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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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In Canada, deserted oil wells are environmental time bombs

With its flaking red paint, broken pressure gauge and cranks fallen to the ground, an oil well sits forsaken in western Canada, like tens of thousands of others that have been out of service for decades -- but never plugged.

California surfers terrorized by board-stealing sea otter

Wanted: one ornery sea otter that has been attacking California surfers and commandeering their boards.

Toxic foam blights river crucial to Brazil's biggest city

Not far from Latin America's biggest city, Sao Paulo, a river is covered in a white layer that resembles fresh snow but is in fact a smelly, toxic foam.

Death toll rises to 66 in India's monsoon mayhem

Days of relentless monsoon rains have killed at least 66 people in India, government officials said Wednesday, with dozens of foreign tourists stranded in the Himalayas after floods severed road connections.

South Korea welcomes birth of first giant panda twins

A South Korean zoo has announced the birth of two giant panda twins -- the first to be born in the country -- triggering an outpouring of excitement online.

To track human impact on Earth, scientists probe Crawford Lake

On first glance, it looks like just another small lake in Canada, one of thousands across the vast country. But the view under the surface of Crawford Lake outside Toronto tells a very different story.

Drought scuppers salmon fishing season in California

Gazing out at San Francisco harbor from her wooden fishing boat, Sarah Bates looks glum.

Southern US set to sizzle under prolonged heat wave

More than 50 million Americans are set to bake under dangerously high temperatures this week, from California to Texas to Florida, as a heat wave builds across the southern United States.

Heat wave set to sizzle southern California

A dangerous heat wave was settling over southern California on Monday, as temperature records continued to fall across the United States, from Texas to Tampa Bay.

Global goals on fighting poverty, inequality 'in peril': UN

The goals the world set to ease extreme poverty, improve access to drinking water and take steps toward sustainable development for all humanity are "in peril," the United Nations has said in a report published Monday.

Top French photo fest shows unseen work by US legend Saul Leiter

A host of never before seen work by the late great US artist Saul Leiter is being showcased at one of the world's biggest photography festivals in France.

Saudi should 'review' emissions targets: French minister

Saudi Arabia should review its goals for lowering carbon emissions and consider adopting targets to be met as soon as 2030, France's energy transition minister told AFP in the kingdom.

Sweet success: Jordan's beekeepers busy as honey demand soars

Jordan's key tourism industry may have been hammered by Covid, but the pandemic gave a boost to another sector, keeping its beekeepers busy as demand for honey has soared.

Yellen urges 'direct' talks, US-China climate collaboration

Washington and Beijing should communicate "directly" on concerns about specific economic practices, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Saturday, urging greater cooperation between the two biggest economies despite fraught ties.

Three charged over Wimbledon climate protests

London police on Friday charged three people with aggravated trespass over two incidents at the Wimbledon tennis tournament, when climate protesters interrupted play and scattered jigsaw pieces on the court.

At least 50 dead in Pakistan monsoon floods

At least 50 people, including eight children, have been killed by floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains that have lashed Pakistan since last month, officials said Friday.

Germany's new big hope against warming - heat pumps

As Germany looks to a future without fossil fuels, a big white boxy appliance is generating a lively debate -- and often a heated one -- for its potential to replace emissions-heavy oil and gas boilers.

Seeking an 'angel': African startups face funding challenge

Kubik is proud of its pioneering, climate-friendly technology that recycles one of the world's environmental curses -- plastic waste -- into construction blocks.

Amazon deforestation down sharply under Brazil's Lula: govt

Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon fell by one-third in the first six months of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration compared to the same period of last year, the government said Thursday.

Furious French cherry farmers protest over insecticide ban

Angry French cherry farmers dumped a tonne of rotting fruit in front of a government building in southern France on Thursday to protest against an insecticide ban that has left them vulnerable to fruit flies.

From soup stock to supercrop: Japan shows off its seaweed savvy

Seaweed has long been a staple food in Japan, but the chunky, slimy kelp hauled into fisherman Ryoichi Kigawa's boat is also starting to attract international attention for its potential as an eco-friendly supercrop.

NGO accuses Chinese renewables firms of abuses in 18 countries

Chinese companies investing in minerals used in the renewable energy industry have been accused of more than 100 human rights and environmental abuses around the world since 2021, according to a report released on Thursday.

Greta Thunberg charged over Swedish climate protest

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been charged with disobeying police during a June climate protest in southern Sweden, the public prosecutor said Wednesday, most likely risking a fine.

Texas scraps 'water break' law for construction workers, as heat bakes

Texas has scrapped a law that guaranteed construction workers in some cities the right to water breaks on the job, drawing anger Wednesday from unions and local authorities as much of America endured a brutal heat wave.

El Nino spells trouble for vulnerable Galapagos iguana

Unusually warm for this time of year, the waters of the Pacific signal hard times for the reptilian inhabitants of Ecuador's iconic Galapagos Islands.

Two dead as strongest summer storm blasts Netherlands, Germany

A record-breaking summer storm hammered the Netherlands and Germany on Wednesday, killing two people and throwing international air and rail travel into chaos.

IAEA chief reassures Fukushima residents over water release

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog tried to reassure local residents and representatives on Wednesday that the planned release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant is safe.

UK saw hottest June on record in 2023: Met Office

The UK this year has seen its hottest June on record, both in terms of mean temperature and the average maximum temperature, the British Meteorological Office said Monday.

EU official sees 'contradiction' between China's climate goals, coal plants

A top EU climate official said Monday there is a "contradiction" between China's ambitious goals to combat global warming and its continued building of coal-fired power plants.

Climate change spells 'terrifying' future: UN rights chief

Climate change threatens to deliver a "truly terrifying" dystopian future of hunger and suffering, the United Nations' human rights chief warned Monday.

Brussels looks to relax curbs on genetically modified crops

The European Commission will on Wednesday put forward a proposal to ease current restrictions on genetically modified crops, which is already being denounced by environmental groups and leftwing lawmakers.

'Drive-throw' recycling aims to ease Lebanon garbage crisis

Beirut motorists pull up to a drive-through counter -- not for fast-food, but to exchange empty bottles and cardboard for cash, a novelty in a country long plagued by garbage crises.

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