Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘Utterly appalling’: anger over swimmers in Hampstead Heath wildlife ponds

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 15:36:58 +0000

Nature groups urge people to avoid unauthorised areas to protect birds during nesting season

Nature groups have pleaded with swimmers to give wildlife a wide berth after dozens of people swam in a nature pond on Hampstead Heath among nests of baby birds.

Swans and their 12-day-old cygnets were disturbed by hordes of splashing revellers in the north London park on Monday as London reached record 35C temperatures. In one video, a swan was seen poking an unhatched egg with its beak after it fell into the water during the chaos.

UK heatwave triggers price rises for items such as hot tubs and air conditioning units

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 13:50:06 +0000

Of 11 seasonal items in Guardian price comparison, six hit highest price in last three months, with some nearly doubling in price in last week

The heatwave has triggered a surge in prices for seasonal items, with the cost of one inflatable hot tub nearly doubling in a week, while an industry expert said air conditioning units have risen by about 17% since April.

Power to the people: how ‘balcony solar’ could help fight rising US utility costs

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 11:30:17 +0000

More Americans are using small solar panels in their back yards or balconies as a clean way to cut their electric bills

If you feel like your electricity bill just keeps climbing, you aren’t imagining it. Since 2020, US residential energy prices have surged by about 30%, making power the largest household energy expense behind gasoline, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

‘Gone forever’: political anger after NSW Aboriginal heritage site bulldozed for power lines

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 10:17:29 +0000

The rock shelter was destroyed by contractors building transmission lines for the Central-West Orana renewable energy zone

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Lord Howe Island got rid of its rats and mice – now its ‘wonderful’ insect life is back

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 09:35:17 +0000

Invasive vermin decimated the island’s native flora and fauna – but its unique cockroaches and beetles are thriving once again

In the summer months, Lord Howe Island’s unique stag beetle, with wing cases that appear forged from iridescent green metal, fly around the ancient tree tops looking for a mate.

“That’s really something wonderful,” said Ian Hutton, a naturalist and nature guide on the World Heritage-listed island.

Blossoming among spoil heaps: how 1,000 years of lead mining gave birth to banks of pansies and pennycress

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 08:00:21 +0000

Calaminarian grassland is a rare habitat where plants thrive in soils contaminated by heavy metals. But should these toxic meadows be protected or allowed to fade away?

At first, the small purple flowers are hard to spot in the weak May sunshine. Slowly the drifts of delicate mountain pansies, along with the white rosettes of alpine pennycress, begin to jump out, scattered across an area little bigger than a football pitch, on the banks of the River Allen in Northumberland.

Australia needs a national animal. No, not the kangaroo... the dingo! | First Dog on the Moon

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 06:08:18 +0000

Everyone loves dingoes and if they don’t they should

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Wednesday briefing: Can the UK adapt in time to a new normal of extreme heat?

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 05:46:56 +0000

In today’s newsletter: As heatwaves intensify, Britain must confront the limits of a society built for cooler weather, forcing policymakers, communities and households to rethink how we live, work and stay cool

The UK swelters once again. On Tuesday, temperatures surged to 35C, condemning millions of people to another sticky night in homes ill-prepared for such warm conditions.

How the plastic bottle cap became a parable for the value of EU regulation | Alberto Alemanno

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 04:00:18 +0000

Supporters of deregulation want Europe to be more like the US. But that would serve only American interests

Mapping the last glaciers in Oceania – in pictures

admin — Wed, 27 May 2026 03:00:15 +0000

Puncak Jaya in Indonesia is one of the last equatorial mountains with glaciers but the ice has retreated drastically because of the climate crisis. Project Pressure came to the mountain to create the first 3D model of the remaining ice before it disappears

‘Planetary destruction on fast-forward’: witnessing the disappearance of Indonesia’s eternity glaciers