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'Existential challenge': plastic pollution treaty talks begin

A final round of talks on a treaty to end plastic pollution opened on Monday, with the diplomat chairing the difficult negotiations urging nations to "meet an existential challenge."

Climate finance's 'new era' shows new political realities

Rich countries' promise of $300 billion a year in climate finance brought fury at talks in Baku from poor nations that found it too paltry, but it also shows a shift in global political realities.

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Hope for Mekong dolphins as Cambodia numbers increase: minister

The number of Mekong dolphins has risen to more than 100 in Cambodia, the agriculture minister said Monday, raising a glimmer of hope for the endangered mammals.

Caribbean braces for powerful Hurricane Beryl

Hurricane Beryl plowed toward the southeast Caribbean late Sunday as officials warned residents to seek shelter ahead of powerful winds and swells expected to arrive overnight from the Category 4 storm -- the first ever recorded in June.

Caribbean braces as Beryl strengthens to 'extremely dangerous' Category 4 hurricane

Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, strengthened into an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm Sunday as it threatened the southeast Caribbean with potentially life-threatening winds and storm surge, US trackers said.

Caribbean braces as Hurricane Beryl strengthens to 'very dangerous' storm

Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, strengthened into a "very dangerous" Category 3 storm Sunday morning as it threatened the southeast Caribbean with potential life-threatening winds and storm surge, US forecasters said.

Caribbean braces for 'extremely dangerous' Hurricane Beryl

Much of the southeast Caribbean was on alert Sunday as Beryl strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, with forecasters warning of an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm.

Hurricane Beryl, first of 2024 season, bears down on Caribbean

Much of the southeast Caribbean was on alert late Saturday as Beryl strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, with forecasters warning it will swiftly become a major storm.

Caribbean on alert for Hurricane Beryl, first of 2024 season

Much of the southeast Caribbean was on alert Saturday as Beryl strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, with forecasters warning it will swiftly become a major storm.

Caribbean on alert as Beryl set to become major hurricane

Much of the southeast Caribbean went on alert Saturday as forecasters projected Tropical Storm Beryl would rapidly strengthen over the next 24-48 hours to become the year's first hurricane.

Nigerians strive to bring mangrove forests back to life

On a riverbank in the Niger Delta, a group of residents in rubber boots has been working to restore one of Nigeria's most precious and damaged ecosystems -- its mangrove forests.

E.coli warning before UK's Henley regatta

UK water quality campaigners warned on Friday of "very high E.coli" levels in the River Thames west of London, just days before rowers were due to take part in the Henley Royal Regatta.

'Not crazy to be optimistic' on climate tech, Gates tells investors

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Thursday urged investors to get behind cutting-edge climate technologies he says would drive a "green industrial revolution" and a next wave of global prosperity.

Woman firefighter on Brazil frontline after 2020 flames took her baby

Debora dos Santos Avila used to resent firefighters for the death of her five-month-old baby in 2020, when she says he succumbed to smoke inhalation from worst-ever flames in Brazil's Pantanal.

'Stress test': Olive oil producers adapt to climate change

Olive oil producers are improving irrigation and seeking new varieties of olives to safeguard production as climate change upends harvests, causing prices of the staple of the Mediterranean diet to soar.

Climate lawsuits against companies on the rise: report

Companies worldwide have faced mounting legal pressure to reduce their impact on global warming as activists use litigation to fight climate change, according to a new report Thursday.

In Aberdeen, climate and energy take centre stage in UK election

In Europe's oil and gas "capital", Aberdeen, voters are apprehensive about Labour's plans for combatting climate change if the opposition party wins next month's UK general election as expected.

Climate protesters target UK's ruling Tories for second day running

Demonstrators targeted the general election campaign of the UK's ruling Conservatives again Wednesday, with a Greenpeace activist climbing atop the party's "battle bus" to unfurl a banner demanding clean energy.

NGO denounces rising air freight pollution

An environmental pressure group denounced Wednesday the rising emissions of the air freight industry, which has been boosted by global supply chain difficulties and rising online commerce.

First radioactive rhino horns to curb poaching in S.Africa

South African scientists on Tuesday injected radioactive material into live rhino horns to make them easier to detect at border posts in a pioneering project aimed at curbing poaching.

VW to invest $5 bn in EV maker Rivian, establishing joint venture

German auto giant Volkswagen will invest $5 billion in US electric vehicle maker Rivian and create a joint venture expected to produce technology used by both automakers, the companies announced Tuesday.

Serbia prepared to make compromises with Kosovo: PM

Serbia's new government is prepared to make "compromises" over Kosovo, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic told AFP during a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday.

'Urgent' for Australia to protect Great Barrier Reef: UNESCO

Australia must take "urgent" action to protect the Great Barrier Reef, including setting more ambitious climate targets, the UN's cultural organisation has warned.

Sunbed wars: Greece tries to rein in beach chaos

The waves of the Aegean Sea lap gently at the tables and chairs of two beach restaurants on Greece's Halkidiki peninsula.

Italy's Capri lifts tourist ban as water shortage resolved

The Italian island of Capri lifted a ban on tourists Saturday after problems with the water supply to the holiday hotspot were resolved.

Hawaii agrees to 'historic' settlement in youth climate case

The US state of Hawaii has reached an historic agreement in response to litigation by youth activists, promising to speed up the de-carbonization of its transport sector to protect their right to a safe and healthy climate.

Hajj death toll tops 1,000 after extreme heat: AFP tally

The death toll from this year's hajj has exceeded 1,000, an AFP tally said Thursday, more than half unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia.

UK inflation slows to central bank's 2% target

British inflation slowed in May to the central bank's two-percent target, official data showed Wednesday, boosting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's struggling election campaign.

Power demand peaks in northern India heatwave

Searing heatwave temperatures in northern India pushed power demand to a record high, the government said Tuesday, with residents of the capital New Delhi also struggling with water shortages.

Pressure on cholera vaccine stocks 'decreasing': Gavi alliance

A resurgence of cholera across Africa has driven an urgent need for more vaccine doses, but stock shortages have hampered the fight against the increasing outbreaks of the deadly disease.

Lula calls for 'agility' in combatting Amazon deforestation crime

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for flexibility and speed in combatting criminal organizations that are deforesting the Amazon, as he signed a measure Monday to expand security in the region.

California blaze raises fears for dangerous wildfire season

California firefighters on Monday tackled the state's biggest blaze of the year so far, as fears intensify over ominous conditions forecast for the hot, dry months ahead.

Austria's support gets EU biodiversity law over the line

EU member countries on Monday gave final approval to a key biodiversity measure, a bloc-wide nature restoration law, after Austria's climate minister defied her chancellor to back it.

Illegal gold mining eats into Peruvian Amazon

On the banks of the Madre de Dios river, dredges work day and night in search of gold, part of a scourge of illegal mining that is slowly devouring the Peruvian Amazon.

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