Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves en Rapid environmental change can threaten even a peaceful Daisyworld https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/rapid-environmental-change-can-threaten-even-peaceful-daisyworld <p>Using mathematical modeling, researchers have discovered that rate-induced tipping, which can happen if an environment changes too fast, can happen even in Daisyworld, a simple daisy-filled ecological model. If the planet heats up or cools down too quickly, all the daisies will go extinct, even if they would otherwise have been able to survive just fine under those conditions. This discovery mirrors similar observations found in other models and observed in real-life ecosystems.</p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:36:47 +0000 admin 98986 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Jon Davis on how the UK government is tackling the climate crisis – cartoon https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/jon-davis-how-uk-government-tackling-climate-crisis-cartoon <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/feb/18/jon-davis-uk-government-climate-crisis-cartoon">Continue reading...</a></p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 15:59:32 +0000 admin 98985 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘An unprecedented situation’: EPA plan for LA wildfire cleanup stirs protests over toxic dangers https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/unprecedented-situation-epa-plan-la-wildfire-cleanup-stirs-protests-over-toxic-dangers <p>Demonstrators have protested against an expedited cleanup process that would involve using a beloved beach as a toxic waste sorting site </p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/unprecedented-situation-epa-plan-la-wildfire-cleanup-stirs-protests-over-toxic-dangers" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 14:14:43 +0000 admin 98983 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Early warning system for climate tipping points given £81m kickstart https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/early-warning-system-climate-tipping-points-given-81m-kickstart <p>Ambitious UK project aims to forecast climate catastrophes using fleets of drones, cosmic ray detection, patterns of plankton blooms and more</p> <p>An ambitious attempt to develop an early warning system for climate tipping points will combine fleets of drones, cosmic ray detection and the patterns of plankton blooms with artificial intelligence and the most detailed computer models to date.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/early-warning-system-climate-tipping-points-given-81m-kickstart" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 13:36:29 +0000 admin 98982 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘The path forward is clear’: how Trump taking office has ‘turbocharged’ climate accountability efforts https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/path-forward-clear-how-trump-taking-office-has-turbocharged-climate-accountability-eff <p>‘Make polluters pay’ laws, led by blue states AGs, and accountability suits will be a major front for climate litigation for the coming years</p> <p>Donald Trump’s re-election has “turbocharged” climate accountability efforts including laws which aim to force greenhouse gas emitters to pay damages for fueling dangerous global warming, say activists.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/path-forward-clear-how-trump-taking-office-has-turbocharged-climate-accountability-eff" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 13:00:07 +0000 admin 98981 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org I’m obsessed with fish that clean other fish: they remember their clients, much like a hairdresser https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/i-m-obsessed-fish-clean-other-fish-they-remember-their-clients-much-hairdresser <p>I’m campaigning for legal protection for cleaner fish, because no one has done a proper assessment of the impact of removing them from Scottish reefs</p> <p>I was in my 50s when I first became aware that cleaner fish existed, when I met a fisher who sold them to Scottish salmon farms. Each year, around the world, such farms use <a href="https://media.mcsuk.org/documents/Use_Of_Cleaner_Fish_in_UK_Aquaculture-_2021_bSTJrMB.pdf">more than 60 million</a> cleaner fish to eat – or “clean” – parasites off other fish. But the natural habitat of the cleaner fish is the reef.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/i-m-obsessed-fish-clean-other-fish-they-remember-their-clients-much-hairdresser" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:02 +0000 admin 98980 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Sunscreen’s impact on marine life needs urgent investigation, study finds https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/sunscreen-s-impact-marine-life-needs-urgent-investigation-study-finds <p>The chemical compounds that block UV rays may lead to bleaching of coral and a decrease in fish fertility</p> <p>Urgent investigation is needed into the potential impact sunscreen is having on marine environments, according to a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X2500102X">new report</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/sunscreen-s-impact-marine-life-needs-urgent-investigation-study-finds" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:00:02 +0000 admin 98978 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org There are many ways Trump could trigger a global collapse. Here’s how to survive if that happens | George Monbiot https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/there-are-many-ways-trump-could-trigger-global-collapse-here-s-how-survive-if-happens- <p>It could be wildfires, a pandemic or a financial crisis. The super-rich will flee to their bunkers – the rest of us will have to fend for ourselves</p> <p>Though we might find it hard to imagine, we cannot now rule it out: the possibility of systemic collapse in the United States. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/01/trump-executive-order-power-grab">The degradation of federal government</a> by Donald Trump and Elon Musk could trigger a series of converging and compounding crises, leading to social, financial and industrial failure.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/there-are-many-ways-trump-could-trigger-global-collapse-here-s-how-survive-if-happens-" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:00:02 +0000 admin 98979 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Fossil fuel industry accused of seeking special treatment over oilfield emissions https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/fossil-fuel-industry-accused-seeking-special-treatment-over-oilfield-emissions <p>Lobbyists argued it was unfair for their industry to be treated the same as others as end product – oil and gas – inevitably produced emissions</p> <p>Experts have accused the fossil fuel industry of seeking special treatment after lobbyists argued greenhouse gas emissions from oilfields should be treated differently to those from other industries.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/fossil-fuel-industry-accused-seeking-special-treatment-over-oilfield-emissions" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 06:00:01 +0000 admin 98977 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Support for ESG proposals at record low driven by US investors, report shows https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/support-esg-proposals-record-low-driven-us-investors-report-shows <p>Report highlights ‘worrying retreat’ in support for shareholder resolutions on environmental and social risks</p> <p>Support for shareholder proposals aimed at tackling environmental and social risks hit a record low last year, figures show, amid a “worrying retreat” by investors, particularly in the US.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/support-esg-proposals-record-low-driven-us-investors-report-shows" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:01:51 +0000 admin 98974 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org