Breaking Waves: Ocean News

10/31/2024 - 05:35
UK government offers undisclosed sum in compensation to Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah for daughter’s untimely death The mother of a nine-year-old girl who became the first person in the UK to have air pollution cited on their death certificate will receive an undisclosed settlement from the government in compensation for her daughter’s untimely death. Settling a legal case, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department for Transport and the Department of Health and Social Care issued a statement expressing sincere condolences to the family of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, from south-east London, who had a fatal asthma attack in 2013 after being exposed to excessive air pollution. Continue reading...
10/31/2024 - 04:29
Campaigners criticise fall in company’s investments in renewables as it reveals better than expected profits of $6bn in third quarter Shell has called on the government to “provide certainty” over the future of the North Sea after the chancellor confirmed plans to toughen its windfall tax on oil and gas profits. Rachel Reeves used Labour’s first budget in 14 years to raise the headline tax rate of the energy profits levy by 3 percentage points to 78% until 2030 and close the “loophole” left by the previous government that enabled fossil fuel producers to reduce their taxes through investment allowances. Continue reading...
10/31/2024 - 03:00
It may be colourful but if it gets on your clothes you have to throw them away, says biologist Dr Joe Roman, who can’t get enough of the stuff, which is vital to support ocean biodiversity I first encountered whale poop 30 years ago while I was working on a right whale research project. On one of my first days on the water, in the Bay of Fundy, in eastern Canada, we came upon a feeding male right whale with mud on its head – or bonnet – a sign that it had been feeding at the bottom of the bay. It had come up to breathe and rest. Just before it dived in again, it released this enormous faecal plume. Continue reading...
10/31/2024 - 02:55
At least 155 people have reportedly died with more rain forecast for the flood-hit region of Valencia Death toll expected to rise amid anger over preparedness People in Spain: have you been affected by flooding? Experts have been giving their reaction to yesterday’s disaster - sounding a warning about our preparedness and ability to cope. Extreme weather events are becoming more intense, are lasting longer and are occurring more frequently as a result of human-induced climate change, scientists say. Continue reading...
10/31/2024 - 01:00
Fears raised that biodiversity summit not addressing countries’ failure to meet a single target to stem destruction of natural world Governments risk another decade of failure on biodiversity loss, due to the slow implementation of an international agreement to halt the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems, experts have warned. Less than two years ago, the world reached a historic agreement at the Cop15 summit in Montreal to stop the human-caused destruction of life on our planet. The deal included targets to protect 30% of the planet for nature by the end of the decade (30x30), reform $500bn (then £410bn) of environmentally damaging subsidies, and begin restoring 30% of the planet’s degraded ecosystems. Continue reading...
10/31/2024 - 00:13
Victims say ‘water was already here’ by the time warning was issued, as military prepares to start searching worst-hit areas Spain floods – latest updates Rescue workers in Spain are searching for more victims after deadly floods, as questions are raised about how one of the world’s most developed nations failed to respond adequately to such an extreme storm. Torrential rains that began at the start of the week led to flooding that has left at least 95 people dead, the deadliest such disaster in the western European country since 1973. Continue reading...
10/30/2024 - 17:18
Unnamed victim, who lived in Málaga, died from cardiac arrests and hypothermia, and is one of more than 95 deaths Torrential rain brings deadly flooding to Spain – in pictures A 71-year-old British man has died after he was rescued from the floods in Spain, a local government leader has said. He died hours after being rescued from his home on the outskirts of Alhaurin de la Torre, Málaga, the president of the Andalusian government said on Wednesday. Continue reading...
10/30/2024 - 16:00
It comes as renewable sources powered 39.3% on average, the Aemo says, a record share for the September quarter Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Greenhouse gas emissions from Australia’s main electricity grid increased for a third quarter in a row as higher power demand drove more use of black coal and gas plants, the Australian Energy Market Operator says. For the September quarter alone, emissions from the national electricity market (Nem) that serves the eastern states and South Australia rose 2% from a year earlier, Aemo said in its quarterly market report. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
10/30/2024 - 14:52
Downpours caused Spain’s deadliest flooding in decades. Floodwaters surged through cities, towns and villages, trapping people in their homes, sweeping up cars in their wake and causing significant damage Continue reading...
10/30/2024 - 14:06
Sustainable lifestyles, green-tech innovation, and government-led transformation each offer promising routes to make significant progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, according to a new study. The team of researchers examined how these strategies could transform consumption and production across different sectors, identifying both benefits and trade-offs for enhancing human well-being within planetary boundaries. Contrary to the belief that the path to sustainable development is increasingly out of reach, the results show that humankind has a variety of pathways to depart from its current unsustainable trajectory.