Breaking Waves: Ocean News

12/20/2024 - 04:32
Survey finds post-1992 universities leading the way on sustainability and ethics More universities are banning fossil fuel companies from recruitment fairs in a sign of the sector’s shrinking social licence among young people. The annual survey of sustainability and ethics in higher education found there has been a 30% rise in the number of institutions stopping fossil fuel companies taking part in graduate fairs this year. Continue reading...
12/20/2024 - 03:00
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
12/20/2024 - 01:00
New research comes as dozens of small potential fields have received some form of license from the government Potential new North Sea oil and gas fields with early stage licences from the UK would emit as much carbon dioxide as British households produce in three decades. The finding has led to calls to the government to reject demands from fossil fuel producers for the final permits needed to allow their operations to go ahead. Continue reading...
12/20/2024 - 00:00
Scientists surprised to find so many animals unknown to science in Alto Mayo, a well-populated region Researchers in the Alto Mayo region of north-west Peru have discovered 27 species that are new to science, including a rare amphibious mouse, a tree-climbing salamander and an unusual “blob-headed fish”. The 38-day survey recorded more than 2,000 species of wildlife and plants. The findings are particularly surprising given the region’s high human population density, with significant pressures including deforestation and agriculture. Continue reading...
12/19/2024 - 23:09
Campaigners say Queensland mine given go-ahead this week is a new development, not an extension of an existing mine Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Climate campaigners have challenged a claim by the Albanese government that it has not approved any new coalmines in 2024, saying a Queensland mine given a green light this week was a new development. The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, approved four coalmine projects on Thursday, describing them all as expansions of existing mines that would mainly be digging up coal to make steel. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
12/19/2024 - 22:16
Member for Hinkler says he and David Littleproud have ‘very different views’ and implies net zero would have ‘zero impact on the temperature of the planet’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Nationals MP Keith Pitt has announced he will quit politics, implying his party had lost its “purpose” and blasting the Coalition’s decision to commit to net zero. Pitt, the Member for Hinkler, said in a statement that he had told colleagues he would not be contesting the 2025 election. He called his time in politics “an incredible privilege … some extraordinary successes, many highs and some unfortunate lows”. Continue reading...
12/19/2024 - 15:24
California's native wildflowers are being smothered by layers of dead, invasive grasses. A new study shows that simply raking these layers can boost biodiversity and reduce fire danger.
12/19/2024 - 12:37
French president promises food, water and to rebuild as emergency services search desperately for survivors Distraught and angry inhabitants of Mayotte shouted out their grievances to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, as he visited the island, five days after it was devastated by a cyclone. High on their list was the lack of water and food, and the fear of looting. Continue reading...
12/19/2024 - 09:00
Exclusive: While risk of H5N1 pandemic in humans is low, ‘it’s really important to think about vulnerable populations’, Melbourne researcher says Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Most pregnant women who contract bird flu will die, according to an Australian review of infections that found most unborn babies with the virus also die. Caused by influenza A viruses, a severe strain of bird flu known as highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) is spreading globally. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
12/19/2024 - 08:00
McNeese State University in Louisiana building a liquefied natural gas center, prompting fears of ‘corporate capture’ One of Louisiana’s top public universities has prompted concerns about “corporate capture” over its expanding relationship with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, despite environmental warnings about pollution and prolonging fossil fuel use. As the US’s LNG boom gained momentum in south-west Louisiana, McNeese State University courted the industry to help launch a new LNG Center of Excellence currently under construction, hired a director doubling as an LNG industry lobbyist, and approached federal regulators to co-locate their own research center at the university, according to emails obtained via public records requests by DeSmog and the Guardian. Continue reading...