Breaking Waves: Ocean News

11/07/2024 - 00:00
Conservation groups are asking for the decision to allow Hvalur to hunt to be put on hold until after election A coalition of conservation and animal welfare groups are urging Iceland’s president to step in and stop any plans the prime minister has to issue a whaling licence to Europe’s last whaler before the Icelandic election at the end of the month. Earlier this year, the country granted a one-year licence to Hvalur to kill more than 100 fin whales this hunting season, despite hopes the practice may have been stopped after concerns about cruelty led to a temporary suspension in 2023. Continue reading...
11/06/2024 - 22:22
Protest plan involves activists paddling out on kayaks and rafts to stop fossil fuel exports Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Climate protesters have vowed to stick to their plan to blockade the Port of Newcastle, despite the New South Wales police winning a legal challenge in their attempt to stop it. “The [protest] will go ahead,” Rising Tide’s organiser, Zach Schofield, told reporters on Thursday. “We do have a right to assemble on public land and water, and we will be exercising that right, because it is critical for democracy.” Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
11/06/2024 - 20:02
Balls that washed ashore and closed string of famous beaches contained scores of different materials ‘consistent with contamination from sewage’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Thousands of mystery balls that washed up on Sydney beaches last month were gunk globules made of products such as motor oil, hair, food waste, animal matter and wastewater bacteria – but their source is yet to be traced. A statement from the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority on Wednesday confirmed the balls comprised fatty acids, petroleum hydrocarbons and other organic and inorganic materials – and were not tar balls as previously theorised. Continue reading...
11/06/2024 - 19:10
PM fully briefed on ‘potential outcomes’ of US election and says Australia is prepared for Trump’s policies on security, economic and other issues Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia will advocate for free trade and climate action – despite Donald Trump’s agenda against both – and persist with the Aukus alliance including nuclear submarine acquisition, the Albanese government has indicated. Under fire from conservative media about his comments in 2017 that Trump “scares the shit” out of him, the prime minster, Anthony Albanese, was asked if he owed an apology to the president-elect. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
11/06/2024 - 17:34
How damaging this presidency is to the planet depends very much on how other countries react. There’s no time to waste US election 2024 live: latest news and updates US election results 2024: live map and tracker Donald Trump’s re-election to the White House is a major setback for climate action but ultimately it’s the US that could end up losing out, as the rest of the world will move forward without it. The US is the world’s biggest economy and its second biggest emitter. Positive US engagement on climate has been crucial to landmark leaps forward, like getting the Paris agreement over the line, and just last year committing to transitioning away from fossil fuels. The US missing in action in the latter half of this critical decade for climate action is nobody’s idea of a good outcome. Continue reading...
11/06/2024 - 09:00
Overblown concerns about potential dangers of a common chemical threaten to undermine scientific evidence to the contrary Because of his job as a dermatologist, Dr Deshan Sebaratnam frequently gets asked questions by friends, family and strangers about skin treatments. But lately, he says, he has been confronted by “a lot of myths around sunscreens”, especially on his social media feed. Among the most frequent is “that sunscreen can actually cause skin cancer”, says Sebaratnam, a conjoint associate professor at the University of New South Wales. Continue reading...
11/06/2024 - 09:00
The Murrumbidgee River had 55% less water in 2018 than it did in 1988, with the Lowbidgee flood plain hardest hit Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A section of one of Australia’s longest rivers, the Murrumbidgee, lost more than half of its water over a 30-year period due to dams and other diversions, according to new research. Scientists at the University of New South Wales examined the impacts of dam infrastructure and irrigation on natural water flows in the lower Murrumbidgee River since 1890. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
11/06/2024 - 09:00
Millionaire points to Broken Hill’s blackout to attack the energy transition but experts say he should look at South Australia and Europe Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast For 15 minutes on Sunday morning, ABC local radio listeners were treated to a rant from Dick Smith as the millionaire attacked Australia’s transition away from fossil fuels, claiming renewables would make electricity unaffordable and cause sweeping blackouts. “It seems we have been sold a pup and we are not getting the full truth all the time,” responded Ian McNamara, the host of Australia All Over. “There are lots of people who will back you up.” Continue reading...
11/06/2024 - 08:33
Westminster plan for UK’s biggest heat network could involve parliament warmed by waste and low-carbon heat About 1,000 London buildings including the Houses of Parliament and the National Gallery could soon be warmed by low-carbon heat sourced from the River Thames, London Underground and sewer networks. Plans to develop the UK’s biggest heat network to supply decarbonised heat to buildings across Westminster were set out on Wednesday by the government as part of its pledge to back seven heat network zones with more than £5m of public funding. Continue reading...
11/06/2024 - 06:42
With Trump back in the White House. The impact will be felt in many aspects of American life and across the world US election 2024 – latest updates US election results 2024: live map and tracker With Donald Trump returning to the White House for a second term as president, the impact will be felt in many aspects of American life and also across the world. From abortion, to immigration, the environment, gun laws and LGBTQ+ rights: all are at stake with Trump and his allies back in power. Continue reading...