Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Paris to ban drinking alcohol in public as police ask organisers to cancel city’s Pride march; First time red warnings issued in UK for three consecutive days European heatwave is worst ever and impossible without climate crisis, scientists say Paris to ban drinking alcohol in public as hospitals hit heatwave breaking point At least 150 million Europeans will experience temperatures above 35C today, much higher than in the previous two days (94 million on Wednesday and 101 million yesterday), according to AFP estimates. More than 420 million people across Europe, excluding Turkey, will see temperatures above 30C. “While the weather forecast shows no improvement, some large-scale cultural or protest events, such as the Solidays festival, the Pride March, and the athletics meeting at the Charléty stadium, are still scheduled for this weekend Despite the adjustments made by the organisers and their efforts to increase their internal first aid capacity, the influx of several hundred thousand people to these events will create a high risk of overburdening a healthcare system already stretched to its limits. Continue reading...

Emerging research suggests datacentres create a heat island effect, pushing up temperatures in the immediate vicinity by as much as 9C The community living next to the largest datacentre park in Europe say the scorching summer heat has grown unbearable. On days like Wednesday, said Nabeel Nawaz, the store manager of a Chaiiwala franchise in the centre of Slough, the heat is like something “pinching your body and burning your skin”. Continue reading...

Julie Elie worked out how zebra finches announce who they are, what they are doing and use individual signatures A scientist who decoded the dictionary that a bird uses to communicate has won a $100,000 prize for making progress towards a world in which humans can talk to the animals – without being met with a blank response. Dr Julie Elie at the University of California, Berkeley, was awarded the 2026 Coller-Dolittle prize for two-way interspecies communication after working out the 11 core calls in the zebra finch vocabulary and their meanings. Continue reading...

High temperatures make some workplaces dangerous, with economists warning disruption will dent growth Monique Mosley is used to sweltering conditions at the food factory in Yorkshire where she works, but June’s record-breaking heatwave has made conditions unbearable. “We make hot filled food products and it’s common that we see temperatures in the high 30s,” she said. “Thanks to our union, our employer is offering extra breaks, but not every workplace is the same.” The latest heatwave to grip the UK and much of western Europe has presented significant challenges to employers and their employees, from sweltering offices, disrupted commutes and school closures to dangerous construction sites where workers are at risk of dehydration, heatstroke and other injury. Continue reading...