Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘People think they’ll smell but they don’t’: inside the Namibian homes built from mushrooms

admin — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 05:00:26 +0000

A sustainable project aims to repurpose encroacher bush to create building blocks to solve Namibia’s housing crisis

“People think the house would smell because the blocks are made of all-natural products, but it doesn’t smell,” says Kristine Haukongo. “Sometimes, there is a small touch of wood, but otherwise it’s completely odourless.”

New Zealand will fail to meet 2050 net zero targets, data shows, after climate policies scrapped

admin — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 05:00:20 +0000

Scientists say government’s approach to emissions cutting is ‘high risk’ and reliant on ‘immature technologies’

New Zealand’s ambitious plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050 is at risk of being derailed, as the government backslides on climate policies, new figures show.

Renewables caught in misinformation crossfire from Australia’s nuclear cheerleaders | Graham Readfearn

admin — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:19 +0000

Those pushing the nuclear option are making some questionable claims about the capacity of renewable energy

The most endangered fish are the least studied

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 20:24:02 +0000

The most threatened reef fishes are also the most overlooked by scientists and the general public. Scientists measured the level of human interest in 2,408 species of marine reef fish and found that the attention of the scientific community is attracted by the commercial value more than the ecological value of the fishes. The public, on the other hand, is primarily influenced by the aesthetic characteristics of certain species, such as the red lionfish (Pterois volitans) and the mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus).

Blood thinner could be used to treat cobra venom, global study suggests

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:00:11 +0000

Snakebites, the ‘deadliest of neglected tropical diseases’, often impact rural communities the most but a new study offers hope

US government urged to declare wildfire smoke and extreme heat major disasters

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:12:02 +0000

Fourteen attorneys general petition federal emergency officials as millions in US under excessive heat advisories

Fourteen state attorneys general are urging the federal government to declare extreme heat and wildfire smoke major disasters. The petition comes as millions of people in the south and north-east face excessive heat advisories, and large swaths of the western US and Canada battle ongoing wildfires.

Research tracks 66 million years of mammalian diversity

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:11:28 +0000

New research has examined the fossil record going back 66 million years and tracked changes to mammalian ecosystems and species diversity on the North American continent.

Logged forests can still have ecological value -- if not pushed too far

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:09:12 +0000

Researchers have analysed data from 127 studies to reveal 'thresholds' for when logged rainforests lose the ability to sustain themselves. The results could widen the scope of which forests are considered 'worth' conserving, but also show how much logging degrades forests beyond the point of no return.

For Palestinian restaurateurs in the US, it’s not just about the food: ‘We have to prove we’re human’

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:00:09 +0000

Three restaurant owners share their experiences feeding people – and leveraging their positions to tell humanizing stories

As some of the most visible Palestinian establishments in American cultural life, Palestinian restaurants have found themselves thrust into the spotlight in a new way over the last nine months of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

Let there be night: digital billboards to be turned off to curb light pollution under Melbourne city proposal

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 15:00:10 +0000

Illuminated signs have increased nocturnal artificial light and are detrimental to the city’s liveability and sustainability, a review has found