Latest news with #theSea
India Today
6 days ago
- Science
- India Today
An underwater graveyard: Great Barrier Reef dying from biggest bleaching event
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is undergoing its fifth mass coral bleaching event since 2016, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). The report highlights the growing impact of recurrent bleaching events on coral health, particularly in data reveals that coral cover in both the northern and southern regions has declined by between 25% and 33% — the steepest annual drop recorded in the 39 years since monitoring Is Coral Bleaching?Corals share a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae known as zooxanthellae, which live within their tissues. These algae provide corals with nutrients and their vibrant colours. However, when corals are stressed, most commonly due to increased sea temperatures, the algae die off, causing the corals to lose their colour and exposing their white skeletons. This process is known as coral Causes Coral Bleaching?The leading cause of coral bleaching is elevated sea surface temperatures. Even a one-degree Celsius increase can trigger bleaching by driving away the algae. In recent years, marine heatwaves have tripled, and global temperatures have consistently broken historical records, exacerbating stress on coral contributing factors include:Pollution and runoffIncreased ultraviolet (UV) radiationPoor water qualityThese stressors, in combination with warming seas, heighten the vulnerability of coral reefs and Economic ImpactsThe loss of coral reefs has serious environmental and socio-economic consequences. Corals serve as natural barriers, protecting coastal communities from storm surges and erosion. They also provide critical habitat for marine biodiversity. Around 25% of all marine species depend on coral decline disrupts fish populations, affecting their reproductive cycles and survival. This has a cascading effect on the entire food web, potentially destabilising marine reef degradation threatens tourism revenue and jeopardises the livelihoods of millions who depend on fishing and related Coral Reefs Recover?Yes. Bleached corals are not necessarily environmental conditions improve in time, reefs can recover. Restoration efforts, combined with meaningful action to curb global warming, can give corals a fighting referred to as the "Rainforests of the Sea," coral reefs occupy just 1% of the ocean floor but support one-quarter of all marine life. Their survival must be prioritised in climate negotiations.A cooperative global approach is essential, one that includes increased funding for reef restoration, timely climate action, and international commitments to lower emissions.- EndsTrending Reel
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez wedding: I am ashamed, we will have to ....; says Venice Mayor as protesters target Amazon founder's wedding
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez first met in 2016 at an Amazon Studios party for Manchester by the Sea The upcoming wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Venice has polarized the city, with some residents protesting the event while others, including city officials, embrace it. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro expressed strong support for the couple, stating, 'I want Jeff Bezos to be welcomed with open arms in Venice. Protesting against those who bring visibility and wealth to our territory is, in my opinion, a disgrace.' Brugnaro, speaking to reporters on Friday, added, 'We will have to apologize to Bezos. I am ashamed of those who behave like this. I hope that Bezos comes anyway. Not all Venetians think like these protesters," he told protestors. At the Biennale of Architecture, a staple Venice event, sentiments aligned more with city officials. Görge Meyer, a visitor from Berlin, told CNN, 'It seems ridiculous that a city that lives off tourism like Venice wouldn't want an event like this, which will employ hundreds of people from waiters to water taxi drivers. All the guests and journalists will be staying at hotels, eating at restaurants and spending money.' Gillian Longworth McGuire, an American travel writer living in Venice, noted the city's historical allure for high-profile weddings, saying, 'Venice just doesn't have a clear idea of what it is supposed to be sometimes. Is it a magical place carved out of a lagoon, built by merchants and fishermen, or a bachelorette party and mega wedding venue? The ethos of this city was always that it was the crossroads of culture and the world.' Some locals bitter over Venice wedding However, not all residents are welcoming. The 'No Space for Bezos' collective hung a banner with an X over Bezos's name on a belltower overlooking the Venice lagoon, which was removed Thursday. The group declared on Facebook, 'He's not welcome, not in Venice, not anywhere!' highlighting local resentment toward the event. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Irish Examiner
05-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Myrtleville's €1.4m contemporary home Stella Maris is stellar indeed
ARCHITECT-designed to visually conceal its size and scale, and also to make it look like it might have been an older dwelling which grew over time, Stella Maris is, as the name suggests, a star property by the sea. Vista beyond The contemporary build, in a 'broken plan' in two linked sections, is up on a height above Myrtleville, just outside the mouth of Cork harbour, with a sweep of panoramic views of land, sea, and of mushrooming homes in the cleft running down to the beach between Pine Lodge and the former Bunny's at Myrtleville, and also straight out to sea. It was built in 2008 by a couple with a young family, coming back to Cork from a decade of living in the UK, lured by the appeal of a life by the sea, with all-essential ocean vista, yet near schools and services. It's quite likely the next occupants of Stella Maris ('Star of the Sea') will be similar: They'll prize the setting, the views, the proximity to beaches, the many access points from inside to outdoors, the contemporary design, and the standard of finish. The only question is will they come from the UK, from elsewhere overseas, from up country, Cork City, or be traders up from Crosshaven? All will be revealed in the coming weeks, as Stella Maris arrives for sale and for summer 2025 viewings. Stella Maris is listed with a €1.4m AMV, with agents Stuart O'Grady and Ann O'Mahony, of Sherry FitzGerald, who describe the layout as a bit unconventional, but dictated by the site and the chance to grasp the most of the elevated coastal vistas beyond. It's one of a handful of homes in the wider Crosshaven district launched at €1m+, coming on the back of a real rise in values and prices paid for better stock out this neck of the wood, with those all-important water vistas. Back three years ago, Sherry FitzGerald got €1.275m for a contemporary home near here, called Nirvana. Now, they have good early interest in a recent, substantial Crosshaven bungalow listing, called Winfield, guiding at €1.3m (it featured here within the last month) and have just gone 'sale agreed' on a former rectory-style, 1,700 sq ft period home at Fennell's Bay, called Fairview, for €836,000, or above its €730,000 AMV or guide price. Today's Stella Maris replaces an older, previous dormer dwelling on this plot, demolished to make way for this for more substantial family home, with design by architect Peter Stacey, of RORSA. At the time, that RORSA practice was updating Cork County Council's Rural Design Guide, and hence had an idea on just how to get a home of scale in what otherwise might be seen as a prominent, elevated spot. The key was reducing the bulk by breaking up the building mass in to sections, in this case a two-storey, rear-bedroom wing with gable facing the road, linking via the central connecting hall to the wedge-shaped and angular family television room to a large, day-use main living, dining, and family room and kitchen, under a tall, monopitch roof, just recently redone in standing seam zinc. First floor terrace/balcony by main bedroom suite That (costly) zinc roof, unusually, can be appreciated from a height, as a roof terrace has been created on the mid-ship link section (pic, above), accessed from the first floor's main en-suite bedroom, and from a first-floor office/option further bedroom. Main bedroom's private en suite The principal bedroom is luxurious, with large private bathroom with double shower, plus deep bath for soaks by an internal window divide to the bedroom (with Venetian slatted blinds), and has water and shipping views when standing up, while a bespoke timber storage unit at the end of the bed conceals a pop-up television screen. Main bedroom There's a lovely sense of 'remove' to these upstairs rooms, almost luxurious and apartment-like in feel (an external staircase could make it almost self-contained). The balcony/terrace is a prime lookout spot, over the sloping roof line above Myrtleville's myriad and scattered house forms down to the sea and to Bunny's above the western shoreline (soon to revert to private-house use, after decades in the hospitality sector.) Stand up, and you see all, sit down, and you are a lot more sheltered from the wind. In the two-storey rear section are three bedrooms, one of them en suite, and all have glazed door access to the front garden/patio, and all have a water view/glimpse. There's also patio access from the mid-section family/television room, via a large sliding door in a largely-glazed end wall, with a further large slider in the ground-floor lounge/home office/gym/play room off the kitchen at the eastern end of this c 60' long front section. Family living area has patio access This front kitchen/dining/living wing has the best of the views from inside, with an extensively glazed front façade, with slider in the step-down family section at the western end. There's a pair of sliders in the more fully glazed dining mid-section, and a tall, fixed window just on the entry point to the multi-use end room. The kitchen, unsurprisingly, is high-end, with a bank of ovens and integrated coffee maker in pale or baby blue-faced units, topped with dark granite, from long-established French company Schmidt, who had strong Munster sales in the 2000s, with a hub in a peninsula/breakfast bar/room divide section. Flooring is pale or light oak, in wide plank boards and other internal joinery, is oak also, keeping an overall low-key aesthetic, allowing art and feature lighting to shine. The main family living space moves the feel of this already airy space from double aspect to triple aspect, down three steps from the dining/kitchen, with green plant screen 'baluster' divide, and with a large wood-burning stove in the gable, and has sliding patio door access to a sandstone patio. There are several sit-out/patio options, for different times of the day and sun tracking/wind shunning. Sherry FitzGerald's Ann O'Mahony and Stuart O'Grady say their downsizing vendor's family home has been very well-maintained, since construction in 2008, and is bright, has views from just about every room, lots of storage and bedroom/day room options, with an abundance of space, on 0.4-acre site, within a walk of the beach at Myrtleville and close to services, shops, and schools at Crosshaven, within a commute of Cork and airport. VERDICT: The €1.4m price tag puts Stella Maris in a quite rarified price league (are there more €1m+ priced homes in the wider Cork market this year that ever before?), but as combined package is going to see competitive bidding to land it for the next, fortunate owners.
