Experts raise fears for England’s largest colony at Blakeney Point as they conduct tests to identify source of infection
Experts have raised fears for the seals at England’s largest colony after four were found to have died after having been infected with bird flu.
Government scientists are investigating to find out whether the seals died after scavenging from the corpses of infected birds.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
02/19/2025 - 13:36
Activists warn new designation for projects such as pipelines threatens US wetlands and waters
Environmentalists were outraged on Wednesday after the Trump administration moved to fast-track fossil fuel projects through the permitting process, with activists describing it as an attempt to sidestep environmental laws that could harm waterways and wetlands.
In recent days, the US Army Corps of Engineers created a new designation of “emergency” permits for infrastructure projects, citing a day one executive order signed by Donald Trump which claims the US is facing an “energy emergency” and must “unleash” already booming energy production.
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02/19/2025 - 13:06
Site in Cumbria can now return to routine inspections but concerns remain over cybersecurity
The UK nuclear industry regulator has taken Sellafield, the world’s largest store of plutonium, out of special measures for its physical security – but said concerns remained over its cybersecurity.
Guarding arrangements at the vast nuclear waste dump in Cumbria have improved enough to allow for routine inspections from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), rather than requiring “enhanced regulatory oversight”.
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02/19/2025 - 12:24
Decades-long research shows world’s glaciers collectively lost 6.542tn tonnes of ice between 2000 and 2023
Melting glaciers have caused almost 2cm of sea level rise this century alone, a decades-long study has revealed.
The research shows the world’s glaciers collectively lost 6.542tn tonnes of ice between 2000 and 2023, causing an 18mm (0.7in) rise in global sea levels.
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02/19/2025 - 12:12
Humanity can farm more food from the seas to help feed the planet while shrinking mariculture's negative impacts on biodiversity, according to new research.
02/19/2025 - 11:16
An improvement in freshwater biodiversity in England's rivers was linked to reductions in pollution of zinc and copper, largely due to the decline of coal burning and heavy industry, say researchers. Invertebrates are used as an important measure of a river's biodiversity and health, and Environment Agency data show there was a widespread, significant increase in species richness across England in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, there has been little significant further improvement since then. Therefore, a team of scientists looked for the possible reasons for this, using statistical modelling to investigate a wide range of different chemical and physical factors, such as temperature, river flow and landscape.
02/19/2025 - 11:12
Animal populations from urban areas show significantly higher resilience to stressful environmental conditions. The mussel and crustacean species studied were able to adapt to disturbed environments, making them more resistant to environmental changes such as climate and land-use change.
02/19/2025 - 08:11
Poorer countries want rapid emission cuts and more financial help in face of US leader’s stance on global heating
Developing countries are calling on the rich world to defy the US president, Donald Trump, and bridge the global chasm over climate action, before the goal of limiting global temperatures to safe levels is irretrievably lost.
Diplomats from the developing world are rallying to support Brazil, which will host a crucial climate summit in November, after last year’s talks in Azerbaijan ended in disappointment and acrimony.
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02/19/2025 - 05:30
Seeds from the last toromiro, unique to remote Easter Island, were taken away in the 1960s. Now, after a crucial discovery gave hope for its survival, it is making a return
In the Mataveri Otai nursery on the island of Rapa Nui, Estefany Paté cradles a bag of soil with a 10cm sprout like it is a baby. She caresses its leaves. “It’s been so emotional to have it here,” says Paté, who works for Chile’s National Forest Corporation (CONAF).
“It was here before us; it was here before the moai,” she says, referring to the megalithic statues that dot the island. “It has a sentimental value.”
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02/19/2025 - 05:29
Bank is criticised for pushing climate targets to 2050 and watering down environmental goals
HSBC has been criticised after it delayed key parts of its climate goals by 20 years, while watering down environmental targets in a new long-term bonus plan for its chief executive, Georges Elhedery, that could be worth up to 600% of his salary.
The London-headquartered lender said it was reviewing its net zero emissions policies and targets – which are split between its own operations and those of the clients it finances – after realising its clients and suppliers had “seen more challenges” in cutting their carbon footprint than expected.
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