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Common water disinfectant creates potentially toxic byproduct: study

A group of chemical compounds used to disinfect water for one-third of the US population and millions of others globally produces a potentially toxic byproduct, according to new research published Thursday, sparking calls for an "immediate" investigation into possible health impacts.

Fears rise of gender setbacks in global climate battle

As global climate negotiators seek to eke out progress, participants say they are witnessing backsliding in one unexpected area -- gender.

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Restoring damaged land key to climate, biodiversity goals

Unsustainable farming is on track to increase the amount of severely degraded land by an area the size of South America by mid-century, a UN report warned Wednesday, as experts said restoration was a matter of "survival".

Solar energy projects lower bills in Rio de Janeiro favelas

In a hillside slum with breathtaking views of Rio de Janeiro's famed Copacabana beach, a rooftop covered in photovoltaic panels glitters in the tropical sun -- one of many in Brazil's first favela solar energy project.

No 'significant' harm from Galapagos diesel spill: reserve

A diesel spill off one of Ecuador's ecologically sensitive Galapagos islands caused no "significant" damage, the protected nature reserve said Sunday.

Scuba diving boat sinks off Ecuador's Galapagos Islands

A scuba diving boat sank Saturday off one of Ecuador's ecologically sensitive Galapagos Islands but damage was minor and no one was hurt, officials said.

Scientists to scour African waters to gauge ocean pollution

Scientists on Saturday began a five-month mission to study how plastic pollution in Africa's main rivers and climate change stresses are impacting microorganisms in the Atlantic ocean, they announced.

Dalai Lama urges move to renewable energy to combat climate crisis

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama urged the public to reduce fossil fuel use during a meeting with activists to mark Earth Day, warning that the climate change crisis transcends national boundaries.

Ecotourism giving rare iguanas a sweet tooth

Ecotourists feeding grapes to rock iguanas on remote islands in the Bahamas have given them a sweet tooth and high blood sugar, researchers said Thursday, warning of unknown effects on the health of the vulnerable reptiles.

'Small actions' can help reduce reliance on Russian energy: IEA

Adjusting the heating and working more from home are just some of the "small actions" that can reduce Europe's reliance on Russia, the International Energy Agency and the European Commission said Thursday.

Judge halts work on Mexico president's contentious tourist train

A Mexican judge has suspended construction of part of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's flagship tourist train project in the Yucatan peninsula due to a lack of environmental impact studies.

Indigenous lands block Brazil deforestation: study

Brazil's indigenous reservations have acted as a barrier against deforestation over the past three decades, although destruction of the Amazon rainforest has accelerated recently under President Jair Bolsonaro, according to a study published Tuesday.

Record low Antarctic sea ice extent could signal shift

Sea ice around Antarctica shrank to the smallest extent on record in February, five years after the previous record low, researchers said Tuesday, suggesting Earth's frozen continent may be less impervious to climate change than thought.

Biden restores environmental safeguards dropped by Trump

The administration of President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced it would restore safeguards in a cornerstone environmental law weakened under Donald Trump -- including a duty to assess the climate impacts of proposed infrastructure projects.

Iraq 'green belt' neglected in faltering climate fight

Envisioned as a lush fortress against worsening desertification and sand storms, the "green belt" of Iraq's Karbala stands as a wilted failure.

Cruise ships at center of dispute in Florida's idyllic Key West

The island-city of Key West off the southern tip of Florida invites visitors to stroll slowly, enjoy turquoise waters and take in the sunset. But according to some residents, that idyllic peace is endangered -- by lumbering, tourist-filled cruise ships.

Endangered North Atlantic right whales make a stand in Cape Cod

After many hours scouring Cape Cod Bay and a few false alarms, those aboard the Research Vessel Shearwater on a bright April day make their first sighting: three North Atlantic right whales, including a rare mother-calf pair.

Climate activists block four of London's busiest bridges

UK climate activist group Extinction Rebellion on Friday shut down four of London's busiest bridges, snarling traffic on the first day of the Easter bank holiday.

Israel to top up shrinking Sea of Galilee with desalinated water

Israel, a leader in making seawater drinkable, plans to pump excess output from its desalination plants into the Sea of Galilee, depleted by overuse and threatened by climate change.

Ship stranded off US delights curious, worries environmentalists

Holding binoculars and toting folding chairs the sightseers are laser-focused: the objective is to see the massive container ship Ever Forward, which has been stranded for a month in the mud of the US East Coast's Chesapeake Bay.

