Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Heat, algae and AI: proposed datacenter could damage Everglades, experts warn

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:30:27 +0000

Plans for hyperscale datacenter in Palm Beach county prompt concerns over water and electricity demands

Halting the march of the armyworm: fungus discovery offers hope to African farmers

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:27 +0000

South African scientist’s breakthrough research shows soil fungus could be used in fight against devastating crop pest

Hearing about fields full of dead caterpillars enveloped in a mysterious white substance intrigued the South African scientist Letodi Luki Mathulwe. Something was killing off the African armyworm – one of the most devastating pests for farmers in east and southern Africa.

The white substance was a naturally occurring fungus and it was wiping out the caterpillar, which gained its name from its march-like advance through fields of crops.

Drone footage shows rare bird’s-eye view of stingrays off New York coast

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:27 +0000

With wing spans up to 3ft, the shy cownose ray species typically arrive in Long Island waters in the warmer months

Drone footage of dozens of stingrays in the ocean off New York has captivated beachgoers and marine enthusiasts, offering a rare bird’s-eye view of a species that scientists say has visited the area for decades.

I was enjoying growing vegetables. Then the climate crisis raised its ugly head | Bim Adewunmi

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:26 +0000

My child and I were bonding over our hit-and-miss approach to reaping crops. But with heatwaves pushing more of Britain into drought, it’s starting to feel like a luxury we can’t afford

Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:36:34 +0000

Exclusive: England ‘desperately unprepared’ for effects of crisis including water shortages and heatwaves

UK heatwave live – latest updates

Just 20 staff are working on climate adaptation within a key government department tasked with protecting the environment and maintaining food security, a freedom of information request has revealed.

Andy Burnham to chair emergency Cobra meeting amid extreme heat

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 05:55:32 +0000

PM touts ban on disposable barbecues as areas hit by wildfires – but some Labour MPs will be hoping for more ambitious ideas to tackle crisis

All-British chocolate bar made by scientists using Reading-grown cocoa

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 05:00:19 +0000

Master’s student made first bar with 100% UK ingredients since 1932 to highlight effect of climate crisis on cocoa plants

The late queen was the only person in history to have ever eaten a chocolate bar made with 100% British ingredients, after she was given one as a six-year-old in 1932 by the confectioner Rowntree’s.

The bar was created from a glasshouse-grown cocoa plant, at Rowntree’s headquarters in York.

Massive bailout for Australia’s largest aluminium smelter expected to be announced by PM and NSW premier

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:29:45 +0000

Rio Tinto said in December it may cease operations at the Tomago aluminium smelter at the end of its current electricity supply contract

Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

Israel deliberately starting wildfires in southern Lebanon, firefighters say

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:00:20 +0000

First responders, residents and environmental groups say military dropping flares to destroy forests and crops

Firefighters and residents of south Lebanon have accused the Israeli military of lighting wildfires in the region, as forested areas burned down in blazes sparked by Israeli bombing.

Environmental groups said the fires in recent weeks were part of a longstanding Israeli practice of targeting Lebanon’s natural environment.

UK heatwaves may have cost economy £4.4bn in lost output so far this year, analysis finds

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:00:20 +0000

Verdant thinktank says cost could top £25bn a year by 2030 and calls for maximum temperature for working and urban redesign to cool down cities

Repeated debilitating heatwaves this summer are likely to have cost the UK economy more than £4bn in lost economic output by the end of July, new analysis shows.