Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Mass sardine die-off pits survival of South Africa’s penguins against fishers’ livelihoods

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:11 +0000

Known as the ‘energy bars of the sea’ the fish are a key food source for many species, but closing fisheries to allow numbers to recover would cost millions

It began on 28 July, when fishers near Saldanha Bay on the west coast of South Africa reported seeing dead sardines (also known as pilchards) floating at sea. Then, in early August, more dead sardines began washing up on beaches near Cape Town.

‘Cash to trash’ levy on house developers too low to offset damage to Norfolk Broads, say critics

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 06:00:09 +0000

Exclusive: Levy that allows almost 16,000 houses to be built on Norfolk Broads will not cover cost of mitigating environmental damage, critics say

A new levy on developers to allow almost 16,000 homes to be built in the environmentally protected Norfolk Broads has been cut by tens of thousands of pounds per house, the Guardian can reveal.

Ministers say the government’s environmental delivery plans (EDPs) were created to unblock housing growth across the country and are a “win-win” for development and nature.

‘Hanging on by a thread’: 11th hour decision to protect endangered birds from SA space project plans welcomed

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 03:00:05 +0000

The Eyre peninsula site is ‘precious and important’ habitats for southern emu-wren and home to 80% of the mallee whipbird population

Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Twenty years after An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore still believes in the climate fight: ‘We are going to win this’

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 21:43:16 +0000

Former US vice-president still has optimism for climate advocacy two decades after groundbreaking documentary

Two decades after the release of his groundbreaking documentary An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore has admitted he was surprised by the ferocious, ongoing backlash from the fossil fuel industry and its political allies. But the former US vice-president insists he still has optimism the world will confront the climate crisis.

In historic first, tropical turtles spotted nesting on California beaches

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 21:05:09 +0000

What caused the turtles to begin nesting farther north than usual is the ‘million dollar question’

A sea turtle crawled out of the surf in southern California last weekend around sunset and started laying eggs in the sand.

People on Huntington Beach who saw the female olive ridley sea turtle were shocked and excited. And they weren’t the only ones freaking out, said Justin Viezbicke, the California stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (Noaa).

UK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under Starmer

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:36:45 +0000

El Niño poses critical threat to nations’ defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministers

The UK has warned countries around the world that the climate and nature crises and the coming El Niño threaten their national security and defence, presenting foreign ministries with the findings of a report suppressed under Keir Starmer.

Germany pledges to phase out fossil fuels for first time with target of 2045

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:37:52 +0000

Campaigners say plan marks notable shift away from oil and gas as previously pledges were only for carbon neutrality

Europe’s biggest economy, Germany, has committed to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045, despite fierce debate about its green policies.

Bats originated in Europe, rewriting mammals’ family tree, study reveals

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:00:52 +0000

Biggest study of its kind provides insights into bats’ evolution – a potential gamechanger for research into treating viruses and cancer in humans

Coogee ranks as Sydney’s worst ocean beach for faecal pollution – again

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 14:01:50 +0000

Seventy-nine per cent of all NSW swimming sites rated ‘good’ or ‘very good’, as state’s cleanest and most polluted beaches revealed

Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

‘Watermelons’: Zack Polanski and the rise of the ‘green outside, red inside’ eco-populists

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:52:20 +0000

Author Russell Warfield argues the Green leader’s brand of politics is not new but has evolved in the party over time

Watermelons: the term used to describe the members of the Green party of England and Wales who are green on the outside and red on the inside. People in this faction are environmentalists but bleed socialist ideologies.