Breaking Waves: Ocean News

11/18/2024 - 01:30
Halfway through the negotiations there is plenty of frustration. But, according to our environment editor Fiona Harvey, there is also still hope Climate crisis to blame for dozens of ‘impossible’ heatwaves, studies reveal My colleague Damian Carrington has written about a new assessment of the role of climate change in extreme weather events, which found that it is supercharging heatwaves, floods, storms, droughts and wildfires. At least 24 previously impossible heatwaves have struck communities across the planet, a new assessment has shown, providing stark evidence of how severely human-caused global heating is supercharging extreme weather. The impossible heatwaves have taken lives across North America, Europe and Asia, with scientific analyses showing that they would have had virtually zero chance of happening without the extra heat trapped by fossil fuel emissions. Continue reading...
11/17/2024 - 20:32
Environmentalists say appointment of Liberty Energy’s Chris Wright highlights US interests ‘driving fracking’ in Northern Territory Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Donald Trump’s nomination for energy secretary has connections to fracking operations for gas in the Beetaloo basin in the Northern Territory. Chris Wright is the chief executive of Liberty Energy, a company that provides services to the oil and gas industry across North America. Continue reading...
11/17/2024 - 15:03
Follow today’s news live Labor left red-faced on international student cap as Coalition sides with Greens and independents Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Three million Australians are at risk of homelessness, a 63% increase since 2016, a new report from Homelessness NSW and Impact Economics has revealed. By looking at household data including income, support and rental stress, the report found in 2022 there were 3.04m Australians now at risk of homelessness, an increase on the 1.87m reported in 2016. 1 in every five days the frontline services could not assist a family with children because they were so stretched. Individuals without children were turned away 1 in every 2 days. Unaccompanied young people and children without accommodation were turned away on 1 in 9 days. I think more broadly, the government under Anthony Albanese has got an excellent record of managing relationships around the world, making genuine progress, whether it’s with China, whether it’s with American friends or others. I think when it comes to Peter Dutton, I think he has a kind of a reckless arrogance which doesn’t lend itself to foreign policy and maintaining and managing some of these complex relationships. I think he would be a risk to our economy, and that’s because that reckless arrogance, which has been a defining feature of his time as a politician over a long period of time now … [it] doesn’t lend itself to managing these relationships, which are so important to us. Continue reading...
11/17/2024 - 12:17
Manufacturers want ministers to ease EV mandate, which would mean energy firms losing out Big UK businesses including Ovo, SSE and BT Openreach are urging the government to stick to current electric car targets as struggling carmakers pile pressure on ministers to relax the rules before industry talks this week. The businesses said the zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which forces carmakers to sell greater numbers of electric cars each year, is an essential part of the plan to reduce the carbon and air pollution emissions caused by vehicles on Britain’s roads. Continue reading...
11/17/2024 - 11:29
Extremists including Tommy Robinson associates latch on to event but organisers say they want it to be nonpolitical Far-right groups are seeking to hijack a farmers’ protest in London against tax changes introduced by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves. Extremists, including close associates of Tommy Robinson, have been using social media to urge supporters to turn up at the protest on Tuesday, as farming leaders sought to remind those attending of their responsibilities. Continue reading...
11/17/2024 - 11:00
Exclusive: Senior managers say they are forced to press ahead with orders for vital items without approval Thames Water supply ‘on knife-edge’ When Sarah Bentley and Sarah Albon met at Beckton sewage treatment works in east London, the choice of location was designed to underline Thames Water’s predicament. The site is Europe’s largest sewage treatment operation, with Grade II-listed parts of the site dating to the 1860s. It is now connected with the new Thames Tideway super-sewer, but insiders say several parts of the site are simply crumbling. The site is also riddled with asbestos. Continue reading...
11/17/2024 - 10:59
Exclusive: Company has failed to tackle serious safety concerns or upgrade vital IT systems, Guardian investigation reveals Floods, explosions, asbestos: Thames faces problems on all fronts Thames Water has £23bn of assets that are in urgent need of repair and the supply of water to its 16 million customers is “on a knife-edge”, a Guardian investigation can reveal. Britain’s biggest water company has failed to tackle adequately serious safety concerns, has not upgraded essential IT systems and has tolerated a culture of intimidation among staff, according to insiders and an analysis of documents. Continue reading...
11/17/2024 - 09:01
Minor party’s offer, which includes ban on native-forest logging, represents its second concession on stalled legislation in less than a week Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The Greens have dropped their demand for a climate trigger to be incorporated in the government’s stalled Nature Positive legislation, indicating they are now prepared to pass the bills in return for a Australia-wide ban on native-forest logging alone. The party has previously refused to support Labor’s legislation, insisting that both a climate trigger and forest-logging ban must be included. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
11/17/2024 - 07:56
Jochen Flasbarth called on Cop29 delegates to press on as world faces increasing crises and drop in solidarity Governments meeting to forge a global settlement on climate finance must get over their differences this week and come to a deal – because if talks carry on until next year they stand little chance with Donald Trump in the White House, the German development minister has said. Jochen Flasbarth, one of the most influential ministers at the UN Cop29 summit, said that if the final days of the summit did not produce a breakthrough countries would face a much tougher prospect. Continue reading...
11/17/2024 - 07:53
Union leader says anger is unprecedented, but does not condone any plan to stop food reaching supermarkets The president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has said that farmers in England and Wales feel “betrayed” by changes to inheritance tax rules, while saying his organisation does not condone mooted plans to stop food reaching supermarket shelves. Tom Bradshaw, the NFU president, said anger among farmers about the changes announced in last month’s budget over inheritance tax and farms was unprecedented, and that he understood why many members wanted to take action. Continue reading...