Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Ant smuggler sentenced to a year in jail by Kenyan court

admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:07:33 +0000

More than 2,200 ants were found in Zhang Kequn’s luggage at Nairobi airport, with baggage destined for China

A Chinese national has been sentenced to a year in prison and fined by a Nairobi court for attempting to smuggle thousands of ants out of Kenya, a lucrative trade in east Africa that was exposed last year.

The insects are mostly destined for China, the US and Europe, where they become pets and can be worth about $100 each.

$30m an hour: big oil reaping huge war windfall from consumers, analysis finds

admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:02:18 +0000

Exclusive: Climate action blockers including Saudi Arabia, Russia and major fossil fuel firms set to make extra $234bn by end of 2026

‘They want to keep denying us our rights’: workers in Vermont’s $5.4bn dairy industry fight for basic labor protections

admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:00:26 +0000

Migrant labor fuels much of Vermont’s dairy industry, but workers are exempt from minimum wage rules, overtime protections and the right to unionize

Hilario’s work shift on a Vermont dairy farm began at 10.30pm when he lifted a red fleece blanket and rose from a makeshift bed next to the kitchen sink.

Sperm whales’ communication closely parallels human language, study finds

admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:00:25 +0000

Analysis shows whales’ coda vocalizations are ‘highly complex’ and remarkably similar to our own

We may appear to have little in common with sperm whales – enormous, ocean-dwelling animals that last shared a common ancestor with humans more than 90 million years ago. But the whales’ vocalized communications are remarkably similar to our own, researchers have discovered.

More than half of Britain’s butterfly species in decline, monitoring scheme shows

admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:00:01 +0000

Warmer weather has benefited some species in Britain, but others that rely on specific plants or habitats have struggled

“Insectageddon” has not occurred, but there has been a loss of butterfly diversity over the past half a century, according to the world’s largest insect monitoring scheme.

More than 44m butterfly sightings scientifically collected in Britain since 1976 show that of the 58 native species recorded, 33 species have declined and 25 have increased in number.

Chiang Mai’s New Year revelry hit by smog and war-related price spikes

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:01:51 +0000

Air pollution caused by wildfires is another blow to northern Thailand’s tourism industry as businesses suffer amid war in Iran

The Doi Suthep temple in northern Thailand is known for its spectacular views of Chiang Mai and the lush forested mountains that surround it. Over recent weeks, though, visitors can see little of the city beyond a thick cloud of grey haze.

Persistent wildfires have caused intense air pollution across the north of Thailand, forcing three provinces to declare emergencies and triggering spikes in pollution-related illnesses.

NAACP lawsuit accuses Elon Musk’s xAI of polluting Black neighborhoods near Memphis

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:54:50 +0000

Suit alleges the billionaire’s AI company is illegally spewing toxic pollutants from its datacenter in the Memphis area

A new lawsuit accuses Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company of illegally spewing toxic pollutants into the Black neighborhoods on the border of Tennessee and Mississippi.

Politicians and media can’t imagine a fossil-fuel free world - and it’s holding Australians back from huge EV savings | Adam Morton

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:00:41 +0000

Australia is well behind other countries in embracing clean cars – it’s past time we kicked into gear on going electric

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Inside a jubilant DC conference where ‘the climate deniers are in charge now’

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:00:57 +0000

Trump’s EPA chief Lee Zeldin’s presence shows how much influence climate deniers now have, experts say

As scientists confirmed that March was the United States’ most abnormally hot month in recorded history, dozens of climate deniers gathered to promote misinformation and tout their newfound influence on federal policy.

America’s hiking culture is built on ego

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:00:56 +0000

From peak-bagging to thru-hiking, Americans have turned traversing land into personal milestones. This wilderness ranger and Indigenous writer has witnessed it firsthand

Këmituxwe Éhènta Wehikiyànkw

You are walking in our old homeland