Zürcher Nachrichten

Featured

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.

Last news

Climate activists turn landmark Rome fountain black

Climate activists in Italy turned a Baroque-style fountain at the foot of Rome's Spanish Steps black on Saturday, in a protest they said evoked an "end of the world" scenario.

Wind project near S.African elephant park riles activists

Plans to build wind farms next to a South African national park have riled wildlife activists who worry the turbines will ruin the landscape and impact elephants.

Biden urges US regulators to restore tougher rules on midsize banks

US President Joe Biden called on banking regulators Thursday to reinstate tougher rules on midsized banks, saying that doing so would prevent future failures like that of Silicon Valley Bank.

Australian parliament approves emissions caps on big polluters

Breakthrough climate laws passed by Australia on Thursday will target the nation's worst polluters, forcing coal mines and oil refineries to curb emissions by about five percent each year.

Removing Colombian druglord's hippos to cost $3.5 mn

Colombia said Wednesday it was making progress on the transfer of 70 hippos to overseas sanctuaries, but mitigating the havoc caused by this unusual legacy of deceased druglord Pablo Escobar carries a hefty price tag: $3.5 million.

Scientists have bone to pick with T-Rex skeleton set to sell for millions

A curator gingerly fastens a pointy claw bone with a thin metal wire, completing perhaps the world's biggest construction kit -- reassembling a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus-Rex called Trinity.

UN considers 'historic' Vanuatu-led climate resolution

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday is expected to adopt a resolution calling for a top court to outline legal obligations related to climate change, an "unprecedented challenge of civilizational proportions."

Brazil Indigenous group fights to save endangered evergreen

Dancing around a campfire in bright feather headdresses, a group of Indigenous eco-warriors prepares the painstaking process of planting the Brazilian pine tree, fighting to save the critically endangered species -- and their way of life.

Bangladesh bans plastics in world's largest mangrove forest

Conservationists in Bangladesh said Tuesday that tourists dropping rubbish in the world's largest mangrove forest had seriously damaged the ecosystem, forcing the imposition of a single-use plastic ban in the World Heritage site.

Danish artist hatches epic global troll hunt

A Danish artist famous for his towering wooden trolls sent fans on a worldwide quest Monday to find his latest creation.

Scientists find water inside glass beads on the Moon

Scientists said Monday they have discovered water inside tiny beads of glass scattered across the Moon, suggesting that one day it could be extracted and used by the "explorers of tomorrow".

Protester fighting for life after France clashes: prosecutor

A protester with trauma to the head was fighting for his life on Sunday following clashes with police during a demonstration over water storage facilities in France, a prosecutor said.

North Sea shell survey brings out volunteers

Hundreds of volunteers descended on the beaches of the North Sea coast this weekend to collect sea shells as a measure of the sea's biological diversity.

Fresh clashes rock France as protests shift to water dispute

French police again clashed with protesters Saturday as campaigners in the southwest sought to stop the construction of giant water storage facilities, the latest flashpoint as social tensions erupt nationwide.

New violent clashes rock France in water protest

French police again clashed with protesters Saturday as campaigners sought to stop the construction of reservoirs in the southwest, the latest in a series of violent standoffs as social tensions erupt nationwide.

Toothpaste tablets and syrup on tap: US refill shops cut the container

Toothpaste tabs plunk into a jar. Maple syrup flows viscously from a spout. Dishwasher powder crunches under the tip of a metal scoop. The chorus of consumer goods lacks one familiar sound: the crinkle of plastic wrap.

'Not the most attractive': Underdog snail wins Mollusc of the Year

In the end it was neither beauty, nor gymnastic mating rituals that won the public over.

Controversial gold mine reopens in Thailand

A controversial gold mine in Thailand restarted operations on Thursday, more than six years after the government forced it to close over health and environmental concerns.

France-Germany tensions loom over EU leaders' summit

A burgeoning row between France and Germany fired by differences over nuclear energy and combustion engines threatens to spill over into a gathering of the 27 European Union leaders on Thursday.

Canada sees record population growth as immigration leaps

Canada saw record-high population growth last year due to a surge in immigrants and temporary residents, the government statistical agency said Wednesday, adding that if the trend continues the nation will double its population in 26 years.

Humanity has 'broken the water cycle,' UN chief warns

The future of humanity's "lifeblood" -- water -- is under threat across the planet, the UN secretary-general warned Wednesday at the opening of the first major UN meeting on water resources in nearly half a century.

EU bids to clean up product 'greenwashing' mess

The European Union's executive arm waded into the forest of dubious green labels, fairy tale carbon footprints and false eco-friendly advertising on Wednesday, proposing ways to clean up the "greenwashing" of consumer products.

Natural disasters, inflation upped insurers' costs in 2022: Swiss Re

Natural disasters increased insurers' costs in 2022, with inflation pushing up the bill even more, reinsurer Swiss Re said Wednesday, warning of likely further rises in the future due to climate change.

'Uncharted territory': South Sudan's four years of flooding

It had not rained properly for months but the floods kept coming, inching up the mud-earth fortifications that stood between Bentiu's marooned and starving people and the endless water beyond.

Manpower shortage dims solar panel boom in Germany

Balancing on a sloping tiled roof, apprentice Pascal Ode installs a solar panel under the watchful eye of his trainer.

Dust storms cause air pollution spike across north China

Air pollution soared in Beijing on Wednesday as the Chinese capital was hit by a huge sandstorm, and dust also shrouded other parts of the country in a sickly orange haze.

Drought, floods and sickness: Key takeaways from UN's water report

Billions of people experience water-related issues on a daily basis -- from contaminated drinking water, to droughts and floods -- with a UN report warning Tuesday that the risk of a global crisis is "imminent."

Ghost lake set to reappear as California hit again by rain

A lake that dried up 80 years ago looked set on Tuesday to reappear, as monster rainfall accumulated over California's wet winter season overwhelms the state's rivers.

Leading ozone scientist says more climate surprises likely

Susan Solomon, a leading scientist in the fight to tackle the Antarctic ozone hole, says people are now getting worried enough to spur climate action.

Dreaming the impossible dream: the 1.5C climate target

In the realm of climate diplomacy, it's the little engine that could, the 80-to-1-odds Kentucky Derby winner, the low-budget multiverse fantasy that came out of nowhere to sweep the Oscars.

California's desert farmers defend their river rights

A blanket of crops covers the floor of the Imperial Valley in southern California, a patchwork of vibrant greens given life by the Colorado River in a landscape bleached by the desert sun.

Mountain forests disappearing at alarming rate: study

Logging, wildfires and farming are causing mountain forests, habitat to 85 percent of the world's birds, mammals and amphibians, to vanish at an alarming rate, according to a study published on Friday.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Nature (English)