Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves/index.php en ‘He’s forcing higher bills’: Trump spends billions to kill clean energy and keep coal alive https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/he-s-forcing-higher-bills-trump-spends-billions-kill-clean-energy-and-keep-coal-alive <p>Critics accuse president of ‘fattening the wallets of his cronies’ as working Americans face higher energy rates</p> <p>The Trump administration has directly spent $2.7bn of taxpayer money on its crusade against wind power while pouring $1.125bn into boosting coal, which critics say is pushing up Americans’ bills.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/he-s-forcing-higher-bills-trump-spends-billions-kill-clean-energy-and-keep-coal-alive" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:30:19 +0000 admin 103856 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Shovels for feet and blotting paper skin: the ‘little fat froggy’ facing a fight for survival https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/shovels-feet-and-blotting-paper-skin-little-fat-froggy-facing-fight-survival <p>The desert rain frog, native to a narrow coastal strip of south-west Africa, has been classified as vulnerable on the IUCN red list, as its habitat is threatened by mining</p> <p>The desert rain frog is one of the most unusual amphibians on the planet. With a rotund body and stumpy legs that dig rather than jump, it has evolved to survive not in wetlands or rainforests, but in the unforgiving dunes of the southern African desert.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/shovels-feet-and-blotting-paper-skin-little-fat-froggy-facing-fight-survival" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:00:16 +0000 admin 103855 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Swift nest reportedly thrown in skip during house renovations in South Tyneside https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/swift-nest-reportedly-thrown-skip-during-house-renovations-south-tyneside <p>Conservationists fear more nests may have been destroyed during work on Jarrow houses by council-appointed contractor</p> <p>Swift chicks are feared to have been thrown into a skip during house renovations in South Tyneside, despite rules that should stop the destruction of nests.</p> <p>The Northern Swifts Group (NSG) was alerted to the destruction of at least one nest on Tuesday, in a street in Jarrow where houses were being renovated by South Tyneside council.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/swift-nest-reportedly-thrown-skip-during-house-renovations-south-tyneside" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:00:15 +0000 admin 103854 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Week in wildlife: a froggy lunch, a surf-loving penguin and an ambitious treehopper https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/week-wildlife-froggy-lunch-surf-loving-penguin-and-ambitious-treehopper <p>This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world</p> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2026/jul/10/week-in-wildlife-a-froggy-lunch-a-surf-loving-penguin-and-an-ambitious-treehopper">Continue reading...</a></p> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:00:14 +0000 admin 103853 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org We say thanks to all our selfless spineless pals | First Dog on the Moon https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/we-say-thanks-all-our-selfless-spineless-pals-first-dog-moon <p>While I have no influence on the Guardian committee, I know who this year’s winner of the Invertebrate of the Year competition should be</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/01/nominate-your-invertebrate-of-the-year">Nominate your Invertebrate of the Year now!</a> You have until midnight on Monday 13 July to submit your response</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/16/-sp-first-dog-on-the-moon-subscribe-by-email">Sign up here to get an email</a> whenever First Dog cartoons are published</p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/we-say-thanks-all-our-selfless-spineless-pals-first-dog-moon" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 06:28:28 +0000 admin 103852 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Heatwave across western Europe – in pictures https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/heatwave-across-western-europe-pictures <p>Western Europe has been scorched by its hottest June on record, scientists have said, as the UK enters its third heatwave of the year and wildfires ravage France and Spain</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/09/western-europe-records-hottest-ever-june-as-heatwaves-intensify">Western Europe records hottest-ever June as heatwaves intensify</a></p> </li> </ul> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2026/jul/10/heatwave-across-western-europe-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a></p> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 05:00:11 +0000 admin 103851 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘A lot of red flags’: plans for New Zealand’s first datacentre spark concern as locals demand greater transparency https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/lot-red-flags-plans-new-zealand-s-first-datacentre-spark-concern-locals-demand-greater <p>Plans to build a NZ$3.5bn datacentre in Makarewa in the country’s south has drawn concern about electricity and water use, and potential noise pollution</p> <p>People living near the site of New Zealand’s first planned AI datacentre are calling for more transparency about the project, especially about how the centre’s huge electricity and water use and potential noise pollution could affect them.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/lot-red-flags-plans-new-zealand-s-first-datacentre-spark-concern-locals-demand-greater" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:40:26 +0000 admin 103850 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Historic El Niño able to supercharge extreme weather looks increasingly likely – researchers https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/historic-el-ni-o-able-supercharge-extreme-weather-looks-increasingly-likely-researcher <p>Models show overwhelming chance that this year’s El Niño to rank among largest going back to 1950</p> <p>El Niño is strengthening and the <a href="https://cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml">risks of a historic event</a> with the power to supercharge extreme weather around the world are rising, according to the latest analysis from the US National Weather Service.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/historic-el-ni-o-able-supercharge-extreme-weather-looks-increasingly-likely-researcher" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 21:06:22 +0000 admin 103849 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org UK swelters in third heatwave of the year as western Europe counts cost of hottest-ever June https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/uk-swelters-third-heatwave-year-western-europe-counts-cost-hottest-ever-june <p>Britain expands heat alerts while estimates suggest June’s death toll could surpass 20,000 across continent</p> <p>The UK is sweltering through the peak of its third heatwave of the year as countries around Europe struggle to recover from an early onslaught of baking summer heat.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/uk-swelters-third-heatwave-year-western-europe-counts-cost-hottest-ever-june" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:39:03 +0000 admin 103848 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org New York sues 3M, DuPont and others over 'forever chemicals' in consumer goods https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/new-york-sues-3m-dupont-and-others-over-forever-chemicals-consumer-goods <p>State says companies hid environmental and health risks of Pfas for decades even as they began phasing them out</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email</a><em> </em></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/new-york-sues-3m-dupont-and-others-over-forever-chemicals-consumer-goods" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:54:11 +0000 admin 103844 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org