Breaking Waves: Ocean News

South West Water fined £1.85m over parasite outbreak in Devon

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:29:18 +0000

Utility company pleaded guilty to criminal offence of supplying water unfit for humans

‘My son is still suffering’: the ill effects of water contamination in ‘Brixham incident’

A utility company has been fined £1.85m for supplying water unfit for human consumption after a parasite outbreak made hundreds of people sick and forced thousands of households to boil their water.

Female dolphins remember who is aggressive when choosing a mating partner, research shows

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:00:29 +0000

Researchers observed unavailable female dolphins – those that were older, or with calves – did not show the same avoidant behaviour

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Santos could drill for new gas in Beetaloo basin within weeks as Murray Watt urged to ‘do his job’

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:00:27 +0000

Environment Centre of the Northern Territory warns it could be ‘gateway to full-scale fracking in the territory’

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Santos could begin new drilling for gas in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo basin within weeks after the Finocchiaro government granted approval for up to 12 wells.

Can you not? Plastic and metal ‘franken-can’ named Australia’s worst packaging at Unpackit awards

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:00:25 +0000

‘Completely unnecessary’ hybrid cans are not easily recycled or accepted by container refund schemes, and are already banned in WA

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A single-use plastic and metal drinking vessel dubbed a “franken-can” has been given the dubious honour of the nation’s worst plastic packaging.

Six US states sue Trump administration over deal to kill windfarm project

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:22:36 +0000

State attorneys general argue $1bn deal to terminate major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York is unlawful

Six states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its decision to cancel of a major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York.

There are thousands of dirty old drill sites in Colorado. The state gave oil firms a $1bn pass

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:00:24 +0000

Investigation reveals regulator let firms off the hook on cleanup bonds despite backlog that will take decades to clear

When Christiaan van Woudenberg moved to Erie, Colorado, in 2007, he never imagined he would become an anti-fracking activist. He simply thought he was buying his dream home – a four-bedroom with a panoramic mountain view, 30 minutes north of downtown Denver.

New ways to remove CO2 from atmosphere must grow much faster, report says

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:30:23 +0000

Novel forms of CO2 removal must expand at ‘highly ambitious rates’ if world is to limit global heating to 1.5C, says study

Humanity must suck carbon out of the atmosphere with new technologies even faster than the breakneck speed with which it has deployed solar panels if it is to limit global heating to 1.5C, a report has found.

Gardeners beware: slugs returning after dry weather to threaten strawberries

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:01:38 +0000

Wetter weather expected to bring surge of slugs out of hiding, just as strawberries experience bumper early crop

Entomologists in England are expecting a surge in slugs coming out of hiding to munch the nation’s strawberry plants after weeks of sun followed by wetter weather has caused a bumper crop.

The Royal Horticultural Society is bracing for a surge in inquiries from its 625,000 members, who write in with their garden gripes. Workers at the RHS have also noticed a spate of slugs in the charity’s gardens, including Wisley in Surrey.

It has the highest levels of toxic Pfas in drinking water in Scotland. But how did this remote island become awash with forever chemicals?

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:00:42 +0000

Scientists believe they may now have found the cause of Fair Isle’s pollution – and warn that it should be ringing alarm bells in other coastal areas

When the wind picks up on Fair Isle, Britain’s most remote inhabited island, puffs of seafoam start to drift across fields like tumbleweed. The pale yellow blobs are ubiquitous enough to hold their own place in the island’s mythology: known as the butter churned by a local troll, Lukki Minni.

Prepare for imminent return of El Niño, UN warns

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:00:40 +0000

UN agency predicts phenomenon that supercharges weather extremes has 80% chance of forming before September

The world must prepare for the imminent return of El Niño and the supercharged weather extremes it brings, the UN has warned.

The powerful natural weather pattern, which raises global temperatures and worsens some rainfall, has an 80% chance of forming before September and a 90% chance before November, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday.