Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves/index.php en Europe braced for another day of extreme heat as warnings issued across UK, France and Italy – live https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/europe-braced-another-day-extreme-heat-warnings-issued-across-uk-france-and-italy-live <p>UK June heat record could be broken for the second consecutive day</p> <p><strong>Ajit Niranjan</strong><em><strong> </strong>and<strong> </strong></em><strong>Ashifa Kassam</strong></p> <p><strong>Heatwaves kill tens of thousands of people across Europe each year and the most scorching extremes have grown hotter, longer and more common as the planet has warmed.</strong> Climate breakdown is thought to have increased temperatures by 2C to 4C, according to a rapid analysis published by <a href="https://www.climameter.org/">ClimaMeter</a> on Monday.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/europe-braced-another-day-extreme-heat-warnings-issued-across-uk-france-and-italy-live" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:38:35 +0000 admin 103701 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Hot Mess and Acid’s Reign: the romcom and queer cabaret spotlighting climate crisis https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/hot-mess-and-acid-s-reign-romcom-and-queer-cabaret-spotlighting-climate-crisis <p>A blooming new wave of musical theatre is exploring the plight of the planet with a playful and hopeful approach</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/hot-mess-and-acid-s-reign-romcom-and-queer-cabaret-spotlighting-climate-crisis" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:02:37 +0000 admin 103702 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ’It can flip quickly from being idyllic’: the reality of life for young van dwellers priced out of Cornwall’s housing market https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/it-can-flip-quickly-being-idyllic-reality-life-young-van-dwellers-priced-out-cornwall- <p>With tourists buying up property and landlords opting for lucrative Airbnb rentals, young Cornish people are turning to old campervans to give them a roof over their heads</p> <p>Skye has a thick duvet in the van she calls home in Cornwall. In winter, the 25-year-old goes to bed in several layers of clothes and is grateful for the extra warmth of her cat. She parks up late, often in car parks well away from beaches, and never stays more than one night in case local people get angry and bang on her windows. This is van life. It can be a very different world from the tourist dream.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/it-can-flip-quickly-being-idyllic-reality-life-young-van-dwellers-priced-out-cornwall-" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:00:06 +0000 admin 103700 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Papua New Guinea at risk of food shortages as El Niño brings frost and drought https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/papua-new-guinea-risk-food-shortages-el-ni-o-brings-frost-and-drought <p>Oxfam predicts PNG will be worst-hit country in Pacific from the weather pattern, with up to 3 million people affected nationwide</p> <p>Families across Papua New Guinea’s Highlands are facing depleted harvests and the threat of hunger after the El Niño weather pattern brought frost and prolonged dry conditions that have destroyed food gardens providing sustenance and income for thousands of households.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/papua-new-guinea-risk-food-shortages-el-ni-o-brings-frost-and-drought" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 03:54:03 +0000 admin 103699 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Exploit last North Sea oil and gas or risk mass job losses, Andy Burnham urged https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/exploit-last-north-sea-oil-and-gas-or-risk-mass-job-losses-andy-burnham-urged <p>British Chamber of Commerce boss Shevaun Haviland says transition to clean energy could be handled better</p> <p>Andy Burnham should be ready to exploit the UK’s remaining North Sea oil and gas resources to avoid mass job losses in Scotland and the north-east, the director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Shevaun Haviland, has said.</p> <p>The decision about whether to allow extraction at the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields now appears likely to fall to a Burnham administration.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/exploit-last-north-sea-oil-and-gas-or-risk-mass-job-losses-andy-burnham-urged" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:00:52 +0000 admin 103697 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Farmers criticise government plan to counter threats to UK food security https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/farmers-criticise-government-plan-counter-threats-uk-food-security <p>Plan warns climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages but farmers say it fails to adequately fund response</p> <p>The climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages, the government has warned in its new plan for British farming.</p> <p>But farmers criticised the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/farming-roadmap-2050">plan</a>, which outlines for the first time the government’s vision for the long-term direction of farming, for failing to adequately fund a response to this threat to the UK’s food security.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/farmers-criticise-government-plan-counter-threats-uk-food-security" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:47:55 +0000 admin 103698 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org US says chemical giant Chemours to pay $450m to settle ‘forever chemicals’ case https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/us-says-chemical-giant-chemours-pay-450m-settle-forever-chemicals-case <p>Agreement is first by federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a major Pfas manufacturer</p> <p>The Trump administration on Wednesday reached a multi-state settlement with the chemical giant Chemours Co over years-long, illegal discharges of synthetic “forever chemicals” used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains. The settlement is the first by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a manufacturer of harmful chemicals known as Pfas.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/us-says-chemical-giant-chemours-pay-450m-settle-forever-chemicals-case" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:29:47 +0000 admin 103696 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org UK records its hottest June day and France its hottest day ever as heatwave sweeps Europe https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/uk-records-its-hottest-june-day-and-france-its-hottest-day-ever-heatwave-sweeps-europe <p>Temperature of 36.1C (97F) recorded in Hampshire, while two-thirds of Europe’s population experience temperatures above 30C</p> <p>The UK has broken its all-time temperature record for June and France has recorded its hottest day ever for the second day running, as a heatwave affecting more than 90 million people sweeps across swathes of Europe.</p> <p>As the UK and France registered record-breaking temperatures, the World Health Organization warned that the extreme temperatures are “putting lives at risk”.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/uk-records-its-hottest-june-day-and-france-its-hottest-day-ever-heatwave-sweeps-europe" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:12:19 +0000 admin 103693 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘Instant connection to the past’: how the Major oak affected those who saw it https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/instant-connection-past-how-major-oak-affected-those-who-saw-it <p>Readers remember the Sherwood Forest tree that has failed to produce leaves for the first time in 1,000 years</p> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/24/major-oak-sherwood-forest-readers-remember">Continue reading...</a></p> Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:47:06 +0000 admin 103694 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Farm workers at higher risk amid screwworm outbreak in US south-west https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/farm-workers-higher-risk-amid-screwworm-outbreak-us-south-west <p>Those who work with animals are at greater risk for infection, but face challenges in accessing healthcare</p> <p>Agricultural workers are among the highest risk group for human infection during the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/16/screwworm-cases-rise-outbreak-spreads">screwworm outbreak</a> in the American south, yet they frequently face challenges in accessing public health – an ongoing concern amid zoonotic spillovers such as H5N1 bird flu.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/farm-workers-higher-risk-amid-screwworm-outbreak-us-south-west" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:44 +0000 admin 103692 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org