Breaking Waves: Ocean News

03/27/2024 - 06:37
Call for environmental emergency to be declared after data reveals 105% rise in raw sewage discharges over past 12 months How polluted is your local river and which regions are worst hit? Water companies in England have faced a barrage of criticism as data revealed raw sewage was discharged for more than 3.6m hours into rivers and seas last year in a 105% increase on the previous 12 months. The scale of the discharges of untreated waste made 2023 the worst year for storm water pollution. Early data seen by the Guardian put the scale of discharges at more than 4m hours, but officials said the figures were an early estimate. Continue reading...
03/27/2024 - 06:37
IFRC and USAid staging conference to draw attention to risks and share best practice in disaster alerts and response Two of the world’s biggest aid agencies will host an inaugural global summit on extreme heat on Thursday as directors warn that the climate crisis is dramatically increasing the probability of a mass-fatality heat disaster. The conference will highlight some of the pioneering work being done, from tree-planting projects to the development of roof coverings that reduce indoor temperatures. Continue reading...
03/27/2024 - 06:00
They thought their redeveloped 19th-century building was safe – but after learning it still contained toxic levels of lead, they formed a tenants union Katy Slininger was one of dozens of residents who moved into the Lofts at the Cargill Falls Mill in Putnam, Connecticut, shortly after it opened in late 2020, enticed by the historic charm of the building and affordability of an apartment in an area with significant affordable housing shortages. The building is a redeveloped 19th-century mill that opened in 2020 after government subsidies contributed millions of dollars in grants and tax credits to its renovation and was hailed by local officials as a boon to the local economy. Continue reading...
03/27/2024 - 04:38
Retailers will have to file regular reports to UK regulator after concerns over environmental claims Business live – latest updates Asda, Asos and Boohoo must avoid making misleading claims about the green credentials of their clothes in future, after a regulatory crackdown on “greenwashing” in the fashion sector. The three retailers will have to file regular reports to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after an investigation started in 2022 examined concerns that the companies were using vague claims to bolster their environmental credentials. Continue reading...
03/27/2024 - 03:52
Steven Miles urges authorities to enable magpie to be reunited with ‘devastated’ Gold Coast carers and its ‘best friend’, their Staffy dog Peggy Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Queensland’s premier has thrown his support for a campaign to return an Instagram-famous magpie to its former carers and its dog best friend, after it was seized by the environment department. Gold Coast couple Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen adopted Molly the magpie in 2020 after it fell from the nest. Continue reading...
03/27/2024 - 01:00
Natural England-backed scheme at most southerly tip of UK will nurture lichens, liverworts and wildflowers The landscape at the most southerly tip of mainland Britain is expansive and grand: rolling heath and grasslands, spectacular cliffs, crashing waves. But a recovery project funded by Natural England is focusing on unique and vital “microhabitats” found in sometimes overlooked spots on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. Continue reading...
03/27/2024 - 01:00
Eccentric Victorian owner of Waterton Park, near Wakefield, made pioneering decisions to protect wildlife A Yorkshire parkland regarded as the world’s first nature reserve – which was created by an eccentric pioneering 19th-century environmentalist – has been given a Grade II listing. Historic England said Waterton Park, near Wakefield, was the earliest known example of a landscape designed specifically to attract and protect native wildlife. Continue reading...
03/27/2024 - 00:00
Some ‘ecologically sound’ brands contain as little as 2.7% of the eco-friendly paper alternative In the bathrooms of the ecologically conscious, bamboo toilet paper is the new bottom line – a supposedly green alternative to the bog-standard pulp-based loo roll that requires the chopping down of 1m trees a year, just to be flushed down the pan. But findings from consumer watchdog Which? will wipe away that smug feeling: samples of three out of the five of the UK’s top bamboo brands were actually made from other woods, some of them heavily implicated in deforestation. Continue reading...
03/26/2024 - 19:01
Bacteria discovered during regular testing by River Action Winning teams jumping in river could be consigned to history Boat Race organisers have issued new safety guidance for the race on Saturday, warning rowers not to enter the water and to cover any open wounds, after high levels of E coli bacteria were found on the River Thames course. It means the traditional celebration in which members of the winning team often jump into the river – which was seen last year when the Cambridge men’s cox Jasper Parish jumped into the Thames at Mortlake – could be consigned to history. Continue reading...
03/26/2024 - 18:00
Just 2% of continent’s gas capacity has planned retirement date despite pledges to decarbonise, study shows Europe’s “tone-deaf” expansion of fossil gas is accelerating climate breakdown and increasing reliance on hostile regimes, campaigners have warned. Just four of Europe’s gas-fired power plants have a retirement plan and new projects will increase the continent’s gas generation capacity by 27%, according to analysis from the campaign group Beyond Fossil Fuels. Continue reading...