Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves en Gina Rinehart’s apocalyptic visions for bush summits just the latest in a history of climate science denialism | Temperature Check https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/gina-rinehart-s-apocalyptic-visions-bush-summits-just-latest-history-climate-science-d <p>Sponsorship of News Corp’s event series has given Australia’s richest person a vehicle for her anti-net zero crusade</p> <ul> <li> <p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/gina-rinehart-s-apocalyptic-visions-bush-summits-just-latest-history-climate-science-d" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:00:09 +0000 admin 101028 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Victoria’s mountain ash forests could lose a quarter of ‘giant’ trees as temperatures rise https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/victoria-s-mountain-ash-forests-could-lose-quarter-giant-trees-temperatures-rise <p>Eucalyptus regnans – which regularly reach 60 to 80m tall – lose about 9% of their trees for every degree of warming, research finds</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/10/sign-up-for-the-clear-air-australia-environment-newsletter-with-adam-morton?CMP=cvau_sfl">Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here</a></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/victoria-s-mountain-ash-forests-could-lose-quarter-giant-trees-temperatures-rise" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:00:09 +0000 admin 101026 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Solar panels in space ‘could provide 80% of Europe’s renewable energy by 2050’ https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/solar-panels-space-could-provide-80-europe-s-renewable-energy-2050 <p>Researchers also suggest system could resolve problems with irregular and weather-dependent Earth-based supply</p> <p>Solar panels in space could cut Europe’s terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80% by 2050, a study has found.</p> <p>Using a detailed computer model of the continent’s future power grid, the researchers found that a system of space-based panels designed by Nasa could reduce the cost of the whole European power system by as much as 15%. It could also cut battery use by more than two-thirds.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/solar-panels-space-could-provide-80-europe-s-renewable-energy-2050" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:00:06 +0000 admin 101027 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Drought bringing autumn harvest two weeks early, Waitrose says https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/drought-bringing-autumn-harvest-two-weeks-early-waitrose-says <p>Farmers that supply supermarket are already harvesting wheat, oilseed rape and oats amid dry conditions</p> <p>Harvests are coming two weeks early because of drought, Waitrose has said, as it prepares to stock autumnal fruit in summer.</p> <p>Farmers that supply the supermarket are harvesting wheat, oilseed rape, oats and malting barley a fortnight before they generally would, according to the supermarket. A lack of rainfall coupled with the hot weather has caused the crops to race through their growing stages and mature early.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/drought-bringing-autumn-harvest-two-weeks-early-waitrose-says" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:46:32 +0000 admin 101025 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Eden Project wildflower centre issues climate warning as it marks 25th year https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/eden-project-wildflower-centre-issues-climate-warning-it-marks-25th-year <p>Changing weather patterns are affecting planting and pose a threat to a variety of species, says head of development</p> <p>Rising temperatures in the spring and unpredictable autumns are making the huge task of restoring the UK’s lost meadows even more challenging, the <a href="https://www.edenproject.com/mission/projects/national-wildflower-centre">National Wildflower Centre</a> (NWC) has warned.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/eden-project-wildflower-centre-issues-climate-warning-it-marks-25th-year" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 11:27:59 +0000 admin 101024 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Brazil authorities suspend key Amazon rainforest protection measure https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/brazil-authorities-suspend-key-amazon-rainforest-protection-measure <p>Suspension of soy moratorium could open up area of rainforest the size of Portugal to destruction</p> <p>One of the key agreements for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/amazon-rainforest">Amazon rainforest</a> protection – the soy moratorium – has been suspended by Brazilian authorities, potentially opening up an area the size of Portugal to destruction by farmers.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/brazil-authorities-suspend-key-amazon-rainforest-protection-measure" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:34:53 +0000 admin 101023 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Psychedelic rock! Formations that mess with your mind – in pictures https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/psychedelic-rock-formations-mess-your-mind-pictures <p>In Glass Mountain, Michael Lundgren captures remote American landscapes with a haunting stillness, revealing the hidden rhythms and enthralling mystery of the natural world</p> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/aug/21/psychedelic-rock-glass-mountain-michael-lundgren">Continue reading...</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 06:01:01 +0000 admin 101021 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org The surprising reason timber plantations explode into megafires https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/surprising-reason-timber-plantations-explode-megafires <p>Industrial forests, packed with evenly spaced trees, face nearly 50% higher odds of megafires than public lands. A lidar-powered study of California’s Sierra Nevada reveals how dense plantations feed fire severity, but also shows that proactive thinning could prevent forests from collapsing into shrubland ecosystems.</p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:32:18 +0000 admin 101019 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘Landmines have become the greatest protectors’: how wildlife is thriving in the Korean DMZ https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/landmines-have-become-greatest-protectors-how-wildlife-thriving-korean-dmz <p>The demilitarised zone between North and South Korea has become an ecological oasis with nearly 6,000 species documented, including rare cranes, deer and bears</p> <p>Standing on top of a small mountain, Kim Seung-ho gazes out over an expanse of paddy fields glowing in their autumn gold, the ripening grains swaying gently in the wind. In the distance, North Korea stretches beyond the horizon.</p> <p>“It’s so peaceful,” says the director of the DMZ Ecology Research Institute. “Over there, it used to be an artillery range, but since they stopped firing, the nature has become so beautiful.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/landmines-have-become-greatest-protectors-how-wildlife-thriving-korean-dmz" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:00:03 +0000 admin 101018 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Angela Rayner hit with legal challenge over datacentre on green belt land https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/angela-rayner-hit-legal-challenge-over-datacentre-green-belt-land <p>Exclusive: Campaigners complain no environmental assessment made for 90MW Buckinghamshire facility </p> <p>The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, has been hit with a legal challenge after she overruled a local council to approve a hyperscale datacentre on green belt land by the M25 in Buckinghamshire.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/angela-rayner-hit-legal-challenge-over-datacentre-green-belt-land" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:00:03 +0000 admin 101017 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org