Breaking Waves: Ocean News

06/03/2024 - 06:00
Opponents of bills argue ‘offramp’ to keep gas or coal plants running will be triggered if energy-heavy centers are built Michigan Democrats are poised to pass legislation aimed at attracting big-tech data centers, but opponents say the bills would destroy nation-leading climate laws the same legislators approved in November because the centers consume massive amounts of electricity. The November climate bills included an “offramp” that would keep gas or coal plants running if renewable sources could not handle the energy grid’s load, and the stipulation would almost certainly be triggered, opponents say. Continue reading...
06/03/2024 - 05:30
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse calls audacious request ‘definition of corruption’ amid investigation into Mar-a-Lago meeting in April Donald Trump’s brazen pitch to 20 fossil-fuel heads for $1bn to aid his presidential campaign in return for promises of lucrative tax and regulatory favors is the “definition of corruption”, a top Democrat investigating the issue has said. “It certainly meets the definition of corruption as the founding fathers would have used the term,” Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said in an interview about Trump’s audacious $1bn request for big checks to top fossil-fuel executives that took place in April at his Mar-a-Lago club. Continue reading...
06/03/2024 - 01:00
Campaigners have written to broadcasters expressing concern that climate is not a more prominent discussion topic The climate crisis must be discussed as a key priority in the TV debates between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, say green groups. A number of NGOs have written to the TV networks expected to host the live debates, the first of which is on Tuesday at 9pm on ITV. Continue reading...
06/02/2024 - 23:00
Exclusive: level at highest in more than 30 years, say campaigners, who want ‘rapid and effective’ relief scheme Debt payments by the 50 countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis have doubled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and now stand at their highest level in more than three decades, campaigners have warned. The Debt Justice charity said countries at the highest risk of being affected by global heating were paying 15.5% of government revenues to external creditors – up from less than 8% before Covid-19 and 4% at their lowest recent point in 2010. Continue reading...
06/02/2024 - 21:44
Claude the koala was caught eating 4,050 food tree seedlings at Eastern Forest Nursery near Lismore in 2023. The bandit has been captured returning for a meal at the nursery, as workers look on. Conservationists say Claude's behaviour is part of a bigger problem as heavy land clearing has meant that there isn't enough food in the local area for koalas to eat Daylight robbery: Claude the ‘leaf thief’ koala caught munching seedlings Continue reading...
06/02/2024 - 21:30
Koala became online hit after sampling wares at NSW nursery, but conservationists say increasingly brazen behaviour highlights serious issue Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Claude the koala became Australia’s cutest thief and a viral sensation when he was filmed munching on seedlings at a nursery near Lismore last September. But fame has only made him more brazen, with the hungry marsupial now helping himself to a weekday feed in front of staff at Eastern Forest Nursery. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
06/02/2024 - 11:48
Writer tells Hay festival about his new book, Blossomise, and his hopes to inspire people to preserve the natural world Poets can help fight climate breakdown by making us “spellbound, full of wonder and beguiled” by nature, the poet laureate has said. Simon Armitage, who pledged to dedicate his writing and thinking to environmental issues when he was appointed poet laureate in 2019, has written a new book of poems called Blossomise, which he hopes will remind readers of the beauty of nature. Continue reading...
06/02/2024 - 10:03
Heavy rain that trapped people in their homes and reportedly caused a train derailment is forecast to continue A volunteer firefighter died during a rescue operation during heavy rain and flooding in the south of Germany, local police said on Sunday. Four emergency workers were attempting to reach people trapped by the flood waters near Pfaffenhofen in the region of Bavaria when their boat capsized. Continue reading...
06/02/2024 - 10:00
In a new Quarterly Essay, Joëlle Gergis says that while Rome wasn’t built in a day, the Albanese government’s lack of action on climate change does not reflect the urgency of the crisis Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Although the 2022 federal election ushered in a new era of progressive politics in Australia, as Labor’s first term in power has progressed many people are now wondering if the political deadlock on our nation’s climate policy has really been broken. Although some good ground has been made, the federal government’s actions still don’t reflect the urgency of the planetary-scale crisis we are in. Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are rising and enormous fossil fuel projects continue to be approved to meet domestic and international demand. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
06/02/2024 - 10:00
Program developed by the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology allows farmers to better understand the risks of the climate crisis, study found Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter Join the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the community In 30 years, Vicki Mayne’s Queensland beef property will receive 30 more days of heatwaves a year. “That pushes us to 163 days of the year,” she said. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter Continue reading...