Scoop
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
EDS Report Highlights Urgent Need To Get On With MPA Reform
The Environmental Defence Society today released a working paper on marine protected areas (MPA) setting out how progress can be made to better protect the country's rich marine biodiversity and help secure broader oceanic health. The report, titled Protecting the Sea: Rethinking Marine Protected Areas, is co-authored by Raewyn Peart and Deidre-Koolen-Bourke. 'New Zealand is far behind international best practice for MPA legislation and practice and is far from meeting its international biodiversity obligations,' said EDS Policy Director Raewyn Peart. 'At the same time, the degradation of our marine environments is escalating. The current MPA system has long not been fit-for purpose and there is strong consensus around the need for change. 'The working paper draws on an extensive literature review, MPA debates in Parliament, submissions made on various MPA initiatives, and interviews with a range of interested parties. In total, we spoke to 28 people from the commercial fishing, recreational fishing, environmental NGO, iwi, science, law and government sectors. 'This included several former Ministers of Conservation who sought to progress MPA legislative reform. There have been three attempts to reform the now very dated Marine Reserves Act 1971, none which reached fruition. 'This research enabled us to identify a number of contentious issues that have hindered MPA reform in the past, as well as topics on which there is broad consensus and can be built on. 'Our research made it clear that, overall, the greatest progress on MPAs has been made through collaborative processes. New Zealand has very rich experience in this area to build on. 'We have recommended developing a new Marine Protected Areas Act which: Provides a clear overall purpose for marine protection Ensures MPAs are well designed Provides a range of spatial protection tools Uses collaborative processes to design MPA networks Addresses impacts on fisheries Addresses Treaty rights and interests Builds in flexibility Ensures effective and active MPA management Ensures adequate resourcing. 'The new legislation should also provide for the development of an updated MPA Policy and a focused MPA Action Plan setting out priorities for spatial marine protection around the country. 'We note that National Party policy for the 2023 general election included a commitment to update the Marine Reserves Act. We want to see progress on meeting this commitment in the current term of government. 'We will be discussing these issues further at EDS's Oceans Symposium in Auckland on 12 May. 'There is no time to waste if we are to retain our unique indigenous marine biodiversity and rebuild healthy marine systems. 'Therefore, while progressing MPA legislative reform we need to simply get on with the job. For this reason, we have also recommended establishing further collaborative marine planning processes without delay,' concluded Ms Peart. Environmental Defence Society EDS speaks for the environment. It has influence. Since 1971, EDS has been driving environmental protection in Aotearoa New Zealand through law and policy change. That's why it's one of this country's most influential non- profit organisations when it comes to achieving better environmental outcomes. EDS has expertise in key disciplines including law, planning, landscape and science. It operates as a policy think-tank, a litigation advocate, and a collaborator – bringing together the private and public sectors for constructive engagement. EDS runs conferences and seminars on topical issues, including an annual Environmental Summit and the Climate Change and Business Conference. EDS is a registered charity and donations to it are tax-deductible.
Business Journals
28-04-2025
- Business Journals
Filing anticipates sale of Honolulu restaurant 53 By The Sea
Diamond Head, as seen in this file photo, is part of the sweeping waterfront view visible from 53 by the Sea restaurant in Kakaako makai.
