Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘Stark warning’: pesticide harm to wildlife rising globally, study finds

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 19:00:45 +0000

Toxicity from farm chemicals increased for most species groups between 2013 and 2019, with insects worst affected

Ecological harm from pesticides is growing globally, a study has found, with bugs, fish, pollinators and land-based plants among six species groups hit hardest.

Insects suffered the greatest increase in harm from synthetic farm chemicals between 2013 and 2019, the study shows, with “applied” toxicity rising by 42.9%, followed by soil organisms, which faced an increase of 30.8%.

Israel accused of spraying cancer-linked herbicide on farms in southern Lebanon

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:58:56 +0000

President condemns ‘environmental and health crime’ as critics say Israel seeks to make southern Lebanon uninhabitable

Lebanon has accused Israel of spraying a herbicide linked to cancer on farmland in the south of the country as a “health crime” that would threaten food security and farmers’ livelihoods.

The country’s president, Joseph Aoun, condemned what he called “an environmental and health crime” and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty, and he vowed to take “all necessary legal and diplomatic measures to confront this aggression”.

Florida euthanizes 5,000 iguanas after cold snap stuns the invasive reptiles

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:52:45 +0000

State culled a number of the non-native reptiles after thousands were ‘cold-stunned’ and dropped from trees

Wildlife officials in Florida say they euthanized more than 5,000 non-native iguanas in the state after hordes of the reptiles froze and fell from trees in this week’s cold snap.

UK to cut climate finance to poor countries by a fifth despite promising more help

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:00:42 +0000

Exclusive: Campaigners say proposed cut from £11.9bn over past five years to £9bn over next five years will cost lives and livelihoods

The UK plans to slash its aid to poor countries stricken by the climate crisis by more than a fifth, the Guardian has learned, despite promises to increase assistance and warnings from campaigners that the move will cost lives and livelihoods.

Airlines should tell UK customers the carbon impact of flights, watchdog says

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:05:00 +0000

CAA’s guidance also including booking sites to enable passengers to make ‘more informed travel decisions’

Airlines and booking firms should give UK customers information about the environmental impact of their flights, the regulator has said.

The Civil Aviation Authority urged booking sites to enable passengers to make “more informed travel decisions” by setting out estimates for carbon emissions for flights landing or taking off from British airports.

Anger over Scottish salmon farm inspections amid 35m unexpected fish deaths

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:43:56 +0000

Animal Equality says two surprise inspections in three years suggests ‘embarrassingly poor’ level of scrutiny

Scottish salmon farmers recorded more than 35m unexpected salmon deaths in just under three years but there were only two unannounced inspections of facilities over the same period.

Michigan accuses big oil of being ‘cartel’ that fuels climate crisis and high energy costs

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:00:37 +0000

In first-of-its-kind complaint, state accused four fossil fuel majors and US oil lobbying group of climate disinformation

‘Hope and relief’ as seaside town’s last youth centre saved

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:00:27 +0000

Charity praises effort to stop Ramsgate’s Pie Factory Music closing but calls for more youth services in coastal towns

The last remaining youth centre in one of England’s most deprived coastal places has been saved from being sold after a long campaign by the charity that has for 13 years called it home.

Fumes, rats and maggots: peer urges Environment Agency to clear illegal dump in Wigan

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 09:13:20 +0000

Shas Sheehan challenges refusal to remove 25,000 tonnes of waste causing ‘grave environmental hazard’ near school

A 25,000-tonne illegal waste dump next to a primary school in Wigan presents “a grave environmental hazard” and should be cleared, the chair of the Lords environment committee has told the government.

‘Everything is quagga mussel now’: can invasive species be stopped? – podcast

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 05:00:20 +0000

On a recent trip to Lake Geneva in Switzerland, biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston witnessed the impact of one of the planet’s most potent invasive species, the quagga mussel. In just a decade the mollusc, originally from the Ponto-Caspian region of the Black Sea, has caused irreversible change beneath the surface of the picturesque lake. While ecologists believe invasive species play a major role in more than 60% of plant and animal extinctions, stopping them in their tracks is almost impossible.