341 dead in S.Africa floods as hunt for survivors widens

The death toll from South Africa's "unprecedented" floods climbed to 341 on Thursday as helicopters fanned out across the southeastern city of Durban in an increasingly desperate search for survivors.

Senegal eyes economic boom in oyster farming

The mangrove swamp near Joal-Fadiouth, a fishing village in southern Senegal, teems with oysters.

'Green cities' focus of largest Dutch garden expo

Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Wednesday opened the gates to one of Europe's largest gardening fairs, a once-in-a-decade show focusing this year on how to make cities greener.

Gas tank graveyard has Mexico City residents up in arms

Thousands of disused gas cylinders sit outside under the sun at a former refinery in Mexico City, producing a foul smell that neighbors say has made their lives a nightmare.

French Greens face crisis after failed presidential bid

France's Green party were facing a financial and political crisis on Monday after a deeply disappointing presidential election saw their candidate finish sixth and struggle to put climate change on the national agenda.

In 'project of the century', Swiss seek to bury radioactive waste

Storing radioactive waste above ground is a risky business, but the Swiss think they have found the solution: burying spent nuclear fuel deep underground in clay.

Record 1st-quarter deforestation in Brazilian Amazon

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon set a new quarterly record in the first three months of 2022 compared to a year earlier, official data showed Friday.

Climate activists shut London's Tower Bridge

UK climate activist group Extinction Rebellion shut down London's iconic Tower Bridge on Friday after two of its protesters abseiled over its sides.

India under fresh scrutiny as UN panel calls for shunning coal

The mounds of jet-black coal shimmering under the afternoon sun at the Dadri power plant are a raw illustration of India's coal dependence -- a habit that despite increasing pressure, the country is finding hard to kick.

Increase in atmospheric methane set new record in 2021: US

For the second year running, US scientists observed record increases in the atmospheric concentration of the potent greenhouse gas methane, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Thursday.

'Cyber Rodeo' bash fetes new Tesla plant in Texas

Electric car lovers are flocking to Austin for an enormous party Thursday celebrating a new Tesla "gigafactory" in Texas the size of 100 professional soccer fields.

Thai national parks ban single-use plastics

Thailand on Wednesday banned styrofoam packaging and single-use plastics from national parks as it fights a scourge of waste threatening wildlife.

DR Congo Pygmies attacked in wildlife park: rights group

Troops and rangers in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in eastern DR Congo have carried out attacks on indigenous Pygmies living in the famed wildlife haven, a rights watchdog said on Wednesday

Mexico seeks 'miracle' to save near-extinct vaquita porpoise

Mexican naval vessels, spotter planes and conservationists are patrolling the upper Gulf of California in a race against time to save the world's rarest marine mammal from extinction.

In a southern US capital, an unending water crisis

Every morning, 180 students at a school in Jackson, Mississippi have to board a bus to be taken to another nearby school. The reason? Their school lacks the water pressure needed to flush its own toilets.

'Now or never' to avoid climate catastrophe, warns UN

Humanity has less than three years to halt the rise of planet-warming carbon emissions and less than a decade to slash them almost in half, the UN said Monday in a landmark report on stopping global warming and ensuring a "liveable future".

Nearly entire global population breathing polluted air: WHO

A full 99 percent of people on Earth breathe air containing too many pollutants, the World Health Organization said Monday, blaming poor air quality for millions of deaths each year.

Pipe dreams: Pakistan sewage workers hope for better future

Nearly naked and covered with a black, foul-smelling muck, Shafiq Masih struggles out of a sewer he has just cleaned by hand in an upmarket district of Lahore, Pakistan's second biggest city.

UN talks on climate change solutions hung up on finance

Negotiations to finalise a key UN report on how to stave off climate catastrophe, already two days into overtime, remained stymied Sunday on the issue of financial needs, participants told AFP.

Scientists risk arrest to sound climate alarm

A loosely federated network of scientists in more than two dozen countries plan acts of civil disobedience starting this week to highlight the climate crisis, members of Scientist Rebellion told AFP.

Kenya jail goes green to fix sewage woes and protect sea

Heading north from Mombasa, the unmistakable whiff of a foul stench in the air was as reliable as any mile marker for motorists taking the highway along the Kenyan coast.

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