Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Exploit last North Sea oil and gas or risk mass job losses, Andy Burnham urged

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:00:52 +0000

British Chamber of Commerce boss Shevaun Haviland says transition to clean energy could be handled better

Andy Burnham should be ready to exploit the UK’s remaining North Sea oil and gas resources to avoid mass job losses in Scotland and the north-east, the director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Shevaun Haviland, has said.

The decision about whether to allow extraction at the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields now appears likely to fall to a Burnham administration.

Farmers criticise government plan to counter threats to UK food security

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:47:55 +0000

Plan warns climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages but farmers say it fails to adequately fund response

The climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages, the government has warned in its new plan for British farming.

But farmers criticised the plan, which outlines for the first time the government’s vision for the long-term direction of farming, for failing to adequately fund a response to this threat to the UK’s food security.

US says chemical giant Chemours to pay $450m to settle ‘forever chemicals’ case

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:29:47 +0000

Agreement is first by federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a major Pfas manufacturer

The Trump administration on Wednesday reached a multi-state settlement with the chemical giant Chemours Co over years-long, illegal discharges of synthetic “forever chemicals” used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains. The settlement is the first by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a manufacturer of harmful chemicals known as Pfas.

UK records its hottest June day and France its hottest day ever as heatwave sweeps Europe

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:12:19 +0000

Temperature of 36.1C (97F) recorded in Hampshire, while two-thirds of Europe’s population experience temperatures above 30C

The UK has broken its all-time temperature record for June and France has recorded its hottest day ever for the second day running, as a heatwave affecting more than 90 million people sweeps across swathes of Europe.

As the UK and France registered record-breaking temperatures, the World Health Organization warned that the extreme temperatures are “putting lives at risk”.

‘Instant connection to the past’: how the Major oak affected those who saw it

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:47:06 +0000

Readers remember the Sherwood Forest tree that has failed to produce leaves for the first time in 1,000 years

Farm workers at higher risk amid screwworm outbreak in US south-west

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:44 +0000

Those who work with animals are at greater risk for infection, but face challenges in accessing healthcare

Agricultural workers are among the highest risk group for human infection during the screwworm outbreak in the American south, yet they frequently face challenges in accessing public health – an ongoing concern amid zoonotic spillovers such as H5N1 bird flu.

‘No one believed it’: how a YouTube video accidentally proved Libya’s sand cat really does exist

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:00:43 +0000

Wildlife photographer Mohammed Almuntasir had no idea what he had found until scientists started to get in touch

When wildlife photographer Mohammed Almuntasir uploaded 18 seconds of footage to YouTube, he thought little more about the small, pale cat seen digging a hollow in the sand in the remote dunes of south-west Libya.

‘Carspreading’ could lead to extra 2,600 crash deaths a year by 2040, study finds

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:11:57 +0000

Analysis shows cars in Europe have grown longer, taller and wider every year since 2000

Cars have grown 1.2cm longer, 0.5cm taller and 0.5cm wider each year on average since 2000, analysis of new vehicles sold in Europe has found, in what green groups call “relentless carspreading”.

24-hour parks and alcohol bans: what cities could learn from Paris’s ‘heatwave mode’ | Helen Massy-Beresford

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:00:38 +0000

Following a devastating heatwave in 2003 that killed 15,000, France has adopted four alert levels to help people cope with extreme temperatures

Helen Massy-Beresford is a British journalist and editor who lives in Paris

Wednesday briefing: How can the UK protect its landscape in an increasingly hot world?

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 05:47:22 +0000

In today’s newsletter: As heatwaves intensify, Britain’s ecosystems are being pushed beyond their evolutionary limits

Our green and pleasant land is sizzling. This week, millions of us across the UK are baking in unprecedented heat. The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning from 9am today in parts of southern Wales, and central and southern England. The temperature record for June of 35.6C is almost certain to be broken; Bristol is forecast to hit an alarming 39C tomorrow.