Breaking Waves: Ocean News

If Flávio Bolsonaro is elected, Brazil’s ecosystems will face collapse. The ruling class would rather burn the world than share it with the poor However grim the trajectory might seem, I’ve always believed that sense will ultimately prevail. As the great perils of dismantling the living world become increasingly obvious, even the most rapacious exploiters must come round. Nobody wants to live on a dead planet, do they? There are – or were – signs that this wasn’t just wishful thinking. Since 2015, mostly thanks to China, the area of the planet being reforested has increased, while thanks in large part to Brazil, the global rate of forest destruction has declined. The area of the Brazilian Amazon forest cleared each year is one-sixth of what it was when records began in 1988. In the past four years, as a result of Brazilian government policy, the deforestation rate has fallen by 71%. If Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is re-elected president on Sunday, the country could reach zero deforestation by 2030. The arc of the moral universe seems to have bent towards justice. Continue reading...

USDA says screwworm found in elk in Texas, and warns hunters and ranchers to be vigilant to help stop spread The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday it had ⁠confirmed the ⁠first detection ​of the flesh-eating parasite the New World screwworm in US wildlife in an ⁠elk in Pecos county, Texas. The elk was located on a game ⁠ranch and was reported after being killed by ​a hunter, the ‌USDA said ‌in a statement. Continue reading...

This foolish decision undermines hopes that this government will take the necessary steps the climate crisis demands When the news broke that the UK government had approved the Jackdaw gasfield, I was at a Guardian climate event at the Royal Geographical Society. Appropriately, the theme suggested by readers was what can the public actually do in the face of what feels like paralysing climate doom? There is so much going on that is hopeful: biodiversity tracking, river protection, rewilding. Shruti Suresh, from the independent watchdog Global Witness, told those in attendance that if they wanted to effect change, they should protest against Jackdaw and the Rosebank oilfield project. The message was so well understood that it didn’t need labouring. The mood in the room when the news came in was one of audible dismay. People had just watched the minister for climate transition declare that she could see the challenges ahead and was ready for them. The Jackdaw announcement will face immediate protest and legal challenge, but it sends a very clear signal from the government: we don’t mean what we say about ending emissions. Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Advocates say having national data about numbers of rats and mice used in research can help boost public trust in science Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast More than 1 million mice and nearly 47,000 rats are used in scientific research in Australia annually, according to the first ever nationwide count. Dr Malcolm France, a veterinarian who compiled the data, described the count, released today, as “an overdue first step” towards publishing national statistics for all animals used in research, including fish, rabbits, birds and monkeys. Continue reading...