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Bird flu detected in alpacas in US for the first time

Cases of bird flu have been detected in alpacas at a US farm, authorities said Tuesday, as the disease spreads widely among dairy cattle and has infected two humans.

EarthCARE satellite launches to probe how clouds affect climate

A rocket carrying a sophisticated satellite blasted off Tuesday from California on a mission to investigate what role clouds could play in the fight against climate change.

US announces 'guardrails' for controversial carbon markets

President Joe Biden's administration announced new "guardrails" to help ensure carbon offset markets are actually effective, in a big boost for the controversy-dogged schemes intended to reduce planet-warming emissions.

Vast concessions threaten Malaysia's forest: report

Vast concessions in Malaysia's forests threaten millions of hectares of rich natural habitats and risk the country's commitment to 50 percent forest cover, a report warned Tuesday.

US to unveil 'guardrails' needed for carbon markets to succeed

President Joe Biden's administration is set Tuesday to unveil "guardrails" it says will ensure that carbon offset markets effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a significant win for advocates of the contentious schemes.

Climate change caused 26 extra days of extreme heat in last year: report

The world experience an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably not have occurred without climate change, a report said on Tuesday.

Indian climber dies after Everest bid, eighth death this season

An Indian climber rescued from Everest has died in hospital, a Nepali tourism official said Tuesday, taking the number of fatalities this season on the world's highest mountain to eight.

Indian climber dies in Everest bid to take toll to eight this season

An Indian climber rescued from Everest has died in hospital, a Nepali tourism official said Tuesday, taking the number of fatalities this season on the world's highest mountain to eight.

Deforestation in Brazil's Cerrado higher than in Amazon: report

Deforestation in Brazil's Cerrado region, a vast tropical savanna renowned for its rich biodiversity, increased sharply in 2023 and overtook that of the Amazon, according to a report published Tuesday.

Deadly Bangladesh cyclone one of longest seen

Bangladeshi weather experts said Tuesday that a deadly cyclone that carved a swathe of destruction was one of the quickest-forming and longest-lasting they'd experienced, blaming climate change for the shift.

Deadly Bangaldesh cyclone one of longest seen

Bangladeshi weather experts said Tuesday that a deadly cyclone that carved a swathe of destruction was one of the quickest-forming and longest-lasting they'd experienced, blaming climate change for the shift.

Philippines deploys river rangers in battle against plastic

Using a long-handled net, Ronnel Narvas scoops up discarded plastic soft drink bottles, shopping bags and palm-sized sachets as he wades through a foul-smelling tributary in the Philippine capital Manila.

Sixteen dead after cyclone batters Bangladesh and India

Millions of people in low-lying areas of Bangladesh and India on Monday surveyed the tangled wreckage left by a powerful cyclone that killed at least 16 people, destroyed thousands of homes, smashed seawalls and flooded cities.

World's island states meet to confront climate, fiscal challenges

Extremely vulnerable to climate change, not rich enough to stop it on their own, and not poor enough to depend on aid and development financing: the world's small island countries are bracing for both fiscal and climate shocks.

800,000 seek shelter as Bangladesh braces for cyclone

At least 800,000 Bangladeshis fled their coastal villages Sunday for concrete storm shelters further inland as the low-lying nation prepared for crashing waves when a cyclone makes landfall, top government disaster officials said.

Estanguet and protestors give Olympic surfing judges' tower thumbs-up

Paris Olympics chief organiser Tony Estanguet told AFP he was delighted with the controversial aluminium judges' tower for the surfing event in Tahiti and said Games organisers had "listened to the concerns" regarding its construction by modifying it.

Life in water and mud: Colombians fed up with constant flooding

The Berrio family moves around their home on raised planks, upon which their beds and furniture have been raised, to avoid the knee-high, murky waters that have invaded their modest brick house.

Chile firefighter accused in February blaze that killed 137

A firefighter was arrested Friday in Chile on suspicion of starting a blaze in February that killed 137 people in the resort city of Vina del Mar, authorities said.

Defying protests, TotalEnergies says seeking new oil fields

The boss of TotalEnergies told shareholders Friday the French energy giant needed to develop new oil fields to meet global demand, as their AGM was picketed by climate activists.

Culling controversy as French wolf population falls in 2023

The estimated number of wolves in France last year was 1,003, down nine percent from the year before, environmental associations said Thursday, urging the French government to lower its quota for the number of the animals which can be killed each year.

Everest? All in a day's work for record climber Kami Rita Sherpa

Scaling the world's highest peak is all in a day's work for 54-year-old Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa, a man breezily modest about having set foot on the summit of Everest more times than any other person.

US to sell off strategic gasoline reserves in northeast

The US Department of Energy announced Tuesday that it will sell off a million barrels of gasoline from a small strategic reserve in the northeast, paving the way for its closure.

NGOs seek climate trial of French oil giant TotalEnergies

NGOs filed a criminal complaint against French oil giant TotalEnergies and its top shareholders in Paris on Tuesday, seeking a trial for involuntary manslaughter and other consequences of climate change "chaos".

Demise of rangelands 'severely underestimated': report

From camel drivers in the Sahara to nomads on the Mongolian steppe, traditional herders the world over rely on earth's wildest open spaces to support an ancient way of life.

In Darwin's footsteps: scientists recreate historic 1830s expedition

Like Charles Darwin did in 1831, a group of scientists and environmentalists last year set sail from the English port of Plymouth, headed for the Galapagos islands off the coast of Ecuador.

Brazil mayor's mammoth task: rebuild from floods, prevent more

With his Brazilian city deep in brown floodwaters for the past three weeks, the mayor of Porto Alegre faces a herculean challenge: rebuild from the disaster while racing against the clock to prevent new ones.

Controversial floating beach unveiled off French Riviera

A controversial private floating beach anchored off the French Riviera has entered service despite opposition from local politicians and environmental groups, its backers said on Friday.

Weather eases Canadian oil sands city wildfire menace

Rain and cooler weather have halted the advance of a huge wildfire threatening the Canadian city of Fort McMurray in a major oil-producing region, officials said Thursday.

New Canadian firefighters train for brutal fire season

Being a forest firefighter in Canada means knowing how to handle a water mist lance but also pumps and axes: in Quebec as in the other provinces, hundreds of new recruits are training to beat down blazes ahead of another possibly harsh wildfire season.

Wildfire closes in on Canadian oil sands city

A wildfire in Canada's major oil-producing region doubled in size as it drew closer to the city of Fort McMurray on Wednesday, but officials were hopeful shifting winds could soon push it away.

Raw sewage pumped into England's largest lake due to fault

Raw sewage was pumped into Windermere, England's largest and best-known lake, over a 10-hour period after a fault caused pumps to stop working, according to documents seen by the BBC and reported Wednesday.

Canadian oil sands city evacuated as wildfire draws near

Thousands of residents of Fort McMurray, a city in Canada's major oil-producing region, fled as an out-of-control wildfire drew near and thick smoke filled the skies.

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