Breaking Waves: Ocean News

05/13/2025 - 06:48
US agriculture secretary says country is moving away from both methods of production, illegal in UK and EU Chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-fed beef may not be essential for a US-UK trade deal, Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary has indicated. Speaking to journalists at a press conference in London, Brooke Rollins said the market was moving away from the two controversial methods of production, which are illegal in the UK and the EU. Continue reading...
05/13/2025 - 06:03
Enfield’s Ergin Erbil under pressure to recuse himself from decisions over football club’s property plans The leader of Enfield council is under pressure to recuse himself from decisions over the property plans of Tottenham Hotspur, after accepting match tickets days before the felling of an ancient oak by a company financially linked to the football club. Labour’s Ergin Erbil has been the public voice of the council’s outrage at the felling on 3 April of a 500-year-old ancient oak by contractors for Mitchells & Butlers Retail (MBR), the pub chain that runs a Toby Carvery on land leased from the London borough. Continue reading...
05/13/2025 - 06:00
Bioplastics, heralded for supposedly breaking down more quickly, can cause similar health problems to other plastics Starch-based bioplastic that is said to be biodegradable and sustainable is potentially as toxic as petroleum-based plastic, and can cause similar health problems, new peer-reviewed research finds. Bioplastics have been heralded as the future of plastic because it breaks down quicker than petroleum-based plastic, and is often made from plant-based material such as corn starch, rice starch or sugar. Continue reading...
05/13/2025 - 01:00
It broke my heart to see a seal so injured by a £1 plastic toy. Now I campaign to ban them – and it has changed my life There was an incident seven years ago that changed my life. I saw an adult grey seal with a plastic pink flying ring toy so deeply embedded in her neck that she was practically dead. It was stopping her from feeding because it was digging into her and she couldn’t extend her neck – the wounds were horrific. It broke my heart. From that moment on, I became obsessed with seals and protecting them from the dangers of plastic flying rings. Continue reading...
05/13/2025 - 00:00
The 1,274-hectare Bradford Pennine Gateway links eight nature sites and includes landscape that inspired sisters The sweeping landscapes of the Pennines inspired the Brontë sisters, and now those lands are being protected as one of England’s biggest nature reserves. A huge new national nature reserve, to be called the Bradford Pennine Gateway, is being announced by the government on Tuesday. It will give Bradford, one of Britain’s largest and most nature-deprived cities, easier and more protected access to green space Continue reading...
05/12/2025 - 23:00
Exclusive: Andrew Bowie says Kemi Badenoch could pull UK out of Paris climate agreement The Conservative party’s energy spokesperson has attacked leading climate scientists as biased and claimed Kemi Badenoch could take the UK out of the Paris climate agreement. Andrew Bowie, the acting shadow secretary for energy, told the Guardian that the target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 – passed into law by Theresa May – was “arbitrary” and “not based on science”. Continue reading...
05/12/2025 - 13:00
Wood barrels circle the world and can be used for more than a century. They tell a story, but they’re imperiled by tariffs No one at Tucson’s Hamilton Distillers knows exactly what wood the cognac barrels holding whiskey are made of. “Probably Spanish oak?” one employee ventures a guess. The age of the barrels is also a question mark. No one working here is old enough to vouch for that; the distillery believes they are anywhere from 100 to 125 years old, which is old in the grand scheme of barrels’ lifespans, but not unusual. But it can say with certainty, using records of its vintages, that these barrels are on their fifth use – at least. Continue reading...
05/12/2025 - 12:36
Pink salmon, Purple Asian clams, marine invertebrates that form spaghetti-like colonies and a nematode worm that causes extensive deaths of trees are among the new entries in experts' watchlist of invasive non-native species that could threaten Great Britain in the next 10 years. The latest version of the watchlist again includes known problem species such as the yellow-legged (Asian) hornet, raccoon and twoleaf watermilfoil.
05/12/2025 - 10:00
Karenia mikimotoi algae can suffocate fish, cause haemorrhaging and act as a neurotoxin, one expert says Australia news live: latest politics updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email More than 200 marine species, including deepwater sharks, leafy sea dragons and octopuses, have been killed by a toxic algal bloom that has been affecting South Australia’s coastline since March. Nearly half (47%) of the dead species were ray-finned fish and a quarter (26%) were sharks and rays, according to OzFish analysis of 1,400 citizen scientist reports. Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email Continue reading...
05/12/2025 - 10:00
Long-term reform is not going to be easy, but we have wasted 15 years and everyone has lost, especially the natural world Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email See our full coverage of the Australian election Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Long overdue reform of national environment laws is unfinished business for the 48th parliament and the re-elected Albanese government. Senator Murray Watt, a Queenslander, is well respected within the government and has a reputation for taking hard decisions and bringing together diverse stakeholders. Both of these attributes will be at a premium if the minister is to succeed where others have not. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...