the country’s conservation agency has said. NatureScot said its so-called nature investment partnerships were on course to raise more than £100m for up to 15 projects, as it sought to fend off detailed criticisms of its fundraising efforts by an economics thinktank. Continue reading...

Hours before the shutdown, NPS staff began preparations to close down some parts of popular US public lands On Tuesday evening, in the final hours before the US government shutdown, the National Park Service (NPS) began preparations to close down parts of popular public lands across the country – while trails and other open-access areas remain open. The guidance for park leaders in advance of the federal shutdown had been uncertain as the impasse loomed, raising fears that the parks could be forced to stay open without anyone to staff them. Continue reading...

In the name of ‘pragmatism’, green measures are being ditched, net zero derided. Be very clear: without slashing emissions we are in deep, deep trouble The hope that followed the signing of the Paris climate agreement in 2016 has long gone as the global community has failed utterly to rein in emissions, which – barring a small pandemic-induced blip in 2020 – have headed remorselessly upwards ever since. And there is little sign of this changing anytime soon. Indeed, as global heating has accelerated over the past few years, instead of trying harder, the world is turning its back on measures to tackle the climate crisis. In the UK, Labour is considering the approval of two major new oilfields in the North Sea – Rosebank and Jackdaw – with both Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves reported to be backing the proposals, which would lock in reliance on fossil fuels at the expense of renewables. Alongside this, instead of the government introducing measures to reduce aviation emissions, such as a frequent-flyer levy and the taxing of aviation fuels, a Heathrow expansion has been greenlit and, just last week, a second runway at Gatwick. Continue reading...