Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Rainforests pushed to breaking point by new demands for resources, report says

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 07:00:26 +0000

Need for minerals, biofuels and pulp adding to pressures from ranching, monocrops, oil and logging, analysis finds

The growing extraction of rainforest resources is pushing the Amazon and similar biomes towards breaking point, a report has shown.

Fresh demands for critical minerals, biofuels and pulp – used in fast fashion, processed food and packaging – are compounding existing pressures from cattle ranching, monocrops, oil and logging, the analysis finds.

Lost for 150,000 years: Rainforest discovery upends human history

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 06:22:18 +0000

For decades, scientists believed ancient humans avoided dense rainforests, treating them as nearly impossible environments for early survival. But a groundbreaking discovery in West Africa is rewriting that story. Researchers uncovered evidence that humans were living deep within rainforest environments in present-day Côte d'Ivoire around 150,000 years ago — far earlier than anyone thought possible.

Melbourne teenager Bianca Adler becomes youngest Australian to climb Mount Everest

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 05:50:20 +0000

The 18-year-old high school student reached the top of the world’s tallest mountain on her second attempt

An 18-year-old high school student from Melbourne became the youngest Australian to climb to the top of Mount Everest on Wednesday.

Scientists use DNA from poop to save the world’s rarest marsupial

admin — Wed, 20 May 2026 04:45:48 +0000

Scientists in Australia are using cutting-edge DNA techniques to help save one of the world’s rarest marsupials — the critically endangered Gilbert’s potoroo, with fewer than 150 left in the wild. By analyzing tiny traces of DNA in the animals’ scat, researchers uncovered clues about the elusive fungi the potoroos depend on for survival. The findings could help conservationists identify safer new habitats and establish backup populations before disasters like bushfires wipe them out.

UK ‘built for climate that no longer exists’ and needs urgent changes to survive global heating, report warns

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 23:01:17 +0000

Landmark report calls for widespread air conditioning and says UK temperatures forecast to exceed 40C by 2050

British homes will need air conditioning to survive predicted levels of global heating, the government’s climate advisers have warned in a report, as measures such as drawing curtains, opening windows and growing trees for shade are not likely to be enough.

Spending watchdog warns £38bn cost of Sizewell C nuclear plant is ‘risky’

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 23:01:16 +0000

National Audit Office says potential benefits are ‘considerable but uncertain’ while risks are ‘immediate and substantial’

The cost of the government’s £38bn nuclear plant in Suffolk is subject to “significant uncertainty” and may outweigh the benefits for UK households until at least 2064, according to the government’s spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that although the potential benefits of the Sizewell C nuclear plant are considerable, they remain uncertain. The risks, however, are “immediate, substantial and borne by the public”.

Aerial footage shows California brush fire spreading across Simi Valley – video

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 16:46:16 +0000

A fast-growing brush fire that started on Monday morning in southern California has prompted evacuation orders for thousands of people and damaged at least one home.

‘Foolish’ CSIRO job cuts will mean Australia unable to provide climate projections to global reports, scientists warn

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 15:00:08 +0000

Exclusive: Science agency is planning to sack a third of the team working on the national climate model, sources say

Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

Orcas could be casualty in Carney’s push for pipeline, environmental groups fear

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 11:00:02 +0000

Rush to develop fossil fuel infrastructure in Canada collides with laws meant to protect endangered species

Environmental groups in Canada fear endangered orcas could become a casualty of Mark Carney’s push for a new oil pipeline, as the rush to develop fossil fuel infrastructure collides with laws meant to protect threatened species.

High levels of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found off coast of southern England

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 06:00:04 +0000

Study of Channel finds levels of toxic Pfas in Solent at 13 times safe limits in some places, with much coming from treated sewage

Scientists have found high levels of toxic Pfas, or “forever chemicals”, in soil, water and throughout the marine food chain in the UK’s Solent strait, including at protected environmental sites, according to a new study.