News

Almost one-third of the water used in the western United States goes to crops that feed cattle. Eating beef isn’t just bad for the climate.

Scientists have new evidence to explain why plastic is dangerous to sea turtles: the animals mistake the scent of plastic for food. Thus, a plastic bag floating in the sea not only looks like a jellyfish snack, but it gives off a similar odour.

Funding for the Commonwealth Indigenous Ranger Program has been secured until 2028 with the announcement of millions from the Federal Government this week.

Fiji is sold to tourists as the land of white sandy beaches and clear blue waters but a new resort development is threatening the Pacific nation's idyllic image. A Chinese-owned company is building a casino hotel on Malolo Island, near a world-famous surf break.

The roots of NOAA and the formal observation and study of the weather, climate, and oceans in the United States goes back to the early 1800's. However it wasn't until 1970 that NOAA was formally developed and recognized.

The President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly has commended Fiji for its leadership on Oceans issues. Dr Tijjani Muhammad-Bande is on an official visit and says Fiji has been doing a great job.

Scientists have discovered a new species of marine animal in the deepest trench on Earth—a find which might normally be cause for celebration. However, the researchers also identified plastics in its body, highlighting the scale of the global pollution crisis.

Tropical forests are taking up less carbon dioxide from the air, reducing their ability to act as “carbon sinks” and bringing closer the prospect of accelerating climate breakdown.

In 2013, scientists and researchers from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation found the coral reef on the ocean floor in Aitutaki was in crisis. Crown-of-thorns starfish had damaged 80-99 per cent of coral on the seafloor.

Humanity is waking up to the crisis happening in our oceans. Warming and rising seas, acidification, plummeting fish stocks, and pollution are finding more space in newspapers and on political agendas. For small island states such as Palau, however, no such awakening was needed.