Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Trump signs executive order to 'make America's showers great again' – video

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:41:23 +0000

A global trade-war rollercoaster was not enough to distract Donald Trump from fulfilling one of his longtime priorities on Wednesday: changing the federal definition of 'shower head', a move the White House claimed would end the Obama-Biden war on water pressure and restore 'shower freedom'

Green activist group is pausing work after backlash by investors

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:00:22 +0000

Dutch group Follow This says it will not file any resolutions against oil and gas companies this AGM season

A green shareholder activist group has decided to “pause” its work pushing oil companies to reduce their emissions amid a growing investor backlash against climate action.

Follow This has confirmed that it will not file any climate resolutions against oil and gas companies during the forthcoming AGM season for the first time since 2016.

Investing in climate adaptation is not just good for the planet, it’s good business | William Ruto and Patrick Verkooijen

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:00:22 +0000

Climate denialism should not blind investors and governments to the very real opportunities to be found in financing solutions

Among the many shocks currently facing the international development community is the new direction of the US administration on climate, and the implications worldwide for mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Pollen peril: how heat, thunder and smog are creating deadly hay fever seasons

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 06:00:21 +0000

Scientists say a complex mix of factors are making seasonal allergies worse for longer in many parts of the world – but why is it happening and is it here to stay?

The first time it happened, László Makra thought he had flu. The symptoms appeared from nowhere at the end of summer in 1989: his eyes started streaming, his throat was tight and he could not stop sneezing. Makra was 37 and otherwise fit and healthy, a mid-career climate scientist in Szeged, Hungary. Winter eventually came and he thought little of it. Then, it happened the next year. And the next.

Gas boiler fittings outnumbered heat pumps by 15 to one in UK last year – report

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 05:00:19 +0000

Poorer households shut out of heat pump market and grants should be increased to speed up rollout, thinktank says

Gas boiler fittings outnumbered new heat pump installations by more than 15 to one last year, and only one in eight new homes were equipped with the low-carbon alternative despite the government’s clean energy targets.

Streams of medicines: how Switzerland cleaned up its act – podcast

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 04:00:19 +0000

Switzerland is leading the world in purifying its water of micropollutants, a concoction of chemicals often found in bodies of water that look crystal clear. They include common medicines like antidepressants and antihistamines, but have unknown and potentially damaging consequences for human and ecosystem health.

Energy demands from AI datacentres to quadruple by 2030, says report

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 04:00:18 +0000

The IEA forecast indicates a sharp rise in the requirements of AI, but said threat to the climate was ‘overstated’

The global rush to AI technology will require almost as much energy by the end of this decade as Japan uses today, but only about half of the demand is likely to be met from renewable sources.

Processing data, mainly for AI, will consume more electricity in the US alone by 2030 than manufacturing steel, cement, chemicals and all other energy-intensive goods combined, according to a report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Elon Musk’s xAI powering its facility in Memphis with ‘illegal’ generators

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 01:07:13 +0000

Advocacy group says the firm has doubled the number of methane gas burning turbines it’s using without permits

KeShaun Pearson took a seat in front of the Shelby county board of commissioners in Memphis, Tennessee, on Wednesday morning. In the gallery behind him, a small group of people held up signs that said “Our air = our lives” and “Our water, Our future.” With a manner-of-fact demeanor, Pearson addressed the commissioners.

White House ends funding for key US climate body: ‘No coming back from this’

admin — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 20:11:18 +0000

Nasa cuts contract that convened USGCRP, which released assessments impacting environmental decision-making

The White House is ending funding for the body that produces the federal government’s pre-eminent climate report, which summarizes the impacts of rising global temperatures on the United States.

Trump takes aim at city and state climate laws in executive order

admin — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 16:10:28 +0000

President orders justice department to stop enforcement of critical policies holding fossil fuel companies accountable