Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Master’s student made first bar with 100% UK ingredients since 1932 to highlight effect of climate crisis on cocoa plants The late queen was the only person in history to have ever eaten a chocolate bar made with 100% British ingredients, after she was given one as a six-year-old in 1932 by the confectioner Rowntree’s. The bar was created from a glasshouse-grown cocoa plant, at Rowntree’s headquarters in York. Continue reading...

First responders, residents and environmental groups say military dropping flares to destroy forests and crops Firefighters and residents of south Lebanon have accused the Israeli military of lighting wildfires in the region, as forested areas burned down in blazes sparked by Israeli bombing. Environmental groups said the fires in recent weeks were part of a longstanding Israeli practice of targeting Lebanon’s natural environment. Continue reading...

Discounts confirmed near more than 40 locations across Great Britain amid biggest upgrade to electricity grid since 1960s Households living near new power pylons will have £250 a year taken off their energy bills as the UK government prepares to push ahead with more than 40 grid upgrade projects across the country. The government has promised hundreds of thousands of homes living within 500 metres of new grid infrastructure a saving of up to £2,500 on their energy bills over 10 years in return for “hosting vital infrastructure” which will help the UK transition away from fossil fuels. Continue reading...

The response to this summer’s record heat and drought should be led by ministers – not left to the emergency services The wildfire that began on protected heathland in the New Forest in Hampshire on Sunday was reported to be under control on Tuesday. But with temperatures forecast to reach 36C or higher in parts of England on Thursday, the risk of further outbreaks remains high. Firefighters responded to 185 wildfires in the first 10 days of August. In coastal Suffolk, conservationists and locals are counting the cost of the blaze that devastated Dunwich Heath. Its vegetation and rare bird populations are expected to take decades to recover. Although the immediate cause of many wildfires is litter, the risks are elevated by heat and drought, and repeated warnings from climate scientists do not necessarily lessen the shock and distress caused. As people and governments across Europe assess this summer’s damage, experts including the UN climate chief, Simon Stiell, hope that the fires will focus minds on the urgent necessity of cutting emissions – as well as investing in emergency planning. Europe is currently heating up faster than any other continent, due in part to proximity to the melting Arctic. Continue reading...