Breaking Waves: Ocean News

National Transportation Safety Board faults railroad company and contractors with unnecessary pollution The National Transportation Safety Board said that Norfolk Southern and its contractors unnecessarily burned toxic chemicals – including vinyl chloride – from its tank cars during the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last February, unleashing hazardous fumes into the air. In a board meeting on Tuesday, the NTSB said that an overheated wheel bearing caused the derailment, adding that Norfolk Southern and its contractors “misinterpreted and disregarded evidence” in reaching its decision to execute a controversial controlled burn over concerns that the vinyl chloride could potentially explode. Continue reading...

John Podesta, Biden’s top climate official, calls for other big economies to step in to help poorer states The US will “continue to be a leader” in climate finance, the White House’s top climate official has promised, though without specifying how much it would provide to poor countries. John Podesta, senior adviser to Joe Biden on international climate policy, also defended the large-scale US expansion of gas production, saying the world was fortunate America was strengthening its supply, given the demand for non-Russian sources after the invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Looking for ethical and delicious seafood? Here’s our pick of shacks, cafés and shops selling shellfish, seaweed and fish Read more in this series At Pam Brunton and Rob Latimer’s restaurant, they want a direct, traceable connection to the sea – they have a fish-purchasing policy that they send to suppliers. “We buy nothing knowingly from dredgers and trawlers,” Pam says, instead taking fin fish from smaller boats that fish off the English shore. Shellfish comes from a local, Mary, who coordinates a few small boats, all of which use traditional creel methods, and hand-dive for scallops, while oysters are bought from Judith at Caledonian Oysters on Loch Creran. Pam’s innovative food is served with a view of the loch outside – in summer, diners may even spot the mackerel for the next day’s menu being caught by a neighbour.Strathlachlan PA27 8BU; inverrestaurant.co.uk Continue reading...

Study identifies 16,825 sites around the world where prioritising conservation would prevent extinction of thousands of unique species Protecting just 1.2% of the Earth’s surface for nature would be enough to prevent the extinction of the world’s most threatened species, according to a new study. Analysis published in the journal Frontiers in Science has found that the targeted expansion of protected areas on land would be enough to prevent the loss of thousands of the mammals, birds, amphibians and plants that are closest to disappearing. Continue reading...