Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Bayer agrees to pay $7.25bn to settle Roundup weedkiller cancer lawsuits

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 22:51:40 +0000

Thousands of lawsuits accuse the agrochemical maker of failing to warn people that its weedkiller could cause cancer

The agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25bn settlement on Tuesday to resolve thousands of US lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer.

Gotta watch ‘em all? Pokémon-style app for birdwatching launches

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:42:10 +0000

Users of Birdex get points for each bird they see and can compete with friends, with 200,000 sightings logged so far

A new app has launched that aims to gamify birdwatching by allowing people to collect digital cards of UK bird species whenever they record seeing one.

France issues red flood alerts after ‘exceptional’ rainfall

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:23:26 +0000

Aftermath of Storm Nils causes chaos across country with flooding under way or expected on Garonne, Maine and Loire rivers

France has issued red alerts for flooding in three départements as the aftermath of Storm Nils causes chaos across the country.

Flood waters have inundated homes and isolated villages after the Garonne River overflowed its banks, with hydrologists warning that rain is falling on soils that have hit record-breaking levels of saturation.

‘It’s betrayal’: Shetland’s scallop fishers brace for arrival of UK’s largest salmon farm

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:00:35 +0000

Huge project by Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms gets go-ahead amid concerns over the environmental cost of fish farming and threat to traditional way of life

At Collafirth, north Shetland, Sydney Johnson is unloading two-dozen bags of scallops by throwing them over his head like medicine balls to the pier above. Johnson, who has just finished a 10-hour shift on his boat, the Golden Shore, is concerned that plans for a new salmon farm will put fishers like him and his two sons out of business.

Gentoo penguins the first birds on Australian territory to contract H5N1 as bird flu spreads

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 07:24:52 +0000

Australian Antarctic Program scientists say virus on Heard Island has spread to new species

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Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 05:00:47 +0000

Industry using ‘diversionary’ tactics, says analyst, as energy-hungry complex functions such as video generation and deep research proliferate

Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.

‘Landmark’ greenwashing case against Australian gas giant Santos dismissed by federal court

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 04:41:31 +0000

Legal bid by shareholder advocacy group over alleged misleading ‘net zero’ and ‘clean energy’ claims fails

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Trump lashes out at California governor’s green energy deal with UK

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 19:23:52 +0000

President says it is inappropriate for UK to be dealing with Gavin Newsom after Ed Miliband meets governor in London

Donald Trump has vented his fury against a green energy deal between the British government and California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, a likely future Democratic presidential candidate.

Cyprus appeals to residents to cut water use by two minutes a day amid drought

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 13:21:18 +0000

Island’s reservoirs hit record lows even before tourist season starts as Cypriots are warned ‘every drop counts’

Europe live – latest updates

Authorities in Cyprus have urged residents to reduce their water intake by 10% – the equivalent of two minutes’ use of running water each day – as Europe’s most south-easterly nation grapples with a once-in-a century drought.

Floating cities of logs: can the ‘lungs of Africa’ survive its exploitation?

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:00:24 +0000

The Congo River basin is one of the planet’s most biodiverse ecosystems. But it is also home to a growing population and relentless trade in timber and charcoal

“You can’t be scared of the storms,” says Jean de Dieu Mokuma as the sun sets on the Congo River behind him. “With the current, once your voyage has begun, there is no turning back.” Mokuma, along with his wife Marie-Therese and their two young children, is piloting a cargo of timber downstream lashed on to a precarious raft and tied to a canoe.