Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Nature’s ghosts: how reviving medieval farming offers wildlife an unexpected haven

admin — Thu, 23 May 2024 12:00:08 +0000

Agriculture is often seen as the enemy of biodiversity, but in an excerpt from her new book Sophie Yeo explains how techniques from the middle ages allow plants and animals to flourish

The Vile clings on to the edge of the Gower peninsula. Its fields are lined up like strips of carpet, together leading to the edge of the cliff that drops into the sea. Each one is tiny, around 1-2 acres. From the sky, they look like airport runways, although this comparison would have seemed nonsensical to those who tended them for most of their existence.

‘I pray to you not to shoot us’: Mali’s Fulani herders languish in camps after violence – in pictures

admin — Thu, 23 May 2024 10:00:06 +0000

After old rivalries between Dogon farmers and Fulani herders erupted into violence, exacerbated by Islamist rebels, thousands of the semi-nomadic pastoralists have fled to camps in towns, leaving their cherished animals and way of life. Many must beg to survive at sites lacking food and clean water, with no end in sight to the conflict

In one of the US’s hottest deserts, utilities push gas rather than solar

admin — Thu, 23 May 2024 09:00:06 +0000

In Fort Mohave, Arizona, even Republican voters are fighting gas power plants as utilities try to lock in fossil fuels

Retirement was pretty idyllic for Mac and Debbie McKeever, who moved to Fort Mohave in Arizona for the desert views, starry nights and fresh air. The couple hosted cocktails by the pool and taco Tuesdays with their neighbors – an active bunch of Republican voting retirees with a penchant for gas-guzzling RVs and side-by-sides, and the unlikeliest environmental activists.

National Grid taps shareholders to help fund £60bn low-carbon energy switch

admin — Thu, 23 May 2024 08:40:16 +0000

Infrastructure firm raises £6.8bn to connect homes to renewable energy sources across US and UK

National Grid has tapped shareholders for nearly £7bn to fund a £60bn spending spree to upgrade its networks to cope with the switch to low-carbon energy on either side of the Atlantic.

The energy infrastructure company announced a £6.8bn rights issue – where existing shareholders are offered new shares – to provide fresh funds for investment in thousands of miles of cables to connect homes with renewable energy projects in the UK and the US.

Penguins in peril: why two bird charities are taking South Africa’s environment minister to court

admin — Thu, 23 May 2024 08:00:03 +0000

Conservationists say Barbara Creecy has failed to implement vital changes to stop fishing around colonies amid fears African penguins could be extinct by 2035

Half of world’s mangrove forests are at risk due to human behaviour – study

admin — Thu, 23 May 2024 04:00:08 +0000

The loss of the ecosystems, which are vast stores of carbon, would ‘be disastrous for nature and people across the globe’, says IUCN

Half of all the world’s mangrove forests are at risk of collapse, according to the first-ever expert assessment of these crucial ecosystems and carbon stores.

Human behaviour is the primary cause of their decline, according to the analysis by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with mangroves in southern India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives most at risk.

Almost a third of household smart meters not working properly, says Citizens Advice

admin — Wed, 22 May 2024 23:01:01 +0000

Charity says tech problems and poor customer service mean millions in Great Britain missing out on promised benefits

The number of gas and electricity smart meters that are not working properly is likely to be higher than government figures suggest – possibly 20% to 30% of the total – according to research from Citizens Advice.

The charity said millions of households were missing out on the promised benefits from smart meters due to “problems with technology” and poor supplier customer service.

Extending life of Australia’s biggest coal-fired power station is ‘deeply disappointing’, green groups say

admin — Wed, 22 May 2024 22:35:55 +0000

NSW Labor agreement with Origin to keep Eraring plant open for two more years to 2027 leaves environmental groups ‘deeply disappointed’

Trump attends Houston lunch to ask oil bosses for more campaign cash

admin — Wed, 22 May 2024 21:38:53 +0000

Invitation-only meeting comes on heels of controversial dinner at Mar-a-Lago where Trump reportedly offered $1bn quid pro quo

Donald Trump was continuing to ask fossil-fuel executives to fund his presidential campaign on Wednesday, despite scrutiny of his relationship with the industry.

The former president attended a fundraising luncheon at Houston’s Post Oak hotel hosted by three big oil executives.

Alaskan rivers turning orange due to climate change, study finds

admin — Wed, 22 May 2024 19:22:48 +0000

As frozen ground below the surface melts, exposed minerals such as iron are giving streams a rusty color that pose a risk to wildlife

Dozens of rivers and streams in Alaska are turning rusty orange, a likely consequence of thawing permafrost, a new study finds.

The Arctic is the fastest-warming region in the globe, and as the frozen ground below the surface melts, minerals once locked away in that soil are now seeping into waterways.