Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘Future homes standard’ will not mandate replacing boilers with environmentally friendly alternative The government is to scrap the 2035 ban on gas boilers in its new housebuilding standards. The previous Conservative government had laid plans to phase out gas heating for homes by banning the sale of new gas boilers by 2035, so people replacing their gas boilers after that date would instead have to buy a heat pump or other environmentally friendly way of heating homes. Continue reading...

British chef Mike Keen paddled up the coast of Greenland eating only what local people did, and the health benefits led him to question the global food system For a period of two months last year, a typical day for chef Mike Keen would see him skipping breakfast and lunch in favour of snacks such as dried capelin (a small bait fish), dried halibut, jerky-like dried whale and a local Greenlandic whale skin and blubber treat called mattak. Mike Keen eats fermented seal blood in Sermilik fjord, east Greenland. Photograph: Mike Keen Continue reading...

As people have shaped the natural world, so wildlife – from mahoganies to magpies – has had to evolve to survive From the highest mountains to the depths of the ocean, humanity’s influence has touched every part of planet Earth. Many plants and animals are evolving in response, adapting to a human-dominated world. One notable example came during the Industrial Revolution, when the peppered moth turned from black and white to entirely black after soot darkened its habitat. The black moths were camouflaged against the soot-covered trees, surviving to pass on their genes to the next generation. As human influence has expanded, so too have the strange adaptations forced on the natural world. We asked researchers around the world for similar changes they have noticed in the 21st century. Continue reading...

Video removed as Life Saving Victoria carries out 145 rescues – ‘We don’t remember when we’ve been that busy’ Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Victoria’s tourism agency has removed a social media post that described an unpatrolled ocean beach on the Mornington Peninsula as a “pristine swimming spot” amid almost 150 rescues on the state’s beaches on Saturday. Number 16 beach, on the Bass Strait side of Rye, is described on the Visit Victoria website as “recommended for experienced surfers only” as it is not patrolled by lifesavers. It has a reputation among local residents as dangerous. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...