Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Angela Eagle tells industry ‘people are sick of excuses’ as pollution levels remain high despite billions in investment Angela Eagle, the environment secretary, has summoned water industry bosses to Whitehall after a report found that the environmental performance of the big companies has worsened despite investment. “People are sick of excuses,” Dame Angela said, after the Environment Agency joined the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat for a joint report that rated eight of the nine water companies in England as “poor” or “requiring improvement”. Continue reading...

Replacing diesel-powered ferries with electric vessels could reduce emissions and improve air quality Cutting through New York Harbor in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the small white boat we were riding on caught the attention of passengers aboard a nearby sightseeing ferry. “It’s quite a curiosity at the moment,” Eric Laakmann, the chief executive and co-founder of Vessev, said. Climate Central is an independent group of scientists and communicators who research and report the facts about our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives. Continue reading...

Seawater surges into low-lying communities from San Diego to San Francisco Bay Area, submerging streets, homes and businesses Historic high tides have caused chaos up and down the California coast this week, as parts of the state were inundated by record-breaking water levels. Seawater surged into low-lying communities from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area, submerging streets, flooding homes and businesses, and jamming important transportation corridors and train routes. Kayakers and paddleboarders could be seen gliding through typically busy thoroughfares in Marin county, north of San Francisco, on Monday and Tuesday. Several drivers had to be rescued from floating cars in the area, while cyclists who had attempted to cross the temporary lagoon that had formed quickly found themselves waist-deep. Further south, in cities such as Newport Beach, water pounded the emergency infrastructure set up to keep out the swelling sea, which seeped through berms, seawalls and sandbag blockades along the shoreline. Continue reading...

NSW government imposes water restrictions after Menindee water volumes fall below 2021 levels Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Water levels at the Menindee Lakes in western New South Wales have fallen to their lowest point in five years, prompting the state government to impose upstream water use restrictions as experts warn of potential mass fish deaths over summer. Combined volume at the Menindee Lakes fell below 480 gigalitres earlier this month, the first time since 2021. Continue reading...