Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves/www.nationaltrust.org.uk/www.guardian.co.uk/profile/www.lloyds.com/the-market/tools-and-resources/research/exposure-management/emerging-risks/emerging-risk-reports/%C3%82%C2%A3page/n15/mode/1up/search/400 en Singing activists disrupt NatWest meeting over ‘climate backtracking’ https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/singing-activists-disrupt-natwest-meeting-over-climate-backtracking <p>AGM briefly adjourned after protesters wearing T-shirts labelled ‘No more big oil’ burst into song</p> <p>The chair of NatWest was forced to defend the bank against accusations of “climate backtracking” at a chaotic annual shareholder meeting, which was temporarily suspended owing to singing protesters.</p> <p>Not long after the meeting began in Edinburgh, it was adjourned for about half an hour after a protester interrupted Rick Haythornthwaite’s opening speech.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/singing-activists-disrupt-natwest-meeting-over-climate-backtracking" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:22:11 +0000 admin 103173 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org One year after Spain’s blackout, its shift to renewables and grid evolution power on https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/one-year-after-spain-s-blackout-its-shift-renewables-and-grid-evolution-power <p>Though solar was initially incorrectly blamed for crisis, renewables have helped insulate Spain from gas price rises caused by war in Middle East</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/one-year-after-spain-s-blackout-its-shift-renewables-and-grid-evolution-power" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:47:48 +0000 admin 103172 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Trump’s attempt to crush clean energy progress not going to plan, experts say https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/trump-s-attempt-crush-clean-energy-progress-not-going-plan-experts-say <p>US generated more power from renewables like solar and wind than gas last month in a first</p> <p>Donald Trump has wielded the full might of his administration to crush the progress of clean energy, which he has called a “scam” and “stupid”. But there are signs this assault is not going to plan.</p> <p>In March, the US generated more of its electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind than it did via gas, the first time clean energy has surpassed the planet-heating fossil fuel for a full month nationally, according to data from the Ember thinktank.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/trump-s-attempt-crush-clean-energy-progress-not-going-plan-experts-say" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:30:09 +0000 admin 103171 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Middle East crisis could cost world $1tn while oil firms make ‘obscene’ profit, analysis finds https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/middle-east-crisis-could-cost-world-1tn-while-oil-firms-make-obscene-profit-analysis-f <p>Climate group calls for urgent windfall tax on excess fossil fuel profits, as delegates tell Colombia conference their nations are suffering</p> <p>The Middle East oil and gas crunch will impose as much as a trillion dollars of additional costs on the global economy while petroleum companies rake in spectacular profits from elevated fuel prices, analysis has revealed.</p> <p>The uneven distribution of risk and reward comes amid rising concern that the US-Israeli attack on Iran is worsening inequality, poverty and hunger across a world that has become dangerously dependent on fossil fuels.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/middle-east-crisis-could-cost-world-1tn-while-oil-firms-make-obscene-profit-analysis-f" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:09 +0000 admin 103170 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org A new haven for wildlife: London’s Queen Elizabeth II garden opens to the public – in pictures https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/new-haven-wildlife-london-s-queen-elizabeth-ii-garden-opens-public-pictures <p>A new two-acre garden in memory of Queen Elizabeth II has opened to the public, providing a refuge for the city’s flora and fauna in Regent’s Park. From a wildflower meadow to swift boxes in a water tower, the space has been designed as an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/18/a-prickle-of-hedgehogs-and-an-armada-of-newts-wildlife-settles-in-at-londons-new-queen-elizabeth-garden">oasis of biodiversity</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/new-haven-wildlife-london-s-queen-elizabeth-ii-garden-opens-public-pictures" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:46 +0000 admin 103169 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Lebanon accuses Israel of committing ‘ecocide’ in country since 2023 https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/lebanon-accuses-israel-committing-ecocide-country-2023 <p>Claim by environment minister opens new report into profound ecological damage allegedly done by IDF forces </p> <p>Lebanon’s minister for the environment has accused Israel’s military of committing “an act of ecocide” in the foreword to <a href="https://cnrs.edu.lb/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FINAL-Post-War-Recovery-Report.pdf">a report detailing the harm done to the country’s natural resources</a> during the invasion of 2023 to 2024.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/lebanon-accuses-israel-committing-ecocide-country-2023" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 28 Apr 2026 06:00:42 +0000 admin 103168 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Heavy rain not ‘nearly enough’ to tame two wildfires in drought-stricken Georgia https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/heavy-rain-not-nearly-enough-tame-two-wildfires-drought-stricken-georgia <p>Pineland Road fire and Highway 82 fire have destroyed over 100 homes, and are part of large number of wildfires this spring in the US south</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox</a></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/heavy-rain-not-nearly-enough-tame-two-wildfires-drought-stricken-georgia" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:05:12 +0000 admin 103165 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org US supreme court weighs blocking lawsuits against Roundup makers alleging weedkiller causes cancer https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/us-supreme-court-weighs-blocking-lawsuits-against-roundup-makers-alleging-weedkiller-c <p>Case centers on glyphosate, pesticide used in Roundup and other products that has been linked to cancer in some studies</p> <p>Members of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/us-supreme-court">US supreme court</a> peppered lawyers for the former Monsanto Company with a barrage of questions over pesticide regulation on Monday, wrestling over whether federal law pre-empts state actions that permit consumers to sue companies for failing to warn of product risks such as cancer.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/us-supreme-court-weighs-blocking-lawsuits-against-roundup-makers-alleging-weedkiller-c" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:30:09 +0000 admin 103166 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Clean energy switch must not be excuse to plunder Indigenous lands, say leaders https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/clean-energy-switch-must-not-be-excuse-plunder-indigenous-lands-say-leaders <p>Global conference told benefits should not come at expense of well-protected environments</p> <p>The energy transition must not be used as a fresh excuse to plunder Indigenous territories, delegates at a groundbreaking global conference on phasing out fossil fuels were warned.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/clean-energy-switch-must-not-be-excuse-plunder-indigenous-lands-say-leaders" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:09 +0000 admin 103164 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Record bear sightings in Japan cause alarm as hibernation ends https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/record-bear-sightings-japan-cause-alarm-hibernation-ends <p>Woman’s body found in Iwate prefecture last week, soon after a police officer was injured in bear attack nearby</p> <p>Rested but famished bears emerging from hibernation <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/japan">in Japan</a> are already coming into contact with humans, with the pace of sightings outstripping that seen in 2025, a record year <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/06/japan-searching-for-cause-of-surge-of-bear-attacks">for bear attacks</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/record-bear-sightings-japan-cause-alarm-hibernation-ends" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:42:20 +0000 admin 103162 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org