Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Brazil issues last-ditch plea for countries to submit climate plans ahead of Cop30

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:38:38 +0000

Only 28 countries have submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters yet to produce plans

Brazil has issued an urgent call for all countries to come forward with strengthened national plans on the climate, in a last-ditch attempt to meet a key September deadline.

Legal stoush between NSW and commonwealth halts crucial water flows into Murray-Darling

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 15:00:16 +0000

One scientist warned long suspension poses potential risks to some wetland areas and native species of fish and birds

Environmental flows in the Murray-Darling necessary to keep wetlands and fish healthy have come to an abrupt halt due to a legal stoush between the commonwealth and the New South Wales government.

The commonwealth environmental water holder, Simon Banks, announced on Monday that he would no longer be releasing water into the river system because “as a model licence holder” he was no longer confident he is complying with NSW law.

Deadly wildfires show Spain must better prepare for climate crises, says Sánchez

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 13:33:44 +0000

PM says wildfires are proof climate emergency is getting worse, and that sustained non-partisan effort is needed

The wildfires that have devoured 382,000 hectares of land in Spain and killed four people underscore the need to “readjust and recalibrate” the country’s preparation and response capacities as part of a non-partisan effort to tackle the impacts of the climate emergency, the prime minister has warned.

Wildfire smoke far more dangerous to health than thought, say scientists

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:56:18 +0000

Deaths from short-term exposure to fine particulates spewed by forest fires underestimated by 93%

Choking smoke spewed by wildfires is far more dangerous than previously thought, a new study has found, with death tolls from short-term exposure to fine particulates underestimated by 93%.

Researchers found that 535 people in Europe died on average each year between 2004 and 2022 as a result of breathing in the tiny toxic particles known as PM2.5 that are released when wildfires rage.

Ed Davey calls for review of terrorism legislation after Palestine Action arrests – as it happened

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 08:20:40 +0000

The Lib Dem leader is seeking a review of the laws to prevent the ‘en masse’ arrests

Parents in England are skipping meals and turning to buy-now-pay-later services such as Klarna in order to afford school uniforms before the autumn term, according to a survey.

Where camels die of thirst: Morocco’s oasis emergency – in pictures

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 06:01:10 +0000

Before It’s Gone is a series about the climate crisis and water scarcity in Morocco by photographer M’hammed Kilito, who highlights the degradation of countless oases

Early ripening of berries in UK shows nature is under stress, say experts

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 06:00:09 +0000

Hot summer also causing trees to shed their leaves as concerns raised over ‘food gap’ for wildlife in autumn

Autumn is the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”, according to the poet John Keats – but anyone hoping for a glut of blackberries this September may be sorely disappointed.

Most of Windermere polluted with sewage bacteria, finds biggest survey of its kind

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 05:00:09 +0000

Exclusive: Concentrations of faecal bacteria in the lake were found to peak in summer but there were high levels throughout year

Bathing water quality across most of Windermere is poor throughout the summer, indicating high levels of sewage pollution, according to a comprehensive analysis of water quality in England’s largest lake.

Action needed on plastic additives linked to sperm decline, experts warn

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 05:00:08 +0000

Amid collapse of global pollution treaty, scientists highlight environmental factors causing fertility crisis

Action must be taken to curb the use of plastic additives linked to plummeting sperm counts, a leading reproductive scientist has warned, as splits over chemical regulation contributed to the collapse of a crucial treaty on plastic pollution.

Across the world, sperm counts have been declining at a rate of about 1% a year for the past 50 years, and human fertility has been diminishing at a similar rate, studies have shown.

Why can’t the world get its act together on plastics? – podcast

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 04:00:09 +0000

After three years of negotiating, talks over a global plastics treaty came to an end in Geneva last week with no agreement in place. So why has it been so difficult to get countries to agree to cut plastic production? Madeleine Finlay hears from Karen McVeigh, a senior reporter for Guardian Seascapes, about a particularly damaging form of plastic pollution causing devastation off the coast of Kerala, and where we go now that countries have failed to reach a deal

Clips: Fox News, BBC, 7News Australia, France 24, DW News, CNA