Spain’s Costa Brava beaches rapidly shrinking as coastal erosion washes away more sand

Spain’s Costa Brava beaches rapidly shrinking as coastal erosion washes away more sand

Looking out onto the beach of Platja d’Aro, Josep has tears in his eyes. “I used to play and swim here as a kid, when the beach was twice as big,” the 48-year-old teacher says. Today, the main beach in the popular Catalonian holiday resort on Spain’s Costa Brava coastline is some 50 metres (164 … Read more

Steel and aluminum CEOs warn of ‘existential threat’ if Canada doesn’t impose tariffs on China

Steel and aluminum CEOs warn of ‘existential threat’ if Canada doesn’t impose tariffs on China

Canada’s steel and aluminum industries are warning they face an “existential threat” if the Trudeau government fails to move in lockstep with the U.S. and Mexico by introducing tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum imports this month. “We can’t be the only CUSMA country that is not taking this serious action for many reasons, but … Read more

Coral reefs are vital lines of defence against hurricanes. But their future is in doubt

Coral reefs are vital lines of defence against hurricanes. But their future is in doubt

The hurricane season is off to a roaring start, with Beryl the earliest Category 5 storm ever to form in the Atlantic Ocean. Beryl has since been downgraded to a Category 4, yet as of Wednesday, it was still expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica. Typically, coral reefs serve as a … Read more

Coastal erosion threatens to wash away D-Day beaches

Coastal erosion threatens to wash away D-Day beaches

Visitors pepper the length of Utah Beach in Normandy, France, some pausing to take photos, others simply staring out across the English Channel.  One passerby in a bright orange windbreaker stops to scoop a handful of sand into a plastic bag and tucks it into his satchel.  “Dad always wanted to come back. He just … Read more

All eyes are on the future of freshwater after a winter of record heat

All eyes are on the future of freshwater after a winter of record heat

Quirks and Quarks19:36Water, water, everywhere. But will we have enough to drink? After a winter that smashed heat records, researchers around the world are taking a close look at how human disturbances and the rapidly changing climate are affecting the world’s freshwater supply. “We’re reducing both water quantity and water quality,” says Katrina Moser, an associate professor … Read more

How beach erosion in US casino city has 3 big gambling resorts begging for sand

How beach erosion in US casino city has 3 big gambling resorts begging for sand

But under the current best-case scenario, new sand won’t be hitting the beaches until late summer, according to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the agency that oversees such projects. Only a narrow strip of sand sits between the ocean waves and the dunes in front of the Ocean Casino Resort. Photo: AP And … Read more

Human-caused climate change fuels hottest February on record, all-time high ocean warming

Human-caused climate change fuels hottest February on record, all-time high ocean warming

For the ninth straight month, Earth has obliterated global heat records — with February, the winter as a whole and the world’s oceans setting new high-temperature marks, according to the European Union climate agency Copernicus. The latest record-breaking in this climate change-fuelled global hot streak includes sea surface temperatures that weren’t just the hottest for … Read more

How artificial intelligence can help beavers fight floods, droughts and wildfires

How artificial intelligence can help beavers fight floods, droughts and wildfires

A few years ago, a couple of Google employees reached out to a Minnesota scientist with an unusual proposal: What if they could teach computers to spot beaver habitats from space?  “They wanted to know if I thought it was possible to find beaver wetlands from aerial imagery myself, and then if that could be … Read more

Local groups say new funding will help promote living shorelines in N.S.

Local groups say new funding will help promote living shorelines in N.S.

The Nova Scotia government has pledged more than $2.4 million to seven community-led projects that focus on living shorelines. Living shorelines are seen as a nature-based way to reduce coastal erosion and flooding caused by climate change. They use natural materials — rocks, plants and sand — to stabilize land along the coast. One group to receive … Read more