Breaking Waves: Ocean News

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...

Singapore firm using secretive international legal system to seek compensation for climate concerns blocking plans The UK government is being sued in a secretive “corporate court” after a proposal for a new coalmine in Cumbria was quashed by the high court. If successful, UK taxpayers would have to fund a substantial compensation payment to the mine’s investors. It is the first such case to be filed against the UK government by a fossil fuel company as a result of climate policy. The case uses investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) rules agreed in a 1975 trade agreement between the UK and Singapore, where the major investor in the coalmine is incorporated. Continue reading...

Heavy rainfall cut power and closed roads across Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin Heavy rainfall in half a dozen midwest US states forced motorists to abandon their vehicles, cut power to thousands of households and closed busy roadways over the weekend. The National Weather Service issued flood watches and warnings for parts of Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin. After rainfall began on Saturday in some areas forecasters predicted “repeated rounds of heavy rain”, along with hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes into Monday. Continue reading...