Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Eco-brutalism: when angular concrete meets the wonder of nature – in pictures

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 16:00:30 +0000

On her @brutalistplants Instagram page, Olivia Broome collects photographs that combine the angular shapes of raw concrete with the greenery of the natural world. “I really enjoy the aesthetic of eco-brutalism and tropical modernism,” she says. “I love mezzanines and ziggurats, and when you pair them with plants it softens them up.

UK set for hottest day of year on Sunday at 27C – followed by thunderstorms

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 15:16:51 +0000

Top temperatures expected, but heavy rain to follow with weather warnings in place for week ahead

Britain will experience its hottest temperatures of the year on Sunday – before thunderstorms and heavy rain bring an end to the sunny conditions that the country has enjoyed over the past few days.

The Met Office forecasts temperatures will peak at around 27C before the wet weather arrives. Western areas, including parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, will be the first to encounter the storms.

Bird flu strain found in US cows flown to UK lab for testing

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 15:08:08 +0000

Virus sent to high-security facility so that experts can examine the potential risks to people and livestock

Avian flu typically spreads by infecting wild birds and moving along migration routes, but the virus currently running rampant in the US is about to be transported across the Atlantic by plane.

Ministers consider making UK’s carbon targets easier to meet

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 06:00:22 +0000

Fears Climate Change Committee’s advice not to allow carryover from last carbon budget will be ignored

Ministers are considering plans to weaken the UK’s carbon-cutting plans by allowing the unused portion of the last carbon budget to be carried over to the next period.

This would go against the strong recommendation of the government’s statutory climate advisers, the Climate Change Committee.

Brutal heatwaves and submerged cities: what a 3C world would look like

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 04:00:16 +0000

Climate scientists have told the Guardian they expect catastrophic levels of global heating. Here’s what that would mean for the planet

Strobe lights and black outs: Australian power companies seek to reduce bat electrocutions

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 00:00:11 +0000

Loss of habitat and food sources driving fruit bats closer to urban centres, leading to bat deaths, power outages

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It’s an increasingly frequent occurrence on Australia’s east coast – a fruit bat foraging for food lands on a power line to rest.

Why we’re publishing a series on DIY climate solutions

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 23:38:36 +0000

The climate crisis can seem intractable – especially in an election year. But the remarkable actions of individuals are reason for hope

UK public warned after huge rise in fires caused by binned batteries

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 14:11:54 +0000

Fire chief says incorrect disposal of devices powered by lithium-ion batteries are ‘disaster waiting to happen’

Fires caused by batteries in waste have gone up by 71% in the UK since 2022, as the rise of disposable vapes and other portable battery-powered devices leads to more lithium-ion batteries ending up in the bin.

Two Just Stop Oil protesters attack Magna Carta’s glass case

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 14:07:43 +0000

Group says two women in their 80s took hammer and chisel to protective glass at British Library

Two Just Stop Oil protesters have smashed the glass around Magna Carta at the British Library.

The Rev Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, a retired biology teacher, targeted the protective enclosure with a hammer and chisel on Friday morning.

Chelsea flower show to introduce green medal to award eco-friendly gardens

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 14:00:18 +0000

All designers who have gone through carbon audit are eligible for consideration for green award

A green medal for sustainability is to be introduced at the Chelsea flower show, rewarding gardens with the lowest carbon impact.

Landscape designers are reporting that clients are commissioning them to make their gardens more wildlife-rich and eco-friendly, and that nature-friendly gardening is becoming increasingly important.