Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Heatwaves show UK must do more to promote cycling and walking, campaigners say

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 07:00:37 +0000

Civil society groups argue climate crisis means transport sector needs to urgently reduce its carbon emissions

Dozens of civil society groups have demanded the UK government do more to promote cycling and walking, after this summer’s extreme heat exposed the desperate need to decarbonise transport.

This summer’s heatwaves and wildfires were “immediate, real-world manifestations of the climate emergency”, the groups said, making reform of transport – responsible for more carbon emissions than any other sector in the UK – an urgent priority.

Call to ban marmot hunting in France as campaigners say they are ‘killed for fun’

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 04:00:35 +0000

Protests and petitions planned amid growing concerns over impact of climate crisis on numbers of Alpine rodent

Animal rights campaigners are gearing up for protests and petitions aimed at persuading the French government to ban the hunting of Alpine marmots.

Open season on the rodents, members of the squirrel and groundhog family, begins in September, a few weeks before they go into a long winter hibernation.

Mood-boosting benefits of birdsong drowned out by traffic noise, study finds

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 04:00:34 +0000

Even low levels of traffic noise can negate the benefits of listening to natural sounds, researchers say

Hearing the trill or whistle of a bird while going about daily life is well known to boost people’s mood. But a new study suggests the psychological benefits of hearing birdsong are being threatened by traffic noise.

Fears for ‘gregarious’ local celebrity Sammy the elephant seal in Victorian bird flu hotspot

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:31:54 +0000

Seals and sea lions often communicate by touch and share spaces with wild birds, placing them at risk of infection from H5N1 virus

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Record-breaking heat dome expected to bring dangerous temperatures to US south-west

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 22:40:43 +0000

As wildfires rage and intense heat builds across the region, daytime highs of 110-11F (43-46C) are forecast

Surging temperatures are expected to broil more than 45 million people as a heat dome settles in across the south-western US through the end of August and into early September, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

London bus drivers resume strike over heatwave working amid fears over air con deal

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:59:22 +0000

Drivers concerned that bus operator’s offer to retrofit cabs on 730 buses will not be complete by next summer

London bus drivers have resumed strike action over having to work in high temperatures, amid fears that proposed improvements to air conditioning will not be complete by next summer.

About 1,500 members of the Unite union working across north London and Essex are taking part in the four-day strike from Tuesday to Friday, after industrial action earlier this month. Further stoppages are planned for the coming weeks.

NSW’s koala national park will protect threatened species and cap logging across the state. Could the Greens really block it? | Adam Morton

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:00:18 +0000

The Albanese government approved a proposal allowing the park to create carbon credits worth hundreds of millions of dollars, sparking a schism among environmentalists

What qualifies as a win in environmental campaigning?

Is it when a huge forest area that is home to a stack of threatened species, including koalas, and has been the focus of years and years of campaigning, is protected from logging?

‘I love rats but we can’t live with them’: the headache of rising rodent populations around the world

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:00:38 +0000

Robert Corrigan has been dealing with the ‘smart’ rodents all his life – and believes there are better solutions to deal with the growing infestation in the world’s cities

“The rodents have paid for every single bill I’ve ever had – every mortgage, every car payment, every pint of Guinness,” says Dr Robert Corrigan. “It’s been a great ride and I’m still at it.”

New York-based Corrigan is one of the most respected voices in the world of rodentology. Now in his 70s, he has devoted his entire adult life to studying rats and our relationship with them.

US fossil fuel lobbyists also represent hundreds of cities fighting for climate damages

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:35 +0000

Local governments working with firms also linked to fossil fuel giants, analysis of federal lobbying disclosures shows

Congressional lobbyists working for fossil fuel firms that are exacerbating the climate crisis are simultaneously representing more than 300 local governments raising funding to recover from climate damage, according to a new analysis.

Two planned datacentres will have higher UK carbon emissions than ExxonMobil, analysis finds

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:04:56 +0000

Exclusive: Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire sites predicted to emit 4.5m tonnes a year when fully running

The carbon emissions from just two planned datacentres in England will exceed all of the fossil fuel company ExxonMobil’s UK emissions, analysis has revealed.

Experts have said this demonstrates the “serious threat” datacentres pose to the UK’s legally binding climate goals.