Breaking Waves: Ocean News

03/19/2025 - 15:46
Non-profit said in statement lawsuits like this aimed at ‘destroying the right to peaceful protest’ A jury in North Dakota has decided that the environmental group Greenpeace must pay hundreds of millions of dollars to the pipeline company Energy Transfer and is liable for defamation and other claims over protests in the state nearly a decade ago. Energy Transfer Partners, a Dallas-based oil and gas company worth almost $70bn, had sued Greenpeace for $300m alleging defamation and orchestrating criminal behavior by protesters at the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016 and 2017, claiming the organization “incited” people to protest by using a “misinformation campaign”. Continue reading...
03/19/2025 - 15:27
German coal giant is one of world’s biggest polluters and should contribute to flood defences, says farmer in Peru A Peruvian farmer’s home is in “concrete danger” from climate change, a court has heard, in the resumption of a decade-long legal battle to get German coal giant RWE to contribute to flood defences in the Andes. Lawyers for Saúl Luciano Lliuya, who say his home is threatened by rapidly melting glaciers, told the upper regional court in Hamm on Wednesday that the risk of extreme flooding represented a breach of civil law. Continue reading...
03/19/2025 - 13:00
The endangered great apes of Malaysia and Indonesia struggle when translocated despite efforts to protect them, finds research When authorities were called about reports of an orangutan in an Indonesian village, they arrived to find it bound with ropes by concerned local people. Worried about the animal’s proximity to humans, plans for translocation were made: removing it to an undisturbed forest habitat, far from human settlements, where it could peacefully live in the treetops. But when they finally identified the 20-year-old male, they found it had been relocated before, but, instead of settling in the new site it had travelled about 130km (80miles) away. Researchers are starting to realise that many great apes struggle when they are moved far from their homes, despite well-intentioned efforts to protect them. Continue reading...
03/19/2025 - 12:00
Agriculture department cuts to funding for local food in school meals betrays growers, kids and collective wellbeing “If you happened to smell hickory smoke in the city this week, we were probably to blame,” the North Little Rock school district’s child nutrition program shared in a 30 January Facebook post featuring a picture of the day’s lunch. The locally sourced menu included school-smoked chopped beef, pulled pork, fresh apples and coleslaw. This isn’t standard cafeteria fare, but funds from the US government helped kids in this Arkansas town get fresh, nourishing foods produced by farmers and ranchers in their own community. Continue reading...
03/19/2025 - 12:00
Americans eat takeout more. Some drink less. Bar-and-grill chains have shuttered. But the restaurant industry has evolved and rebounded Before Covid, Li’l Dizzy’s, a Creole buffet run by one of New Orleans’ famous Black restaurant families, was a mainstay of the city’s Treme neighborhood. But when officials issued the first Covid stay-at-home orders in March 2020, Li’l Dizzy’s closed, and it did not reopen: how could a buffet restaurant operate during a pandemic? That fall, the cafe’s 73-year-old owner, Wayne Baquet Sr, announced he was selling the restaurant, citing his age and pandemic health risks. The closure appeared to mark the end of a Baquet culinary family legacy that started in Treme in the 1940s and expanded to other family outposts across the city. Continue reading...
03/19/2025 - 10:48
Scotland’s first minister speaking as report suggests up to 1,200 jobs could be created – but too late for refinery’s workers There is a realistic chance that one of the UK’s largest oil refineries can be converted into a hub for green chemicals, sustainable fuels and plastics, Scotland’s first minister says. Grangemouth oil refinery, which is being shut down by its UK and Chinese owners PetroIneos this year with the loss of 400 jobs, could become a world leader in low carbon chemicals and green fuels, John Swinney told media on Wednesday. Continue reading...
03/19/2025 - 09:00
Increased cost of the fossil fuel has also cut forecasts of how much gas will be needed in Australia’s southern states Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast High gas prices and a shift towards running homes and businesses on electricity has helped delay an expected gas shortage in Australia’s southern states until 2028, a government agency says. A report by the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) said the increased cost of the fossil fuel and trend towards electrification had combined with mild winters to reduce gas use. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
03/19/2025 - 05:54
Thousands sign petition to save ‘vital’ Dartington Estate project that teaches agroforestry methods Even at this time of year when most of the trees are still bare, there is a feeling of abundance in Martin Crawford’s forest garden, close to the banks of the River Dart in Devon. Crawford, who has nurtured this landmark garden for three decades, is clearly in his element, pointing out the edible plants that flourish in the tangly two-acre patch, stooping from time to time to pick a leaf or green shoot and take a nibble. Continue reading...
03/19/2025 - 05:00
Moves to roll back 31 pollution regulations risk public health and big annual healthcare savings, Guardian analysis shows A push by Donald Trump’s administration to repeal a barrage of clean air and water regulations may deal a severe blow to US public health, with a Guardian analysis finding that the targeted rules were set to save the lives of nearly 200,000 people in the years ahead. Last week, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provoked uproar by unveiling a list of 31 regulations it will scale back or eliminate, including rules limiting harmful air pollution from cars and power plants; restrictions on the emission of mercury, a neurotoxin; and clean water protections for rivers and streams. Continue reading...
03/19/2025 - 01:00
Litter such as crisp packets and bottle tops are polluting the coast at the rate of nearly two items a sq metre, conservation charity report finds Single-use plastic waste increased on UK and Channel Island beaches last year with items such as crisp packets and bottle tops polluting the coast at the rate of almost two items a sq metre, according to data from beach cleanups. The amount of plastic waste collected on beaches rose by 9.5% in 2024, compared with 2023, and more than three-quarters of a million pieces of waste were picked up by volunteers, according to evidence from the State of our Beaches report by the Marine Conservation Society. Continue reading...