Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Grim statistics on koala survival odds

admin — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:36:05 +0000

Records of koala admissions to veterinary hospitals in South East Queensland shows euthanasia was the most common outcome.

Almost 200 people killed last year trying to defend the environment, report finds

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 23:01:29 +0000

Latin America was the most deadly region in which to defend ecosystems from mining and deforestation, with Indigenous people among half the dead

At least 196 people were killed last year for defending the environment, with more than a third of killings taking place in Colombia, new figures show.

From campaigners who spoke out against mining projects to Indigenous communities targeted by organised crime groups, an environmental defender was killed every other day in 2023, according to a new report by the NGO Global Witness.

Pathogenic microbes blown vast distances by winds, scientists discover

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 19:00:24 +0000

Living microbes that cause disease in humans and host antibiotic-resistance genes carried 1,200 miles

Microbes that cause disease in humans can travel thousands of miles on high-level winds, scientists have revealed for the first time.

The winds studied carried a surprising diversity of bacteria and fungi, including known pathogens and, some with genes for resistance to multiple antibiotics. Some of the microbes were shown to be alive – in other words, they had survived the long journey and were able to replicate.

Pacific islands submit court proposal for recognition of ecocide as a crime

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 18:30:23 +0000

Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa want international criminal court to class environmental destruction as crime alongside genocide

Three developing countries have taken the first steps towards transforming the world’s response to climate breakdown and environmental destruction by making ecocide a punishable criminal offence.

Japanese eels can escape predators’ stomach through their gills, finds study

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:00:22 +0000

Eels use tail-first technique to back up digestive tract of fish towards oesophagus before coming out of gills

It sounds like the plot of a horror movie – a predator swallows its prey only for the creature to burst out of its captor’s body. But it seems Japanese eels do just that.

Scientists in Japan have discovered that when swallowed by a dark sleeper fish, the eels can escape.

Tuesday’s rally for Australian farmers lists seven priorities – but the biggest two are nowhere to be seen | Gabrielle Chan

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:00:19 +0000

The last time the National Farmers’ Federation marched on Canberra politicians were carefully controlled. This time the agenda looks more useful for politicians than farmers

Whale alleged to be Russian ‘spy’ died after stick became lodged in its mouth, say police

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 14:21:13 +0000

Animal rights groups had claimed beluga named Hvaldimir, which was found dead last month, had been shot

A beluga whale that rose to fame in Norway after its unusual harness prompted suspicions that the creature was trained by Russia as a spy died after a stick became stuck in its mouth, police have said.

Warm fronts to Y-fronts: Chinese city hit by underwear storm

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:26:20 +0000

Chongqing authorities say cloud seeding to break heatwave did not cause winds that sent laundry flying

It was the talk of the town. After the authorities sought to break a long-running heatwave in Chongqing by using cloud-seeding missiles to artificially bring rain, the Chinese megacity was blasted by an unusual weather event – an underwear storm.

The huge US toxic fire shrouded in secrecy: ‘I taste oil in my mouth’

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 11:00:14 +0000

Louisianans say a major accident at a sprawling Marathon refinery caused health issues. The company insists there were ‘no offsite impacts’

At 8.04am on 25 August last year, Darnell Alboudoor watched a plume of black smoke blanketing the sky and rolling in the direction of her family home.

A stench like burning oil filled the air on that piping hot summer morning, as Alboudoor, 54, looked in the direction of the sprawling petroleum refinery, which sat a few hundred feet from her back yard. She called 911.

The solar pump revolution could bring water to millions of Africans but it must be sustainable and fair | Alan MacDonald

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 10:00:12 +0000

Solar power could enable 400 million Africans without water to tap into groundwater aquifers. However, we must ensure smaller projects do not lose out in the rush for new technology

It’s a truly dreadful irony: for many of the 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who lack access to even a basic water supply, there is likely to be a significant reserve in aquifers sitting just a few metres below their feet.