Zürcher Nachrichten

Featured

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.

Concern as climate talks stalls on fossil fuels pledge

The failure of UN climate negotiations to double down on a global pledge to move away from planet-heating fossil fuels on Sunday was decried by experts as a "worrying" setback to global progress on curbing warming.

Last news

Facing housing crunch, Toronto cuts into once-protected lands

A billboard at the foot of a field on Toronto's far outskirts heralds the coming construction of new homes, but it also highlights a broken promise never to permit encroachment into this vast green space, and the backlash which has ensued.

Himalayan glaciers melting 65 percent faster than previous decade: study

Himalayan glaciers providing critical water to nearly two billion people are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, scientists warned Tuesday.

UN adopts 'historic' high seas treaty

The world's first international treaty to protect the high seas was adopted Monday at the United Nations, a landmark environmental accord designed to protect remote ecosystems vital to humanity.

UK Labour opposition sets out green energy policy

The UK's main opposition Labour party on Monday vowed to turn the country into a "clean energy superpower" if it wins the next election.

Much still pending on how high seas sanctions will work

A new global treaty on the high seas will enable the creation of sanctuaries deemed vital for the oceans, but many questions remain unanswered. Among them: How can we protect marine areas far from the coast? Where will they be created, and when?

UN to finally adopt high seas treaty

The world's first international treaty to protect the high seas is due to be adopted Monday at the United Nations, a historic environmental accord designed to protect remote ecosystems vital to mankind.

Washington recruits dogs and cats in war on rodents

On a hot June night, revelers descend on Washington's Adams Morgan neighborhood, a nightlife and dining hotspot in the US capital. But they aren't the only ones profiting from the good weather.

Rower ends EU tour to expose waterway pollution

An intrepid traveller completed on Sunday a solo rowing expedition from Warsaw to Paris through the rivers and canals of five countries aiming to draw attention to the pollution of Europe's waterways.

Mexico bakes under killer heat wave

Roberto de Jesus, a day laborer, stands beside the cathedral in Mexico City sweating a river as he waits for work, while homemaker Wendy Tijerina tries in vain to keep her food from spoiling.

Eight people die in Mexico heatwave

Eight people have died in the third heatwave to hit Mexico since mid-April, the country's health ministry said on Friday.

Brimful clinics, cemeteries as dengue ravages Peru

Two months after cyclonic downpours flooded the town of Catacaos in northern Peru, dozens of inhabitants lie sick and dying of dengue, a disease carried by mosquitos attracted by stagnant water.

Trendy French island limits visitors to fight 'overtourism'

The small French island of Brehat, a popular north coast tourist destination, is restricting the number of visitors this summer after seeing as much as 15 times its population arrive at its rocky shores in a single day.

UN to adopt high seas treaty Monday

The world's first international treaty to protect the high seas is scheduled to be adopted Monday at the United Nations, a huge step for the "historic" environmental accord after more than 15 years of discussions.

'Disaster' Cyclone Biparjoy weakens after ramming India's coast

Cyclone Biparjoy slammed into the Indian coast with powerful winds, sowing fear and prompting evacuations, but began weakening in the early hours of Friday as it moved north.

Overfishing pushes reef sharks toward extinction: study

Overfishing is driving coral reef sharks towards extinction, according to a global study out Thursday that signals far greater peril to the marine predators than previously thought.

Gales lash India and Pakistan coast as Cyclone Biparjoy hits

Howling gales and crashing waves pounded the coastline of India and Pakistan on Thursday as Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall, with more than 175,000 people fleeing the storm's predicted path.

What will the UN high seas treaty mean for protecting the ocean?

The world's first international treaty on the high seas, set to be adopted by the United Nations on Monday, contains landmark tools for the conservation and management of international waters.

Environment activists smear paint on Monet work in Stockholm

Environment activists on Wednesday smeared red paint and glued their hands to the protective glass on a Monet painting at Stockholm's National Museum, police and the museum said.

Afghan farmers despair as locusts plague precious crops

Hundreds of thousands of locusts have descended on crops in northern Afghanistan, under the helpless gaze of farmers and their families already stalked by famine.

Snakes as therapy animals: reptiles help heal in Brazil

A yellow-and-brown boa constrictor wraps itself around David de Oliveira Gomes's neck like a scarf, but the 15-year-old Brazilian with autism is fascinated, not afraid.

Extreme weather killed 195,000 in Europe since 1980

Extreme weather conditions in Europe have killed almost 195,000 people and caused economic losses of more than 560 billion euros since 1980, the European Environment Agency said Wednesday.

Oil transfer from abandoned Yemen ship to start soon: UN

Salvage teams are close to starting the transfer of more than one million barrels of oil from a decaying tanker anchored off Yemen after two weeks of preparatory inspections, the United Nations said.

Japanese officials call for Mount Fuji crowd control

A surge in demand for rest cabins on Mount Fuji has led Japanese officials to call for crowd control measures including potential entry restrictions during this summer's climbing season.

Landmark US youth climate trial begins in Montana

The first ever constitutional climate trial in the United States opened Monday in Montana, brought by young activists suing the north-central state for violating their right to a "clean and healthful environment."

Climate: Corporate 'net zero' pledges lack credibility

Nearly half the world's biggest companies have pledged to erase their carbon footprints by around mid-century, but only a handful have credible game plans for doing so, climate policy research groups said Monday.

Greenpeace slams UK grid operator over coal decision

Greenpeace slammed Britain's power grid operator on Monday after it requested the reactivation of a coal-fired power station to meet electricity demand during a heatwave.

Landmark youth climate trial begins in Montana

The first ever climate trial in the United States begins Monday in Montana, brought by young people suing the western state for violating their constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment."

Dogs die as South Africa snake antivenom shortage bites

Zarza, a much-loved Staffordshire terrier, ended up at a South African animal hospital with a bite from a Mozambique spitting cobra on her snout.

The Vietnamese octogenarian fighting for Agent Orange victims

As a young woman, Tran To Nga was a war correspondent, a prisoner and an activist. Now, at 81, she is waging a court battle against US chemical firms to win justice for the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.

Syrians turn plastic waste into rugs to make a living

At a rubbish dump in northwest Syria, Mohammed Behlal rummages for plastic to be sold to recyclers and transformed into floor rugs and other items in the impoverished rebel enclave.

Massive 'chirping' egg sculpture hatches in Warsaw

In a square in central Warsaw, a couple of people are bent over a huge sculpture of a blue egg, their heads turned and pressed against the shell.

Skies clear as New York's Gov Ball music fest kicks off

New York's Governors Ball kicked off Friday under clearer skies after days of wildfire-induced noxious smog blanketed the city and threatened to derail the annual music festival.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Nature (English)