Water & Oceans

"New analysis of Environment Agency data by Lib Dems shows more than 100 systems are faulty"

"An increasing number of sewage monitors in England’s swimming spots are broken, new analysis has shown, meaning unknown quantities of raw sewage may be present in bathing waters.

New analysis of 2022 Environment Agency data by the Liberal Democrats has shown that more than 100 sewage monitors in bathing waters were faulty. This is an increase on 2021, when 88 of the monitors were broken.

"When the chemical giant 3M agreed in early June to pay up to $12.5bn to settle a lawsuit over PFAS contamination in water systems across the nation, it was hailed by attorneys as “the largest drinking water settlement in American history”, and viewed as a significant win for the public in the battle against toxic “forever chemicals”.

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken the first steps toward revoking Alabama’s coal ash permitting plan, saying the state’s plan does not do enough to protect rivers and drinking water from toxins."

"Wetlands and waterways in national parks, monuments, forests and other federal public lands are newly vulnerable to pollution and development in the wake of the Supreme Court’s May ruling in Sackett v. EPA, natural resources attorneys say."

"It’s winter in Antarctica, when sea ice cover typically grows. But this year’s sea ice is way behind, reaching record lows with implications for the planet."

"China’s capital has recorded its heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years over the past few days after being deluged with heavy rains from the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri."

"A timber sale looms over hiking trails, a nearby city’s water supply, and already-vulnerable salmon and orca populations."

"When China banned plastic waste imports in 2018, exporters in wealthy countries targeted other developing nations. Faced with an unending stream of unrecyclable waste, Indonesia has tightened its regulations and has begun to make progress in stemming the plastics flow."

"Dune Lankard piloted the gleaming gill-net fishing boat to Simpson Bay, where eight buoys bobbed in the sunlight. The bright orange inflatables, connected by lines and spread out across five acres, provided the only indication of the ocean farm that lay beneath the water’s surface."

"For the Aleut community of St. Paul, Alaska, the loss of snow crabs is rippling through the economy and raising concerns about the future."