Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Sources say delayed risk assessment includes modelling of effects of climate crisis in ways that have been little discussed in political debate so far Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast An unreleased Australian government report on the economic and environmental risks posed by the climate crisis is “intense and scary”, and confronting even for those who work in the area, according to people familiar with the assessment. The delayed report – the national climate risk assessment – includes modelling of future climate damage, estimates of the number of people who could be killed by worsening heatwaves and a mapping tool that forecasts flooding risk in suburbs across the continent. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: Hotter houses are likely to become the norm, with the dangerous health impacts facing society’s most vulnerable Good morning. With temperatures soaring across Europe, fears of drought and people trying to steer clear of the most severe heat, there’s one place millions of us will still not be comfortable: home. The Guardian’s Hot Property series shows how the poorest and most vulnerable are trapped inside dangerously hot homes. Even for today’s temperatures much housing is inadequate, let alone the even more extreme heat predicted for the coming years, the reporting shows. Israel-Gaza war | Hundreds of mourners carried the body of the prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif through the streets of Gaza City on Monday, a day after he and four colleagues were killed in an Israeli airstrike, prompting condemnation from across the world. NHS | Attacks on A&E nurses have almost doubled over the last six years, with incidents often involving patients frustrated at waiting so long for care. US news | Donald Trump has ordered the national guard to Washington DC and seized control of the city’s police force, describing a “lawless” city in ways that are sharply at odds with official crime statistics. UK news | David Lammy is facing possible legal action over a plan to invite staff from the oil firm Shell and the defence firm BAE Systems to work inside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Agriculture | A study has found that Biochar, a charcoal made from human waste, could help solve fertiliser shortages as well as reduce pollution and energy use. Continue reading...

National Drought Group meets and water companies prepare to take drastic action as supplies dwindle A nationally significant water shortfall is gripping England, the government has warned, as experts say the conditions could last until mid-autumn. The National Drought Group met to discuss actions to save water across the country, and Steve Reed, the environment secretary, briefed the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, about the risks posed by the dry weather. Continue reading...

Fish once as large as grizzly bears have become far smaller in recent years due to overfishing, dams and climate crisis The size of megafish in the Mekong River has shrunk alarmingly in recent years owing to overfishing, a study has found. The length of the largest and most endangered freshwater giants, some as big as grizzly bears, decreased by 40% in seven years. Some fish, like the Mekong giant catfish, have been studied for over a longer period and show a decline in weight of 55% in the past 25 years, dropping from an average of 180kg (397lb) to 80kg. Continue reading...