Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘I applaud the EPA’: agency launches formal review of five toxic chemicals

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 13:00:09 +0000

Review could lead to bans on plastic chemicals including vinyl chloride, compound at center of 2023 Ohio train wreck

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a formal review of five highly toxic plastic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, the notorious compound at the center of the East Palestine, Ohio, train wreck fire. The move could lead to strong limits or bans on the substances.

3M knew firefighting foams containing PFAS were toxic, documents show

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 13:00:07 +0000

Exclusive: Newly uncovered documents reveal chemicals giant was aware ‘environmentally neutral’ products did not biodegrade

The multibillion-dollar chemicals company 3M told customers its firefighting foams were harmless and biodegradable when it knew they contained toxic substances so persistent they are now known as “forever chemicals” and banned in many countries including the UK, newly uncovered documents show.

Scouts embrace rewilding to connect UK teenagers with nature

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:57:34 +0000

Adventure centre projects will promote interest in natural world, boosting young people’s wellbeing

A £150,000 initiative to tackle the “teenage dip” in nature connectedness will involve the Scout Association introducing rewilding to its adventure centres across the UK.

The funding, announced on Wednesday by the environmental charity Rewilding Britain, will support 11 projects aimed at putting young people at the heart of nature restoration. Several focus explicitly on reversing the sharp decline in young people’s engagement with the natural world during adolescence.

Major banks are abandoning their climate alliance en masse. So much for ‘woke capital’ | Adrienne Buller

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:07:19 +0000

The scope of the Cop26 net zero banking alliance may have been limited, but the exodus of six US banks signifies a seismic political shift

Great Britain’s energy grid operator closes connection queue

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:00:58 +0000

Neso says ‘short pause’ will help ease logjam delaying vital green projects, as unfunded ‘zombie projects’ block queue

‘A trash can for the US’: anger in Mexico and Canada over toxic waste shipments

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:00:10 +0000

Exclusive: US companies are increasingly shipping toxic waste to other countries, where some argue it poses a risk

US companies ship more than 1m tons of hazardous waste to other countries each year, raising questions over possible impacts on health and the environment, an investigation by the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab has found.

I’m a climate scientist and my house in LA burned down. My work has never been more real

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 11:07:05 +0000

I feel like I am safe in saying that we are not thriving on our changing planet – and we will not in the coming decades

My house in Altadena burned down in the wildfires on Wednesday. It all happened quickly. On Tuesday around 7pm, my wife and daughters went to a hotel as a precaution. I left the house with the dogs when the mandatory evacuation order came in around 3am. As best as I can put the timeline together, our home burned down around the same time that the sun came up, and I was able to drive in and see the damage around 2pm.

Big oil pushed to kill bill that would have made them pay for wildfire disasters

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 11:00:06 +0000

Legislation has new life in wake of Los Angeles catastrophe but US fossil-fuel industry is already mobilizing against it

In the year preceding the devastating Los Angeles county wildfires, big oil fiercely lobbied to kill a “polluter pay” bill that moved through the California senate and would have forced major fossil fuel companies to help cover the costs of climate disasters.

California fires live: 6m people under critical fire threat as dangerous winds expected; governor says conditioning aid ‘un-American’

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 09:39:05 +0000

Forecasters warn of ‘particularly dangerous weather situation’ in California; Gavin Newsom hits back at House speaker for ‘politicizing’ tragedy

Escalating armed conflict is most urgent threat for world in 2025, say global leaders

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 09:30:14 +0000

World Economic Forum says responses from experts in business, politics and academia also highlight climate crisis

Global leaders have said that escalating armed conflict is the most urgent threat in 2025 but the climate emergency is expected to cause the greatest concern over the next decade, according to the World Economic Forum.

Ahead of its yearly gathering in the Swiss ski resort of Davos next week, the WEF asked more than 900 leaders from business, politics and academia about the risks that most concern them.