Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Coal power generation falls in China and India for first time since 1970s

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:01:19 +0000

‘Historic’ moment in biggest coal-consuming countries could bring decline in global emissions, analysis says

Coal power generation fell in China and India for the first time since the 1970s last year, in a “historic” moment that could bring a decline in global emissions, according to analysis.

The simultaneous fall in coal-powered electricity in the world’s biggest coal-consuming countries had not happened since 1973, according to analysts at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, and was driven by a record roll-out of clean energy projects.

Wildlife targets will be missed in England and Northern Ireland, watchdog says

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:01:18 +0000

Seven out of 10 targets have little likelihood of being met by 2030, Office for Environmental Protection says

The government will not meet its targets to save wildlife in England and Northern Ireland and is failing on almost all environmental measures, the Office for Environmental Protection watchdog has said.

In a damning report, the OEP has found that seven of the 10 targets set in the Environment Act 2021 have little likelihood of being met by 2030, which is the deadline set in law.

Bushfire threat eases across Victoria as number of structures destroyed nears 500

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 23:55:00 +0000

No emergency warnings in place for first time since Thursday – though 12 major blazes are still active

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US judge lets Danish firm resume Rhode Island offshore wind project halted by Trump

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 22:29:58 +0000

Ørsted and other wind developers have faced repeated disruptions to multibillion dollar projects under Trump

A federal judge on Monday cleared Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted to resume work on its nearly finished Revolution Wind project, which Donald Trump’s administration halted along with four other projects last month.

US plan to exploit Venezuela’s oil could eat up 13% of carbon budget to keep 1.5C limit

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:54:21 +0000

Exclusive: ClimatePartner analysis shows how move would risk plunging Earth further into climate catastrophe

US plans to exploit Venezuela’s oil reserves could by 2050 consume more than a tenth of the world’s remaining carbon budget to limit global heating to 1.5C, according to an exclusive analysis.

The calculation highlights how any moves to further exploit the South American nation’s oil reserves – the largest in the world, at least on paper – would put increasing pressure on climate goals, and risk plunging the Earth further into climate catastrophe.

Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce use Gina Rinehart’s private jet to visit flooded parts of Queensland

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000

Joyce says the pair were saving taxpayers’ money and ‘I’ve got no problems with that at all’

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Major incident declared as 30,000 homes left without water in Kent and Sussex

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:45:25 +0000

South East Water blames cold weather and Storm Goretti for problems, with schools and libraries closed for day

A major incident has been declared after 30,000 homes in Kent and Sussex were left without water.

People in areas including Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury and Maidstone have been without water for as long as five days.

Trump’s move to pull US from key UN climate treaty may be illegal, experts say

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:30:04 +0000

President’s memo stating US ‘shall withdraw’ from UNFCCC marks first time any country has tried to exit the agreement

The Trump administration’s long-anticipated decision this week to pull the US from the world’s most important climate treaty may have been illegal, some experts say.

“In my legal opinion, he does not have the authority,” Harold Hongju Koh, former head lawyer for the US state department, told the Guardian.

Energy and health optimism help lift civil service morale under Labour

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 07:00:50 +0000

Foreign Office and MoD among only four departments with declining morale in annual Whitehall monitor report

Civil service morale rose slightly after Labour took power in 2024, with the biggest jumps in satisfaction in the energy and health departments, an annual Whitehall monitor report will show.

The survey from the Institute for Government (IfG) thinktank, due to be published this week, found that morale rose from 60.7 to 61.2% on the civil service employee engagement index.

Flying foxes die in their thousands in worst mass-mortality event since Australia’s black summer

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 06:29:35 +0000

Volunteers found thousands of dead bats at Melbourne’s Brimbank park, wildlife expert says

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Thousands of flying foxes have perished in the heatwave that scorched south-east Australia last week, the largest mass mortality event for flying foxes since black summer.