Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Week in wildlife in pictures: a drowsy seal, wild kittens and the reddest bird

admin — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 08:00:05 +0000

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

Everyone loves the horrible smelly plant Putricia! Is it the only good thing left in this world? | First Dog on the Moon

admin — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 05:39:29 +0000

Corpse flower mania is sweeping the nation (inner-city Sydney)

Extreme weather failing to encourage political climate action, says activist Luisa Neubauer

admin — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 05:00:03 +0000

Fridays for Future organiser warns conspiracy theories are increasingly taking hold despite effects of global heating

The rise in extreme weather is not generating political support for climate action, Germany’s best-known climate activist has warned, as conspiracy theories increasingly circle after disasters made worse by global heating.

Nature lovers urged to take part in UK bird count amid fears over climate and disease

admin — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Birdwatch survey comes as concerns grow over infection risks posed by garden bird feeders

People are being urged to spend an hour this weekend counting the birds in their garden, park or local green space for the world’s largest survey of garden wildlife.

More than 9m birds were counted last year by 600,000 participants in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, providing a vital snapshot of how wild birds are faring.

Swarm of jellyfish swimming in bioluminescence looks ‘magical’ – but it’s a warning sign

admin — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 04:43:44 +0000

Biologist says the massive numbers of jellyfish and algae in Tasmania’s Storm Bay are ‘drivers of harm in the ocean’

Putricia the corpse flower: would you wait 3.5 hours to smell a rotten carcass? - video

admin — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 02:23:46 +0000

First there was Moo Deng, then there was Pesto the Penguin – but have you met Sydney's Putricia, the corpse flower? To the scientific community, the Botanic Gardens of Sydney’s corpse flower is known as Amorphophallus titanum, which translates to 'large, deformed penis'. But online, the rare endangered plant has taken a life of its own.

It’s the first time a corpse flower has bloomed in the Royal Botanic Garden in 15 years – and when they do blossom, they last just 24 to 48 hours

‘Chaos agent’ Trump revives California water wars as experts warn of turmoil

admin — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 22:05:31 +0000

President claims to be ‘putting people over fish’ but critics say order could derail years of carefully crafted water policy

It didn’t take long for Donald Trump to reignite the California water wars he waged in his first term.

On his first day in office, Trump directed the secretary of commerce and the secretary of the interior to develop a new plan that will “route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta to other parts of the state for use by the people there who desperately need a reliable water supply”.

Government overturns Tory measure and bans emergency use of bee-killing pesticide

admin — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 18:39:04 +0000

Emergency use of Cruiser SB, a neonicotinoid pesticide highly toxic to bees, to be outlawed in UK in line with EU

Bee-killing pesticides have been banned for emergency use in the UK for the first time in five years after the government rejected an application from the National Farmers’ Union and British Sugar.

Labour MPs ordered to sink landmark climate and environment bill

admin — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 18:12:52 +0000

Exclusive: Supporters of bill say Labour has already insisted on removal of clauses requiring UK to meet targets agreed at Cop and other summits

A landmark bill that would make the UK’s climate and environment targets legally binding seems doomed after government whips ordered Labour MPs to oppose it following a breakdown in negotiations.

Supporters of the climate and nature bill, introduced by the Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage, say Labour insisted on the removal of clauses that would require the UK to meet the targets it agreed to at Cop and other international summits.

How the ‘forever tote’ became the It bag du jour

admin — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:10:46 +0000

The original cotton totes have a ‘disarmingly short’ life cycle – so demand is high for a more environmentally friendly version

This year’s It bag isn’t made by any of the usual designers. And if this bag could talk, it wouldn’t say “calf leather” so much as “wash me at 40C”. What’s more, in an ideal world, you would never want to buy another again.