Breaking Waves: Ocean News

09/26/2024 - 13:35
The south-east of England could also see lightning, winds of up to 50mph and even ‘isolated, brief tornadoes’ Parts of the UK have been hit by further flash floods and the Met Office has warned of more heavy rain throughout the evening and into Friday morning. The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Torro) is also forecasting that much of the south-east of England could see lightning, winds up to 50mph and even “isolated brief tornadoes”. This includes much of East Anglia, the south-east Midlands and central southern England. Continue reading...
09/26/2024 - 07:52
Forecasters warn that storm, one of the most powerful to hit the US this year, could create a ‘nightmare’ Tell us: have you been affected by Hurricane Helene? Hurricane Helene strengthened to a catastrophic category 4 storm as it barreled toward Florida’s Gulf coast, making it one of the most powerful storms to hit the US this year. The storm is expected to make landfall on Thursday night. Forecasters warn the enormous storm could create a “nightmare”, with potentially life-threatening storm surge that could reach 15 to 20ft (4.6 to 6.1 meters) in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Panhandle region. Continue reading...
09/26/2024 - 05:00
Lobbyists and lawmakers have coordinated to enact new laws that increase criminal penalties for peaceful protests Fossil fuel lobbyists coordinated with lawmakers behind the scenes and across state lines to push and shape laws that are escalating a crackdown on peaceful protests against oil and gas expansion, a new Guardian investigation reveals. Records obtained by the Guardian show that lobbyists working for major North American oil and gas companies were key architects of anti-protest laws that increase penalties and could lead to non-violent environmental and climate activists being imprisoned up to 10 years. Continue reading...
09/26/2024 - 05:00
It’s that time of year when homes fill with hairy eight-legged monsters. At least they keep the flies under control … It is giant spider season and I am delighted. As someone who is ravaged by flying insects all summer, I welcome these eight-legged death machines into my home with open arms. Speckle-backed Tegeneria? Be my guest! I would far rather something that looks like an animated tomato stalk occasionally scuttled across my curtain than be beset by a swarm of fruit flies, bluebottles or midges. I have even heard that spiders might eat clothes moths, although I think for them to have a significant impact on numbers I would have to lean even further into my Miss Havisham alter ego and stroll around bedecked by webs. I wasn’t always this way. As a child, I was as terrified of spiders as I am today by droughts and unfiled tax returns. I would watch in amazed horror as my country-born mother picked up arachnids the size and heft of dogs and calmly threw them out the window. There were whole cupboards I refused to open for fear of spiders. Once, after accidentally walking into a web during a game of hide and seek, I actually vomited at the thought of a spider being close to my skin (they found me quite quickly after that). Continue reading...
09/26/2024 - 04:57
On my return to the UK from Brazil I’ve seen how northern latitudes are behaving like the equatorial margins Returning to British suburbia from the Brazilian Amazon is always disconcerting, but it has been doubly weird in the past few days because the London commuter belt has been inundated with volumes of rain that normally belong in the tropics. Mini-tornadoes, flash floods and the dumping of a month’s worth of rain in a single day have flooded transport hubs, high street pubs, and the shrubs of semidetached homes. Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough! It isn’t fit for humans now, Continue reading...
09/26/2024 - 04:49
Roland Cherry, from Warwickshire, sustained severe bite wounds after being mauled by animal during safari A man narrowly survived after being dragged to the bottom of a river and “thrown through the air like a rag doll” when he was attacked by hippo while canoeing on holiday in Zambia. Roland Cherry, who was on a five-week holiday through southern Africa with his wife, Shirley, sustained severe bite wounds across his body, including a 25cm (10in) wound to his abdomen, as well as a thigh injury and dislocated shoulder in the attack. Continue reading...
09/26/2024 - 04:32
Lilly, an 8.5-metre tall puppet designed to help children talk about the environment, provokes mixed response They say it is rude to comment on a baby’s appearance but that has not stopped the residents of Rochdale, who awoke on Wednesday to a “freaky” new arrival. Lilly, an 8.5-metre tall puppet designed to help children talk about the environment, went on display in the town centre to a somewhat bewildered response. Continue reading...
09/26/2024 - 02:00
Loved-up brown bears and whispering raccoons feature in this light-hearted look at a selection of finalists from the Nikon Comedy Wildlife awards. A winner will be announced on 10 December Continue reading...
09/26/2024 - 01:00
From breeding spots overrun by visitors to photographers disturbing endangered species, experts say the rarer the find is, the bigger the problem With its impressive size, striking plumage and rowdy displays, sighting a capercaillie is many birders’ dream. Only about 530 of the large woodland grouse survive in the wild, most in Scotland’s Cairngorms national park. But in recent years, those tasked with saving the species from extinction have had to walk a line between calling attention to the birds’ plight and discouraging people from seeking them out. Continue reading...
09/26/2024 - 00:00
Carbon Brief says more than £800m will need to be spent in each of the next two years The UK government has been failing to meet its commitments to fund nature protection in the developing world, and will need to double current spending to meet the targets, new data has shown. Underspending on overseas climate aid by the previous Conservative government has meant spending averaged £450m a year for the three full years since 2021 – less than half the £3bn that was pledged for nature projects in poor countries. Continue reading...