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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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Fossil fuel pledges divide G7 in 'critical decade' for climate

G7 allies meet this week for climate talks that are likely to urge more action in a "critical decade", but could also lay bare divisions on ambitious fossil fuel commitments.

California bursts into 'super bloom' after wet winter

An explosion of oranges, yellows, purples and whites has covered California's hillsides, as a rare "super bloom" bursts into life in the wake of a very wet winter.

Campaigners lose legal challenge against new UK coal mine

Environmental campaigners have been blocked from bringing a legal challenge to a UK government approval for a new coal mine in northwest England, they said on Wednesday.

'This week, no one': hazardous Thai pollution deters tourists

Hazardous pollution levels in northern Thailand have left the historic city of Chiang Mai choking under thick smog, with locals worried about the impact on tourism -- and their health.

Biden admin unveils tough emissions rules to speed electric auto shift

President Joe Biden's administration unveiled new proposed auto emissions rules Wednesday, aiming to accelerate the electric vehicle transition with a target of two-thirds of the new US car market by 2032.

Albania pushes out boat to save world's rarest seal

A team of Albanian marine biologists scan the azure waters of the Ionian Sea for a sign of one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.

US mulling forced cuts of Colorado River use as water dwindles

The US government announced Tuesday that it is considering imposing across-the-board cuts in usage of the dwindling Colorado River, after squabbling states failed to agree on how to deal with a decades-old problem.

US EPA moves to reduce exposure to carcinogenic sterilizer

The US Environmental Protection Agency proposed measures on Tuesday to reduce exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO), a chemical widely used to sterilize medical equipment that has been found to increase the risk of certain cancers.

'Room for improvement' in global debt restructuring: Yellen

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday there remains "considerable room for improvement" in the global debt restructuring process, as world leaders convene in Washington this week for key meetings.

Fifth victim found after French Alps avalanche

A fifth person has been found dead and one is still missing after an avalanche near Mont Blanc in southeastern France, the local prosecutor's office said Monday.

World Bank, IMF spring meetings to get underway in complex economic environment

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund's spring meetings get underway later this week with an ambitious reform and fundraising agenda likely to be overshadowed by concerns over high inflation, rising geopolitical tension and financial stability.

Ranchers battle wolves in Colorado wilds as reintroduction looms

With wolves descending from the mountains of Wyoming to feast on his cattle, and his home state of Colorado preparing to reintroduce its own wild packs soon, rancher Don Gittleson says he has tried everything to protect his herd.

Avalanche kills four in France, two missing

An avalanche on Sunday near Mont Blanc in southeastern France swept four people to their deaths and left two more missing, the officials said.

Four killed in French Alps avalanche

Four people were killed and more injured in an avalanche Sunday near Mont Blanc in southeastern France, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

World Bank could lend $50bn more over decade with reform: Yellen

The World Bank's ongoing reform could result in a $50 billion lending boost over the next decade, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told AFP ahead of stakeholders' meetings next week where key changes are expected to be announced.

Despite Lula's promises, deforestation still rampant in Brazil

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest in the first quarter of 2023 was one of the worst on record, according to official figures released on Friday.

Why are animal-to-human diseases on the rise?

From Covid-19 to monkey pox, Mers, Ebola, avian flu, Zika and HIV, diseases transmitted from animals to humans have multiplied in recent years, raising fears of new pandemics.

UN ship due to prevent Yemen oil spill departs for Red Sea

A supertanker bought by the United Nations to remove oil from a ship abandoned off war-ravaged Yemen's coast departed China on Thursday, the UN announced, calling it a "significant" step in efforts to prevent a major spill.

Walmart to add EV chargers to thousands of US stores

Walmart announced Thursday plans to add electric vehicle (EV) chargers to thousands of US stores in a sign of further mainstreaming of emission-free autos.

Amazon forests save $2bn in pollution healthcare: study

Rainforests on Indigenous lands in Brazil's Amazon protect millions of people from heart and lung diseases by absorbing pollution and save $2 billion a year in healthcare costs, researchers said in a study published Thursday, urging increased protection against deforestation.

Ice sheets could retreat faster than expected: study

Antarctic ice-sheets risk breaking into the sea faster than previously thought in stretches of up to 600 metres a day, speeding up the rise in sea levels, new research indicates.

Man charged after taking platypus on train ride, shopping trip

Forget the Hollywood thriller "Snakes on a Plane", an Australian man is in trouble for taking a platypus on a train.

Australian police seek pair seen with platypus on train

Forget the Hollywood thriller "Snakes on a Plane", two commuters in Australia have dished up a platypus on a train.

Bold talk, slow walk as Brazil's Lula sets out to save Amazon

When it comes to what some call his most important job -- saving the Amazon rainforest -- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been talking the talk, vowing "Brazil is back" in the fight against climate change.

'Infecting minds': US book sent to teachers seeks to sow climate doubt

From crops to corals, a book circulated by a controversial US think tank is riddled with misleading claims about established climate science, in what campaigners slam as a bid to "infect" young minds.

Japan, land of the hybrid car, takes slowly to EVs

Atsushi Ikeda loves his car so much that he founded a club for Tesla owners, but his embrace of an electric vehicle makes him something of an outlier in Japan.

Easy, tiger: study maps big cats' personalities

Ask any pet owner if their beloved companion has a personality and you'll most often get an emphatic "yes". But now tiger researchers can nod along too -- a study published Wednesday reveals that the world's largest felines have individual character traits.

UK govt unveils new water plan after sewage discharges outcry

The UK government on Tuesday announced its latest plan to better protect England's water supplies, amid a long-running scandal over privatised water firms pumping raw sewage into rivers and onto seashores.

Emissions cuts can slash heat deaths in Mideast, N. Africa: study

Meeting world targets to limit climate change would avert hundreds of thousands of heat-related deaths in the Middle East and North Africa, scientists said on Tuesday, urging the region to adapt better.

Scientists in Arctic race to preserve 'ice memory'

Scientists camped in the Arctic are set to start drilling to save samples of ancient ice for analysis before the frozen layers melt away due to climate change, mission organisers said on Monday.

Ozone-depleting CFCs hit record despite ban: study

Their power to dissolve the ozone layer shielding Earth from the Sun prompted a worldwide ban, but scientists on Monday revealed that some human-made chlorofluorocarbons have reached record levels, boosting climate-changing emissions.

Pioneering composer and eco-warrior Ryuichi Sakamoto dies age 71

Pioneering composer and green activist Ryuichi Sakamoto, whose score for "The Last Emperor" scooped an Oscar and a Grammy, has died aged 71 after his second cancer diagnosis.

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