Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Spanish parliament vote on cutting food waste will end ban on wolf hunting

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:46:55 +0000

Amendment brought by coalition of parties says wolves add to food waste due to remains of livestock they kill

The Spanish parliament has voted through a measure that will in effect lift the hunting ban on wolves that was imposed in 2021.

A coalition led by the conservative People’s party, with the support of the far-right Vox party and Basque and Catalan nationalists, added an amendment to a law aimed at reducing Spain’s estimated 1.2bn kilograms of food waste.

West Papuan Indigenous people call for KitKat boycott over alleged ecocide

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:14:29 +0000

Thousands of acres of rainforest is being cleared to produce palm oil, used in popular Nestlé and Mondelēz brands

West Papua’s Indigenous people have called for a boycott of KitKat, Smarties and Aero chocolate, Oreo biscuits and Ritz crackers, and the cosmetics brands Pantene and Herbal Essences, over alleged ecocide in their territory.

Black farmers face setbacks over Trump budget cuts: ‘We are in survival mode’

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:00:36 +0000

A consortium of Black farmers in the north-east take financial hits as harsh USDA cuts threaten their operations

For the last several weeks, Jocelyn Germany has been asking herself “is it safe for us to exist” as Black farmers?, since US Department of Agriculture cuts have put her work in jeopardy.

Germany is the farmer advocate of Farm School NYC (FSNYC), an urban agriculture education center focused on food sovereignty and social, economic and racial justice. About 85% of Farm School NYC’s funding comes from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Spring equinox temperatures hit 21C as UK records hottest day of year

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 17:54:05 +0000

Warm weather brings blue skies as well as pollution warnings and high pollen count

The UK has recorded its warmest day of the year so far as temperatures topped 21C on Thursday, coinciding with the spring equinox.

The highest recorded temperature was 21.3C in both Northolt, west London, and Chertsey, Surrey, the Met Office said.

Defra asks England’s biggest landowners to come up with plans to restore nature

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 16:32:25 +0000

Exclusive: Representatives of king, National Trust and others called on to work together to protect environment

Steve Reed called in some of England’s biggest landowners for a meeting on Thursday, asking them to come up with meaningful plans to restore nature on their estates.

Representatives for King Charles and Prince William were among those at the meeting, asked by the environment secretary to draft new land management plans to help meet the country’s legal Environment Act targets.

Greenpeace verdict is ‘weaponization of legal system’, advocacy groups say

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 15:41:05 +0000

Campaigners condemn North Dakota jury’s ruling as Greenpeace must pay Energy Transfer at least $660m

Canada’s Marineland to rehome its whales and dolphins as it seeks a buyer

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 13:00:25 +0000

Conservationists voice concern that the Ontario theme park will struggle to find suitable homes for its animals

Canada’s embattled Marineland theme park is to raise money to “expeditiously” remove animals from its grounds, including the world’s largest captive beluga population, as it looks for a buyer. But a lack of available sanctuaries in the country suggests finding a home for stranded whales, dolphins and pinnipeds will be a daunting task.

‘Don’t call it zombie deer disease’: scientists warn of ‘global crisis’ as infections spread across the US

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 11:00:23 +0000

The contagious, fatal illness in deer, elk and moose must be taken seriously, say experts as it takes hold in the US and reaches other countries. While it has not infected humans yet, the risk is growing

In a scattershot pattern that now extends from coast to coast, continental US states have been announcing new hotspots of chronic wasting disease (CWD).

Trump administration ‘villainizes’ immigrant families with misleading directive on food aid

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:00:23 +0000

Experts warn new memo could deter families from accessing food assistance, despite no changes to eligibility rules

The Trump administration is now using popular anti-hunger programs, including food assistance and school lunch, as part of its attack against immigrants in the US – a move many say will prevent large numbers of families, especially children, from getting the food benefits they’re eligible for.

How bottled water companies are draining our drinking water – video

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 09:46:46 +0000

As droughts become more prevalent, corporate control over our drinking water is threatening the health of water sources and the access people have to them. Josh Toussaint-Strauss explores how foreign multinational companies are extracting billions of litres of water from natural aquifers to sell back to the same communities from which it came – for huge profits