Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves/wp-login.php en The UK government didn't want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I'm not surprised | George Monbiot https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/uk-government-didnt-want-you-see-report-ecosystem-collapse-im-not-surprised-george-mon <p>It took an FOI request to bring this national security assessment to light. For ‘doomsayers’ like us, it is the ultimate vindication</p> <p>I know it’s almost impossible to turn your eyes away from the Trump show, but that’s the point. His antics, ever-grosser and more preposterous, are designed to keep him in our minds, to crowd out other issues. His insatiable craving for attention is a global-threat multiplier. You can’t help wondering whether there’s anything he <em>wouldn’t</em> do to dominate the headlines.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/uk-government-didnt-want-you-see-report-ecosystem-collapse-im-not-surprised-george-mon" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:52:06 +0000 admin 102481 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Through the heatwave haze, the hypocrisy of Australia’s fossil fuel policy shines bright | Clean Air https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/through-heatwave-haze-hypocrisy-australia-s-fossil-fuel-policy-shines-bright-clean-air <p>The heatwave in Melbourne and Adelaide this week is likely to become the norm. We should prepare now</p> <ul> <li> <p>Want to get this in your inbox when it publishes?<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/10/sign-up-for-the-clear-air-australia-environment-newsletter-with-adam-morton?CMP=cvau_sfl"> Sign up for the Clear Air Australia newsletter here</a></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/through-heatwave-haze-hypocrisy-australia-s-fossil-fuel-policy-shines-bright-clean-air" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:00:45 +0000 admin 102480 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Europe’s supermarket shelves packed with ‘misleading’ claims about recycled plastic packaging https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/europe-s-supermarket-shelves-packed-misleading-claims-about-recycled-plastic-packaging <p>Manufacturers use method that labels plastic as ‘circular’ and climate-friendly, despite being mostly fossil-based</p> <p>Europe’s supermarket shelves are packed with brands billing their plastic packaging as sustainable, but often only a fraction of the materials are truly recovered from waste, with the rest made from petroleum.</p> <p>Brands using plastic packaging – from Kraft’s Heinz Beanz to Mondelēz’s Philadelphia – use materials made by the plastic manufacturing arm of the oil company Saudi Aramco.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/europe-s-supermarket-shelves-packed-misleading-claims-about-recycled-plastic-packaging" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:48:58 +0000 admin 102478 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘Abdication’: Trump takes US out of Paris climate agreement for a second time https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/abdication-trump-takes-us-out-paris-climate-agreement-second-time <p>Experts are watching for how other countries will react as the ‘real economy’ shifts to cheaper, cleaner energy</p> <p>The United States has officially exited the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/paris-climate-agreement">Paris climate agreement</a> for the second time, cementing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump">Donald Trump</a>’s renewed break with the primary global venue to address global heating.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/abdication-trump-takes-us-out-paris-climate-agreement-second-time" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:30:43 +0000 admin 102477 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Storm Chandra: flooding and travel disruption hit UK as police warn against travel in parts of Devon – as it happened https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/storm-chandra-flooding-and-travel-disruption-hit-uk-police-warn-against-travel-parts-d <p>Weather warnings, including ‘danger to life’ flood threat in Devon, are in place across much of the UK with major travel disruption expected</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/27/tell-us-how-have-you-been-affected-by-storm-chandra">Tell us: how have you been affected by Storm Chandra?</a></p> </li> </ul> <p>Some of the rainfall totals in the south-west of England for the last 24 hours has almost totalled the average for the entire month, BBC News reports.</p> <p>Here is a list of some notable rainfalls:</p> <p>100mm (3.9in) White Barrow (South Dartmoor)</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/storm-chandra-flooding-and-travel-disruption-hit-uk-police-warn-against-travel-parts-d" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 07:44:49 +0000 admin 102475 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org The Fukushima towns frozen in time: nature has thrived since the nuclear disaster but what happens if humans return? https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/fukushima-towns-frozen-time-nature-has-thrived-nuclear-disaster-what-happens-if-humans <p>Fifteen years after a tsunami caused the Fukushima nuclear accident, only bears, raccoons and boar are seen on the streets. But the authorities and some locals want people to move back</p> <p>Norio Kimura pauses to gaze through the dirt-flecked window of Kumamachi primary school in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/fukushima">Fukushima</a>. Inside, there are still textbooks lying on the desks, pencil cases are strewn across the floor; empty bento boxes that were never taken home.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/fukushima-towns-frozen-time-nature-has-thrived-nuclear-disaster-what-happens-if-humans" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 07:00:09 +0000 admin 102476 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Number of US-style ‘battering ram’ pickup trucks on UK roads has nearly doubled in a decade https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/number-us-style-battering-ram-pickup-trucks-uk-roads-has-nearly-doubled-decade <p>Exclusive: Campaigners say ‘menacing vehicles’ are putting children at risk owing to their large front blind zones</p> <p>The number of US-style pickup trucks on UK roads has almost doubled in the past 10 years, data shows.</p> <p>The vehicles are more environmentally damaging than ordinary cars, and more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. Campaigners have said the extra-large vehicles, which are often too big for UK streets and parking spaces, are built like “battering rams”.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/number-us-style-battering-ram-pickup-trucks-uk-roads-has-nearly-doubled-decade" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 06:00:08 +0000 admin 102474 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Scotland-France ferry could relaunch amid £35bn Dunkirk regeneration plan https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/scotland-france-ferry-could-relaunch-amid-35bn-dunkirk-regeneration-plan <p>French port’s green energy push, evoking second world war spirit of resilience, is seen as a testing ground for reindustrialisation</p> <p>A new cargo and passenger ferry service directly linking Scotland and France could launch later this year as the port of Dunkirk embarks on a €40bn (£35bn) regeneration programme it claims will mirror the second world war resilience <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/from-the-archive-blog/2017/jul/25/dunkirk-evacuation-guardian-reporting-1940">for which it is famed</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/scotland-france-ferry-could-relaunch-amid-35bn-dunkirk-regeneration-plan" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:00:05 +0000 admin 102473 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Heat records tumble in Victoria as authorities warn against complacency amid significant blazes https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/heat-records-tumble-victoria-authorities-warn-against-complacency-amid-significant-bla <p>BoM to check if Walpeup and Hopetoun broke state’s official heat record - set during 2009’s Black Saturday</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/27/what-happens-to-the-human-body-in-49c-heat-australians-are-finding-out">What happens to the human body in 49C heat? Australians are finding out</a></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/heat-records-tumble-victoria-authorities-warn-against-complacency-amid-significant-bla" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:46:14 +0000 admin 102472 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Number of people living in extreme heat to double by 2050 if 2C rise occurs, study finds https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/number-people-living-extreme-heat-double-2050-if-2c-rise-occurs-study-finds <p>Scientists expect 41% of the projected global population to face the extremes, with ‘no part of the world’ immune</p> <p>The number of people living with extreme heat will more than double by 2050 if global heating reaches 2C, according to a new study that shows how the energy demands for air conditioners and heating systems are expected to change across the world.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/number-people-living-extreme-heat-double-2050-if-2c-rise-occurs-study-finds" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:29:43 +0000 admin 102469 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org