Breaking Waves: Ocean News

The Guardian view on cruise ships: a licence to pollute | Editorial

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 18:46:00 +0000

The environmental harm caused by this shapeshifting, underregulated industry must be tackled

The short, painful life of your Thanksgiving turkey

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 17:00:35 +0000

In this excerpt from his book Consider the Turkey, philosopher Peter Singer explains how the birds bred for maximum breast meat suffer from health problems

The United States is the world’s largest turkey producer and the largest exporter of turkey products. Its residents also consume an ever-increasing amount of these birds. In 1970, Americans ate just over 8lbs (3.6kg) per person annually; by 2021, the National Turkey Federation reports that figure had nearly doubled to more than 15lbs.

Environmental grants promised to farmers in England frozen

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 16:07:50 +0000

Scheme to fund activities such as hedge-planting paused owing to budget constraints, sources say

Grants promised to farmers in England for planting hedges and cleaning up waterways have been frozen by the government.

Albanese government says Australia on target to reduce emissions – but campaigners say they could do more

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 14:00:29 +0000

Departmental analysis includes contentious measurements, but climate minister says government is cleaning up after ‘decade of denial, delay, dysfunction and utter neglect’

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In Wales, we’re one more flood away from another disaster like Aberfan | Aaron Thierry

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 12:00:03 +0000

It is only a matter of time before a mountainside is brought down. We need climate adaptation help – and we need it now

Record number of English bathing sites classified as having poor water quality

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 11:48:56 +0000

River water quality distinctly worse than that of coastal bathing sites, results from tests for harmful bacteria found

Water quality has been designated as poor in a record number of bathing areas this year after 16 rivers were included in summer testing for harmful bacteria, figures reveal.

Selfies and surf simulators: the young cruisers driving boom in sea holidays

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 07:00:05 +0000

A new generation is taking to the ocean in growing numbers – and fears over the environmental impact of cruise ships appear not to be denting their popularity

Read more in this series

This summer was the first time 31-year-old Daisie Morrison had been on a cruise when she set sail on a two-week holiday with two friends, also in their early 30s.

Uncontacted hunter-gatherers facing threat of genocide because of minerals mining, claims report

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 05:00:02 +0000

Survival International says Hongana Manyawa in Indonesia are at risk but mining company says the people in ‘voluntary’ contact with workers

Uncontacted hunter-gatherers in Indonesia “are facing a severe and immediate threat of genocide” because of mining for minerals on their lands for use in electric vehicles, a report claims.

'Biodiversity is not a luxury': Connection between wealth and ecosystem health

admin — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 21:30:30 +0000

This study examines the positive correlation between an area's wealth and biodiversity, known as the 'luxury effect.' The authors present an alternative framework for understanding links between socio-economic factors and ecosystem health which emphasizes the agency of less-wealthy communities in promoting healthy ecosystems where they live.

Managing forests with smart technologies

admin — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:56:35 +0000

Deforestation has remained a significant issue globally, with primary forests contributing to 16 per cent of the total tree cover loss in the last two decades, driven by climate change and intensive human activity. This threatens natural resources, biodiversity, and people's quality of life. To protect forests, scientists have developed Forest 4.0, an intelligent forest data processing model integrating blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.