Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Our research shows people are strongly in favour of measures to tackle the climate crisis. They just need to be listened to Rebecca Willis is professor of energy and climate governance at Lancaster University There’s not much that unites our fractured House of Commons at the moment. But on one issue, politicians from all parties seem to agree: the great British public don’t really want ambitious action to meet net zero goals. They may concur on this – but they are wrong. On the right of the spectrum, opposition politicians have been sounding a rapid retreat from the net zero target. In doing so, they are breaking with a strong Conservative tradition – it was Theresa May who signed the target into law in 2019, with cross-party support. Council elections this spring saw victories for Reform UK, which opposes most net zero policies outright, and argues for an economy based on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, the Labour government has net zero as one of its five missions, yet it, too, seems reluctant to make a positive case for action to tackle the climate crisis. It worries there won’t be enough support for policies such as replacing gas boilers or managing demand for flying, and it has been further cowed by unhelpful voices off from the former prime minister Tony Blair. Rebecca Willis is professor of energy and climate governance at Lancaster University Continue reading...

It’s bad news for the Antarctic sea ice and everyone who relies on it being there (everyone) Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...

Texas’s ‘flash flood alley’ could bring even more floods in near future as Trump cuts compound with warming climate The ongoing challenges of forecasting extreme weather during the era of the climate crisis have been brought to the fore again amid catastrophic flash flooding in the “hill country” region of Texas. As of early Sunday, hundreds of rescuers are searching for at least 12 people still missing as rains taper off outside of San Antonio and Austin. Hundreds of people have already been pulled from floodwaters that have killed nearly 70 people so far, many of them children at a summer camp along the banks of the Guadalupe River. Continue reading...

Footage shows the impact of an algal bloom unfolding along South Australia's coastline. The deadly bloom of Karenia mikimotoi algae has devastated marine life from the Fleurieu peninsula, to Kangaroo Island, to the Yorke peninsula and the Ramsar-listed Coorong. Since the start of the bloom in March, more than 7,800 marine animals have died and almost 400 different species have been affected, including shellfish, sharks, rays and many rare and unusual marine species, according to the SA Marine Mortalities project Continue reading...