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Main points of the $300 billion climate deal

The deal reached at UN climate talks in Azerbaijan ramps up the money that wealthy historic emitters will provide to help poorer nations transition to cleaner energy and adapt to global warming.

World approves UN rules for carbon trading between nations at COP29

New rules allowing wealthy polluting countries to buy carbon-cutting "offsets" from developing nations were agreed at UN climate talks Saturday, in a move already raising fears they will be used to greenwash climate targets.

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US moves to curb power plant emissions

President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday announced sweeping plans to curb planet-warming emissions from the nation's power stations, as part of the United States' efforts to combat the climate crisis.

Macron urges 'pause' in EU environment regulations

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged the EU to pause imposing environmental regulations, saying Europe had already done far more than other industrial powers.

California's wet winter sparks a new gold rush

Albert Fausel has been scouring the rivers of Placerville, California for decades in search of gold. But the task has never been easier, nor the haul bigger, thanks to recent torrential rains.

Wildfires abate slowly in western Canada

A lull in high temperatures brought some relief on Wednesday from wildfires in Alberta in western Canada as reinforcements arrived to help battle the blazes.

Climate change raising heat risks for workers, experts warn

Rising global temperatures are increasing the risk of workers dying or becoming disabled from labouring in extreme heat, an international conference has been told.

Australia told to shoot kangaroos before they starve

Australia's kangaroos could die in "catastrophic" numbers if a population boom is left unchecked, ecologists have warned, while backing the industrial-scale culling of the marsupials.

Paris's Moulin Rouge cabaret draws curtain on snake act

The storied Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris said Tuesday that it had dropped a long-running snake act under pressure from animal rights groups.

Church of England joins shareholder revolt on Shell climate goals

The Church of England Tuesday said it will vote against a "green" transition plan proposed by energy giant Shell, joining other minority shareholders in calling for more ambitious carbon-cutting targets.

W.House confirms Biden to visit Papua New Guinea after G7 summit

The White House confirmed Tuesday that Joe Biden will visit Papua New Guinea in May, a "historic" first trip for a sitting US president, as Washington vies with Beijing for influence in the region.

Drought spells 'catastrophe' for Spain's olive harvest

An ongoing drought and soaring temperatures have unleashed fears of an olive "catastrophe" in Spain, the world's largest producer of olive oil, which suffered a very difficult year in 2022.

Slow-paced nature TV captivates Swedish audiences

Using dozens of cameras set up throughout Sweden's massive forests, weeks-long live broadcasts of elk and other wild animals, or just as often not much at all, have captured Swedish audiences' hearts.

Thailand chokes on pollution but greens struggle to be heard in election

Trudging along Bangkok's hot and dusty streets, green candidates struggle to canvass support ahead of Thailand's election, with record-breaking pollution failing to spur anything more than political hot air.

The 'water cops' of Las Vegas make city a model in drought-hit US

Known around the world as an oasis of overindulgence, the desert city of Las Vegas has emerged as a surprising model of austerity and prudence when it comes to water.

US, Saudi Arabia say Sudan warring sides to start talks

The US and Saudi governments confirmed direct talks between the warring Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces would start in Jeddah on Saturday, even as fighting showed little signs of abating in the Sudanese capital.

Move over Corgis: Jack Russell becomes new royal top dog

Beloved by the late Queen Elizabeth II, corgis have become an enduring symbol of the British royal family. But there is a new breed on the block -- the plucky Jack Russell Terrier.

April heat in western Med 'almost impossible without climate change'

The extreme heat that engulfed the Iberian peninsula and parts of north Africa last week would have been "almost impossible without climate change," an international scientific study found Friday.

Warning of 'protracted' conflict as Sudan fighting rages

Air strikes and gunfire rocked the Sudanese capital Friday as fighting showed no signs of abating, despite the threat of renewed US sanctions and warnings of a "protracted" conflict.

India's new mums live in hope and fear for next generation

India has become the world's most populous nation, and for the country's new mothers it is a moment of great hope but also anxiety as they face an uncertain future.

In Brazil, a damaged city lives on edge of abyss

A few steps from a cliff-edge, Deusimar Batista is hanging clothes to dry in her yard. Near it, a neighbor's house used to stand on a residential street, but they have all collapsed into the abyss.

Baby animals join Mandela on environment-themed S.African banknotes

Lion cubs, rhino calves and other baby animals joined Nelson Mandela on new ecology-themed banknotes unveiled by South Africa's central bank on Thursday.

Record sea surface heat sparks fears of warming surge

With sea surface temperatures swelling to new highs in recent weeks, scientists warn that humanity's carbon pollution has the potential to turn oceans into a global warming "time bomb".

China's elders savour twilight years as the young toil

At the end of a back alley surrounded by dilapidated buildings, the pitter-patter of ping-pong balls echoes around a cavernous warehouse in a Chinese town north of Shanghai.

127 perish in Rwanda flooding, landslides

At least 127 people have died as floods and landslides engulfed several parts of Rwanda after torrential rains, destroying homes and cutting off roads, the presidency said Wednesday.

Charles the 'green king' harnesses love of nature for UK coronation

King Charles III, once mocked as a crank for admitting he talked to plants and championing organic farming, has steeped his coronation in symbols of nature and the environment.

World should prepare for El Nino, new record temperatures: UN

The United Nations warned Wednesday of a growing likelihood the weather phenomenon El Nino will develop in coming months, fuelling higher global temperatures and possibly new heat records.

'Nightmare': Stinky seaweed smothers French Caribbean beaches

Jose Viator was hoping tourists would flock to his beachside bar on the French archipelago of Guadeloupe, but he has been forced to close because of stinky brown seaweed.

COP28 chair urges tripling of renewables capacity by 2030

The president of upcoming UN climate talks Sultan Al Jaber on Tuesday called on participants to drastically ramp up their use of renewable energy ahead of the key summit in the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Conservation groups sue US regulator over SpaceX launches

US conservation groups on Monday announced they are suing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for not doing enough to protect the environment from SpaceX's Starship program.

Solo rower launches Europe trek to expose river pollution

An intrepid French traveller embarked on Monday on a solo rowing expedition from Poland to France to shed light on the pollution of waterways of Europe.

Colombia urges evacuation near volcano

Authorities in Colombia on Saturday recommended that towns closest to a rumbling, notorious volcano be evacuated, ahead of a a possible eruption.

Sculpture of euthanised walrus Freya unveiled in Oslo fjord

A bronze sculpture was unveiled Saturday in Norway of the walrus Freya who gained global attention last summer after playfully basking in the Oslo fjord until officials euthanised her.

Brazil's Lula decrees six new Indigenous reserves

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday decreed six new Indigenous reserves, the first after a dearth of such expansion under his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Nature (English)