Breaking Waves: Ocean News

England must harvest rainfall and take action on water usage, Lords warn

admin — Thu, 21 May 2026 05:01:01 +0000

Without urgent intervention England faces water shortages of 5bn litres a day by 2055, peers tell government

Rainwater harvesting, the use of grey water in homes and an urgent campaign to reduce water usage across society are vital to prevent water shortages of 5bn litres a day by 2055, the government has been told.

Tentacles, pointy teeth and the T-rex of the sea: the Natural History Museum on beasts that once ruled the oceans

admin — Thu, 21 May 2026 05:01:01 +0000

A new exhibition, Jurassic Oceans, showcases the fearsome creatures that lurked below the surface – and offers a stark warning about the impact of warming waters on marine ecosystems today

Deep in the bowels of the Natural History Museum, Kate Whittington is standing in front of the skeleton of a 23ft plesiosaur, one of prehistoric Earth’s most fearsome marine reptiles, explaining how it would eat us for dinner, were it still around today.

Toxic chemicals in pet flea treatments harming wildlife, UK study warns

admin — Thu, 21 May 2026 05:00:02 +0000

Flea treatment chemicals fipronil and imidacloprid also implicated in lower cognitive scores in children with autism

Toxic chemicals found in pet flea treatment are devastating wildlife in rivers, parks and special conservation areas and the government should take urgent action to limit their use, according to a study.

UN backs historic climate crisis ruling, despite US attempts to stop resolution

admin — Thu, 21 May 2026 03:18:27 +0000

The US, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia – some of the highest oil-producing nations and major greenhouse gas emitters – opposed the measure

The UN has voted 141-8 to adopt a resolution backing a world court opinion that countries have a legal obligation to address climate change, with the US – which is the world’s biggest historical emitter – among the small group opposing it.

Young Americans demand court halt Trump’s biggest rollbacks of pollution protections

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 20:04:02 +0000

Suit says administration is impinging on rights to life and liberty by worsening planet-warming and toxic pollution

Eva v Goliath: the 20-year-old climate activist taking on Trump and the fossil fuel industry

Eighteen American youth are demanding that a court immediately halt the Trump administration’s repeal of the scientific finding underpinning virtually all US climate regulations.

San Francisco turns to AI to save whales from ship strikes as deaths soar

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 18:43:41 +0000

Climate change is pushing starving grey whales to San Francisco Bay, where ship strikes led to 40% of 21 deaths

Ferries, cargo ships and tankers cut through choppy waters in the San Francisco Bay on Tuesday as a whale surfaced nearby, its spout barely visible against the white caps. Until now, whales could easily go unnoticed by mariners, but an AI-powered detection network launched this week is designed to track them day and night.

More than 40 arrests made after UK activists target ‘bee-killing’ pesticides

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 16:33:26 +0000

Environmental activists lock themselves to pesticide barrels in protest outside Syngenta headquarters

More than 40 people, including Greenpeace UK’s programme director, Amy Cameron, have been arrested after a protest outside pesticide company Syngenta’s Yorkshire headquarters.

Plastic food and drink packaging ‘world’s most common coastal litter’

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 15:00:45 +0000

Global study finds wrappers, bottles and lids on shorelines of 93% of countries analysed as UN talks to tackle issue in turmoil

Plastic food wrappers, bottles, lids and caps are by far the most common items of litter found on the world’s shorelines, a study has found.

Researchers looked at data from more than 5,300 surveys of coastal litter to produce the first global analysis of its kind. They found the data in 355 existing studies on the subject.

Eva v Goliath: the 20-year-old climate activist taking on Trump and the fossil fuel industry

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 13:00:42 +0000

Young Americans are suing the president for violating rights with executive orders that fuel the climate crisis

Young Americans demand court halt Trump’s biggest rollbacks of pollution protections

Eva Lighthiser was at a dorm party on her Colorado college campus last month when she had to call it an early night.

Blinded and broken, Sunny the owl becomes another casualty of Russia’s war

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 10:49:32 +0000

Ukrainians lament appalling toll of fighting on their country’s bird population

Russia sent kamikaze drones to attack the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia in February. They hit buildings and killed several people. One unreported victim of the bombardment was a male long-eared owl, blinded in one eye and found with a badly broken wing. A passerby scooped up the stunned bird, put him in a box and took him to the city of Dnipro.

The owl – nicknamed Sunny – is now recovering in a cosy room belonging to Veronica Konkova. No longer able to fly or hunt, Sunny instead hops around.