Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – a weekly roundup of marine conservation news and updates. Expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.
Let’s dive in 🐬
Ocean news
🗞️ Big news of the week -
🌡️ Global temperature is likely to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial level temporarily in next 5 years
“There is an 80% likelihood that the annual average global temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the next five years.”
🌊 Oceans face ‘triple threat’ of extreme heat, oxygen loss and acidification
“Third of world’s ocean surface particularly vulnerable to threats driven by burning fossil fuel and deforestation, new research finds.”
🇧🇷 A Brazilian city restores its mangroves to protect against climate change
“A broad coalition of organizations is working to conserve and restore mangroves in the Greater Florianópolis area on Brazil’s southern Atlantic coast.”
🔥 World hits streak of record temperatures as UN warns of 'climate hell'
“Each of the past 12 months ranked as the warmest on record in year-on-year comparisons, the EU's climate change monitoring service said.”
🚣♀️ Vet to row round coastline for plastics research
“A Surrey vet is to collect data on microplastic pollution as part of a team rowing around the British coastline.”
🪧 Meet the new generation of eco-activists running in the EU elections
“A generation of young Europeans that became activists while still at school is now of age to take up positions in political office.”
🦈 Tiger shark regurgitates whole echidna, leaving Australian scientists ‘stunned’
“Mammal was likely swimming between Queensland islands when it ‘just got unlucky and got snapped’ – spikes and all – in apparent world-first.”
🇲🇽 Can Mexico's Sheinbaum, a climate scientist, shake Lopez Obrador's oil legacy?
“Mexico's President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, an accomplished climate scientist, could struggle to fulfil her environmental pledges after she sailed to victory.”
🎣 Indonesian fishers mount a community-led fight against destructive fishing
“In coastal communities across Indonesia, local fishers are pushing back against destructive and illegal fishing methods by organising into volunteer patrol groups.”
🌊 Shape and depth of ocean floor profoundly influence how carbon is stored there
“The movement of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans and continents—the carbon cycle—is a fundamental process that regulates Earth's climate.”
🗞️ Nearly half of journalists covering climate crisis globally received threats for their work
“Groundbreaking new research also reports that 11% of surveyed have faced physical violence in their reporting.”
💧 Climate change made devastating Brazil floods twice as likely, scientists say
“Climate change made the recent flooding that devastated southern Brazil twice as likely and the heavy rains were intensified by the natural El Nino phenomenon.”
🏝️ ‘The sea is sinking the island little by little’: Coastal community evacuated due to sea level rise
“Experts say this 'direct consequence of climate change' will affect all coastal communities at different speeds.”
🏞️ Restoring Indigenous aquaculture heals both ecosystems and communities in Hawai‘i
“The loko i’a system of native fishponds in Hawai‘i has for generations provided sustenance to Indigenous communities, supported fish populations in surrounding waters, and generally improved water quality.”
🐬 Dolphins vs fishers: both are the losers in the Mediterranean seas off Morocco
“In the last two decades, seine fishing has become more difficult as bottlenose dolphins attack the catch and pierce the nets, which extend like a wall into the sea.”
🦈 “‘Where do sharks hang out?’: the race to find safe spaces for the Galápagos’ ocean-going predators”
“Scientists are tagging sharks to map Pacific migration routes in a bid to expand marine reserves before more of these endangered species fall prey to illegal industrial fishing.”
🗣️ ‘Godfathers of climate chaos’: UN chief calls for ban on fossil fuel ads
“Antonio Guterres urges a 30 percent cut in global fossil fuel production and use by 2030 amid record high temperatures.”
🧊 Warm water is sneaking underneath the Thwaites Glacier — and rapidly melting it
“These incursions, driven by tides, could amplify the retreat of Antarctic ice.”
🧫 Study identifies fungus that breaks down ocean plastic
“A fungus living in the sea can break down the plastic polyethylene, provided it has first been exposed to UV radiation from sunlight.”
🇮🇩 Unrest and arrests in Sumatra as community fights to protect mangroves
“Police in Indonesia’s Langkat district, North Sumatra province, arrested three people in April and May over alleged criminal damage linked to a conflict over a local mangrove forest.”
🇨🇱 In pictures: Chileans transform discarded hair into coastal clean-up tool
“Matter of Trust Chile uses human and animal hair to make tools that leverage hair's natural absorbent qualities to clean local waterways of oils, heavy metals and bacteria.”
🇵🇪 Peru approves the creation of long-awaited marine protected area
“Experts have called the creation of the Grau Tropical Sea National Reserve, which took more than 10 years to be approved, a milestone as it is rich in biodiversity.”
☀️ How animals are changing to cope with stronger heatwaves
“Species are at the mercy of the elements and must rely on the adaptations they have inherited over millions of years of evolution to survive.”
🏊♀️ Bids for bathing water status in England paused in blow for river cleanups
“Campaigners suspect block on new applications for at least two years was imposed to limit burden on water firms.”
“I attended the annual conference with the peak group for scientists working in all branches of weather and climate research in attendance. Over the past decade, the mood of our gatherings has become increasingly sombre.”
🏝️ As seas rise, the relocation of Caribbean islanders has begun
“The government-managed movement of 300 families from the island of Gardi Sugdub is a test case for “planned retreat” in Latin America.”
🎬 The Day After Tomorrow at 20: a strangely prescient ecological warning
“The disaster flick is riddled with inaccuracies, cliches and gusts of machismo. But with its global climate catastrophe, it feels more relevant than ever.”
🎨 Ocean Artwork
📣 The sea belongs to us: Stories from Thailand’s Ocean Defenders - Stories
📚 What the wild sea can be: The future of the worlds ocean by Helen Scales - Book
Have a great weekend! 📸
Cover image by Pia Harboure
Every point is so important.