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Plastic pollution talks must not fail: UN environment chief

Talks to agree the world's first treaty to curb plastic pollution cannot fail and must tackle both production and consumption, the UN's environment chief told AFP on Monday.

Indian author Ghosh wins top Dutch prize

Acclaimed Indian author Amitav Ghosh has won the coveted Dutch Erasmus Prize for his writings on climate change and its impact on humanity, especially on the Indian subcontinent.

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Despite gains in Brazil, forest destruction still 'stubbornly' high: report

The world lost 10 football fields of old-growth tropical forest every minute in 2023 and despite uplifting progress in the Amazon, the picture elsewhere is less rosy, researchers said on Thursday.

EU probes Chinese-owned solar panel firms over subsidies

The European Union on Wednesday announced investigations targeting two Chinese-owned solar panel manufacturers suspected of receiving subsidies as trade tensions heat up between Brussels and Beijing.

From polar bears to groundwater, nature is riddled with 'forever chemicals'

They didn't exist a century ago but today PFAS "forever chemicals" contaminate the environment from groundwater to Antarctic snow to turtle eggs, and concern over their possible toxicity is growing.

Tesla reports drop in auto sales, while Toyota sees US surge

Tesla reported sharply lower first-quarter auto sales on Tuesday amid an underwhelming demand outlook for electric vehicles, while legacy players including Toyota rode improved US inventories to higher sales.

Canada's Trudeau on back foot over carbon tax

Polluters should pay up, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insists. But pressure is mounting to scrap his signature climate policy, a federal levy on CO2 emissions, as ordinary Canadians see the law increase their own cost of living.

In Canada's Quebec, residents miffed over mining boom

Canada's Quebec province is rich with minerals needed for everything from electric cars to cell phones, but residents living atop the potential windfall are worried their backyards will be dug up -- and they won't get a dime.

UK's biggest water supplier plunges into deeper financial crisis

Debt-plagued Thames Water has failed to raise a major cash injection from shareholders, it revealed Thursday, blaming industry regulations that made its rescue plan "uninvestable".

What do scientists hope to learn from total solar eclipse in US?

When a rare total solar eclipse sweeps across North America on April 8, scientists will be able to gather invaluable data on everything from the Sun's atmosphere to strange animal behaviors -- and even possible effects on humans.

Financial crisis at UK's biggest water supplier worsens

Debt-plagued Thames Water revealed Thursday that it failed to raise a major cash injection from shareholders, blaming industry regulations that made its rescue plan "uninvestable".

New Zealand's Maori King calls for whales to be given personhood

The King of New Zealand's Indigenous Maori people made an impassioned call Thursday for whales to be granted the same legal rights as people in a bid to protect the hallowed yet vulnerable species.

Saudi Aramco CEO calls energy transition strategy a failure

Pointing to the still paltry share of renewable energy in global supply, the head of Saudi Aramco described the current energy transition strategy as a misguided failure on Monday.

Sweden aims to boost plastic recycling with giant plant

Discarded crisp bags, ketchup bottles and Tupperware containers speed along conveyer belts at a massive high-tech sorting plant dubbed "Site Zero", which Sweden hopes will revolutionise its plastic recycling.

Israel's war budget leaves top scientists in limbo

Israeli scientist Ellen Graber has spent years researching ways to save chocolate crops from climate change. But with the government slashing spending to fund the war in Gaza, her project is one of hundreds now hanging in the balance.

Australia battles to save last 11 wild 'earless dragons'

Australia's grassland earless dragon is no bigger than a pinkie when it emerges from its shell, but the little lizard faces an enormous challenge in the years ahead: avoiding extinction.

Plastic 'interceptor' tackles trash in Bangkok river

Black flies exploded into the air as plastic waste fell from bamboo conveyor belts into skips on a solar-powered barge attempting to remove rubbish from the main river of Thailand's capital Bangkok.

Planting trees in wrong places heats the planet: study

Planting trees in the wrong places can actually contribute to global warming, scientists said on Tuesday, but a new map identifies the best locations to regrow forests and cool the planet.

Indonesia hunts clues as study suggests Javan tiger may still exist

Indonesia is hunting for more clues that the extinct Javan tiger may still exist in the wild, a government official said Tuesday, after a new study suggested links between a DNA-tested hair and the big cat.

Sixteen bear cubs rescued from home in Laos

Sixteen undernourished Asiatic black bear cubs have been found in a home in Laos capital Vientiane by a conservation charity, the largest rescue of the year.

Rights court condemns Peru over one of world's most polluted towns

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights said Friday that Peru had violated residents' "right to live in a healthy environment" in an Andean mining town that is considered one of the most polluted places on earth.

'Good boy!' Dogs do understand us, says new study

Whether dogs truly understand the words we say -- as opposed to things like tone and context clues -- is a question that has long perplexed owners, and so far science hasn't been able to deliver clear answers.

UN warns against thirsty tech to solve water crisis

The world needs to better manage its freshwater resources but thirsty new technologies touted as solutions could lead to "serious problems" if left unchecked, a UN report warned Friday.

Global sea level jumped due to El Nino and climate change: NASA

Global average sea level rose by about 0.3 inches (0.76 centimeters) from 2022 to 2023 -- nearly four times the increase of the previous year -- NASA said Thursday, attributing the "significant jump" to a strong El Nino and a warming climate.

Climate change hits Washington's beloved cherry blossom festival

It is one of the prettier fixtures of spring in Washington: thousands of cherry trees bloom amid the city's stately monuments in a spectacle that draws more than a million visitors every year.

Climate urgency takes back seat in Senegal election

Surrounded by lush mangrove forests, Julien Arfang Diatta shows the flooded road leading to his village on Senegal's tiny island of Kailo.

Top French court studies fate of 'Europe's largest' hippo Jumbo

France's top administrative court is to decide if a three-tonne hippopotamus called Jumbo should be freed after decades working as "the largest hippo in Europe" for a family circus.

Biden admin unveils strict auto standards to speed electric shift

President Joe Biden's administration announced Wednesday revised pollution standards for cars and trucks meant to accelerate the US auto industry's shift to electric to mitigate climate change.

Vietnam farmers struggle for fresh water as drought brings salinisation

Every day, farmer Nguyen Hoai Thuong prays in vain for rain to fall on the cracked dry earth of her garden in Vietnam's Mekong Delta -- the country's "rice bowl" agricultural heartland.

European plastics industry 'in trouble' as market share falls

Europe's share of global plastics production has fallen while China's output now accounts for a third, an industry report showed Tuesday.

Climate activists disrupt Rome marathon

will Three activists from climate movement Last Generation briefly interrupted the Rome marathon on Sunday before police arrested them, the group said.

In Chile, a lawyer and his dog 'plog' to raise recycling awareness

It's still dark out, but Chilean lawyer Gonzalo Chiang and his dog Sam are already out jogging and collecting rubbish in Santiago's largest park.

Darwin's Galapagos island species, protected yet still at risk

Industrial fishing boats hover menacingly on the edges of Ecuador's Galapagos Marine Reserve, where schools of multicolored fish and hammerhead sharks frolic in the protected Pacific waters.

Thai tourist hotspot Chiang Mai tops world's most polluted cities

Thai tourist hotspot Chiang Mai was blanketed by hazy smog Friday, as residents and visitors to the usually picturesque northern city were left wheezing in the toxic air.

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