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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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Montana court rules for young people in landmark US climate trial

In a landmark climate trial, a Montana court on Monday ruled in favor of a group of youths who accused the western US state of violating their rights to a clean environment.

50 pct chance 2023 will be warmest year on record: NOAA

There is a nearly 50 percent probability that 2023 will be the warmest year ever recorded and next year could be even hotter, US government climate experts said Monday.

Death toll from heavy rain in north India rises sharply to almost 50

At least 49 people were killed, nine of them in a temple collapse, and dozens more were feared missing after intense rains caused floods and landslides in India, officials said Monday.

Baghdad zoo animals suffer as mercury hits 50 degrees

A pair of Siberian tigers pant incessantly beside a pond at their zoo enclosure in the scorching summer heat of the Iraqi capital.

Hawaii fire death toll nears 100, and anger grows

The death toll in Hawaii from the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century was expected to cross the 100-mark Sunday, fueling criticism that government inaction contributed to the heavy loss of life.

Morocco breaks heat record

Temperatures in Morocco have for the first time on record topped 50 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit), the North African country's meteorological service said Sunday amid a scorching heatwave.

A second life for Cuba's seaside swimming pools

When summer temperatures start to sizzle in Havana, in-the-know locals head not to the beach but to seaside pools built by wealthy Cuban families in the first half of the last century.

Full of life: Paris's Pere Lachaise cemetery goes greener

The Pere Lachaise in Paris, the most visited cemetery in the world thanks to celebrities buried there, is welcoming crowds back after years of Covid restrictions with a back-to-nature setting that helps them keep cool in the summer heat.

Death toll hits 80 as Hawaii starts probe into wildfire handling

Hawaii's chief legal officer said Friday she was opening a probe into the handling of devastating wildfires that killed at least 80 people in the state this week, as criticism grows of the official response.

Residents return to find homes in ruin from Hawaii fire

People who fled the ferocious wildfire that tore through a picturesque Hawaiian town began returning Friday to find their homes in ashes.

Key Spanish lagoon dries out due to drought, overexploitation

The largest permanent lagoon in drought-hit southern Spain's Donana natural park, home of one of Europe's largest wetlands, has completely dried out for the second summer in a row.

UN finishes removing oil from decaying Yemen tanker

The United Nations said Friday that it had successfully transferred more than one million barrels of oil from a dilapidated Yemeni tanker, removing the imminent risk of a spill.

Indonesia says capital pollution spike due to weather, vehicles

Indonesia's government on Friday blamed a pollution spike in traffic-clogged capital Jakarta on weather patterns and vehicle emissions after the city topped global rankings four days this week.

Hawaii fire death toll expected to rise 'very significantly': governor

The death toll from a terrifying wildfire that razed a historic Hawaiian town is expected to rise "very significantly", the state's governor said Thursday, with 36 people already known to have perished.

Rio Tinto to build largest solar plant in Canada's north

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto announced on Thursday that it will begin construction of the largest solar power plant in northern Canada on the site of its Diavik diamond mine.

Major-winner Morikawa pledges $1,000 per birdie to Hawaii fire relief

Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa has pledged to donate $1,000 for every birdie he makes in the US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs to fire relief efforts in Hawaii.

Indonesia capital hit by major pollution spikes: monitor

Indonesian capital Jakarta has been the world's most polluted city on four days this week, according to air quality monitor IQAir, as authorities fail to grapple with a spike in toxic smog.

Fast-moving wildfire kills at least 6 as it razes Hawaiian town

A wildfire that turned a historic Hawaiian town to ashes killed at least six people, officials said Wednesday, with desperate residents jumping into the ocean in a bid to escape the fast-moving flames.

Pakistan climber cleanses K2 as shrine to fallen father

Gazing up from K2 Basecamp, Sajid Ali Sadpara sees Earth's second-highest mountain, his father's final resting place, and a blight of litter on the furthest reaches of the natural world.

Israel's pioneering use of water 'to the last drop'

In the scorching summer heat, an Israeli farmer tends to a dripline taking a mix of ground and recycled water to palm trees -- an approach honed for decades in the arid country and now drawing wide interest abroad.

At least 6 dead as wildfire razes Hawaiian town

At least six people have been killed in a wildfire that has razed a Hawaiian town, officials said Wednesday, as desperate residents jumped into the ocean in a bid to escape the fast-moving flames.

'Mother Nature needs money,' Lula tells rich countries at summit

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged wealthy nations Wednesday to fulfill their unkept promises to fund developing countries' fight against climate change, at a summit on saving the world's tropical forests.

Wind-whipped Hawaii wildfires force evacuations, water rescues

Wildfires whipped by hurricane winds triggered evacuations in parts of Hawaii on Wednesday with the Coast Guard rescuing some residents forced into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames, officials said.

Land and sea efforts to save reefs must work together: study

A new study offers a glimmer of hope in efforts to save the world's coral reefs, which play a vital role in underwater life but have been put under threat by rising ocean temperatures.

Hawaii wildfires force evacuations, water rescues

Wildfires whipped by hurricane winds triggered evacuations in parts of Hawaii early Wednesday with some residents forced into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames, officials said.

El Nino could imperil Australia's Great Barrier Reef

Australia's Great Barrier Reef could deteriorate if warming ocean temperatures spark another mass coral bleaching event later this year, the country's top marine science body said Wednesday.

Biden, in environment push, protects lands near Grand Canyon

Joe Biden used the backdrop of the Grand Canyon Tuesday to champion the climate fight -- and distinguishing himself from the Republican right -- by designating large swathes of surrounding sacred land with protective status.

With Grand Canyon visit, Biden champions the environment

Joe Biden will draw on an awe-inspiring backdrop Tuesday to present himself as an environmental champion: At the Grand Canyon, the US president will formally unveil a nearby protected area designed to curb uranium mining.

July hottest month on record: EU climate observatory

July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, the European Union's climate observatory confirmed Tuesday.

Erdogan defends expansion of controversial coal mine

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday dismissed environmental protests over the felling of trees to expand a coal mine in southwest Turkey, saying the campaign was led by "marginals".

Relief and despair: repeal of logging ban divides Kenya

It was the news Kenya's timber industry had waited over five years to hear: a ban on logging was over, and the country's forests were once again open for business.

Huge blue whale washes ashore in southern Chile

An enormous blue whale, considered the largest animal on Earth, has washed up onto a beach in southern Chile, probably after dying at sea, local authorities said Sunday.

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