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.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
06/25/2024 - 04:00
06/25/2024 - 04:00
Small increase in temperature of intruding water could lead to very big increase in loss of ice, scientists say
A newly identified tipping point for the loss of ice sheets in Antarctica and elsewhere could mean future sea level rise is significantly higher than current projections.
A new study has examined how warming seawater intrudes between coastal ice sheets and the ground they rest on. The warm water melts cavities in the ice, allowing more water to flow in, expanding the cavities further in a feedback loop. This water then lubricates the collapse of ice into the ocean, pushing up sea levels.
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06/25/2024 - 01:00
Floods could leave coastal communities in states like Florida and California unlivable in two decades
Sea level rise driven by global heating will disrupt the daily life of millions of Americans, as hundreds of homes, schools and government buildings face frequent and repeated flooding by 2050, a new study has found.
Almost 1,100 critical infrastructure assets that sustain coastal communities will be at risk of monthly flooding by 2050, according to the new research by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The vast majority of the assets – 934 of them – face the risk of flood disruption every other week, which could make some coastal neighborhoods unlivable within two to three decades.
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06/24/2024 - 14:13
Items containing ‘forever chemicals’ linked to cancer risk, lower fertility and developmental delays
A new law coming into effect in Colorado in July is banning everyday products that intentionally contain toxic “forever chemicals”, including clothes, cookware, menstruation products, dental floss and ski wax – unless they can be made safer.
Under the legislation, which takes effect on 1 July, many products using per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances – or PFAS chemicals linked to cancer risk, lower fertility and developmental delays – will be prohibited starting in 2026.
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06/24/2024 - 10:00
The opposition claims Australia is an outlier in the developed world in not having nuclear, yet Germany and Italy have closed their plants
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So much has been said by the Coalition about what nuclear energy could do for Australia, with so little evidence to back it up, that it can be hard to keep up with the claims.
The key assertion by Peter Dutton and Ted O’Brien is that nuclear would lead to a “cheaper, cleaner and consistent” electricity supply. None of this has been supported.
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06/24/2024 - 10:00
‘Threat notice’ flags elevated supply risks, as expert warns problems will get worse without urgent addition of more backup resources
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Gas supplies in southern states are likely to remain strained the rest of this winter, and the problems will worsen without the urgent addition of more backup resources, analysts including the market operator say.
Those states, particularly Victoria, have drawn down their gas storage as cold weather increased demand. Gas-fired power generation has also been double that expected on some days amid unusually calm periods, and gas production at Victoria’s Longford plant has dropped because of unscheduled maintenance.
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06/24/2024 - 10:00
Scientists warn of ‘scary’ feedback loop in which fires create more heating, which causes more fires worldwide
The climate crisis is driving an exponential rise in the most extreme wildfires in key regions around the world, research has revealed.
The wildfires can cause catastrophic loss of human life, property and wildlife and cause billions of dollars of damage. Scientists say this is climate change “playing out in front of our eyes”.
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06/24/2024 - 09:00
Reef escapes being classed ‘in danger’ for now but the government must submit a progress report to World Heritage committee by February
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Unesco has urged Australia to set more ambitious climate targets for the Great Barrier Reef in a list of recommendations to preserve its status as a world heritage site.
The report, published in Paris late on Monday, did not recommend the reef be placed on a list of sites “in danger” – a threat that has hung over the reef for years – when the 21-country world heritage committee meets next month.
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06/24/2024 - 06:49
The actor, who also appeared in Blue Crush and Hawaii Five-0, was a lifeguard and professional surfer, described as a ‘legendary waterman’
Pirates of the Caribbean actor Tamayo Perry has died following a shark attack in Hawaii.
Perry, who also appeared in Blue Crush and Hawaii Five-0, was surfing at Malaekahana beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu when he died on Sunday afternoon.
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06/24/2024 - 06:13
Climate experts and ministers say burying electricity cables could cost 10 times more than pylons
Energy and climate experts have hit out at Conservative plans to hold a review into electricity pylons, saying the manifesto pledge could increase energy bills and make it harder to reach net zero.
Industry sources and climate action groups have criticised the Tories over the party’s manifesto commitment to hold a “rapid review” of overhead pylons, which it announced amid mounting pressure from anti-pylon activists in rural areas.
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