Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Majority of US’s new AI datacenters to be built on drought-hit land

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:00:23 +0000

Guardian analysis finds facilities to be built in some of the driest areas as outcry grows over water needed to power AI

A record-shattering drought has racked much of the US. But the artificial intelligence industry is pushing ahead regardless, with the majority of planned datacenters set to be built in drought-ridden locations, a Guardian analysis has found.

Giving guitarfish a chance: one man’s mission to persuade fishers to farm giant snails instead

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:00:04 +0000

Marine biologist Issah Seidu has found a way for Ghana’s fishing communities to earn a living – and help protect the ancient and critically endangered fish species

Guitarfish are an odd-looking and ancient species, with the tail of a shark and the flattened body of a ray, but their coveted fins have driven populations to the brink of extinction. In west Africa, where their meat is also a local delicacy, many guitarfish species are among the most critically endangered fish in the ocean.

Octopus surge spreads up UK coast as far as Scotland, study finds

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:00:01 +0000

Record numbers linked to warming waters is mixed news for fishers, with shellfish catches down but octopus catches booming

Record numbers of octopuses found off the south-west coast of England last year have now spread as far as Scotland and Wales and are transforming the fishing industry and the marine ecosystem, according to a study.

The surge in sightings of one of the world’s most intelligent invertebrates was first recorded in 2025 off the south coast of Devon and Cornwall.

Airline industry chiefs say 2050 net zero goal now unlikely

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 06:47:39 +0000

Iata boss Willie Walsh blames fuel suppliers, governments and aircraft makers, saying new ‘realistic timeline’ now needed

Air fare rises ‘inevitable’ as airlines face extra $100bn jet fuel bill

The aviation industry’s landmark pledges to be net zero by 2050 will probably not now be achieved, airline leaders have admitted.

Fisher with a mission: first woman to chair Grayling Society wants to protect ‘lady of the stream’

admin — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:00:27 +0000

Marnie Lovejoy hopes to inspire other women to fish, protect England’s rivers and lift up the ‘beautiful’ grayling

With its iridescent pink scales and elegant dorsal fin, the grayling is known to anglers as the “lady of the stream”, yet the society fighting for its protection has never been led by a woman, until now.

Grave in Norfolk of 119 sailors may be exhumed due to coastal erosion threat

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 12:00:04 +0000

Bodies were buried in Happisburgh after HMS Invincible sank in 1801 on way to join Nelson at Battle of Copenhagen

A mass grave for 119 sailors who drowned more than 200 years ago could be exhumed to avoid their remains being exposed by coastal erosion.

UK urged not to further weaken EV rules as CO2 impact revealed

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 10:00:02 +0000

British vehicles will emit extra 17m tonnes of CO2 by 2030 due to loophole allowing sale of more PHEVs, data suggests

Campaigners have urged the government to resist calls to further water down electric car sale rules, as an analysis reveals that vehicles on UK roads will emit an extra 17m tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030 mostly because of changes last year.

Parts of the car industry have urged ministers to review for a second time the rules that force manufacturers to sell increasing numbers of electric cars each year.

Thames Water should be nationalised, says Andy Burnham

admin — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 18:47:48 +0000

Exclusive: Labour’s Makerfield byelection candidate advocates public ownership of water companies as he prepares for potential leadership bid

Thames Water should be nationalised, Andy Burnham has said, revealing public ownership of water companies would “absolutely be an option” under his potential leadership of the Labour party.

Burnham, Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield byelection, has previously called for “greater public control” over the companies. In an interview with the Guardian, he has confirmed this could mean nationalisation.

The Trump administration is trying to kill a rule that protects millions of acres of national forests | Charles F Sams III

admin — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:34 +0000

The bipartisan Roadless Rule is under fire. It’s just one way Trump could make our public lands unrecognizable

Modern roads in the United States will last for decades. And yet the damage they cause in our national forests is immediate.

Since 2001, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule has protected more than 58m acres of national forests from development, barring road construction and timber harvests. The policy came to be with huge bipartisan support; almost 2 million people submitted comments on it, the majority of whom championed the protections.

Scientists warn Trump plan to axe US ocean monitoring system will leave world ‘flying blind’

admin — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:00:31 +0000

Experts say dismantling the ocean observation system will ‘severely degrade’ the accuracy of weather predictions

The Trump administration’s plan to dismantle an ocean observation system vital to understanding the climate crisis and marine ecosystems would “severely degrade” the accuracy of weather predictions and El Niño forecasts, with economic consequences for the US, European and American scientists have warned.