Zürcher Nachrichten

Featured

Afghanistan says to attend UN climate talks, first since Taliban takeover

An Afghan delegation will attend the upcoming UN climate change summit in Azerbaijan, the foreign ministry spokesman told AFP on Saturday, marking a first since the Taliban government came to power.

Heat, air pollution, disease: How climate change affects health

Record-breaking heat, extreme weather events, air pollution and the spread of infectious disease: climate change poses an already vast yet rising threat to the health of humans around the world, experts warn.

Last news

Nuclear power has role to play, atomic energy head tells AFP at COP28

It would be a mistake to reject nuclear power because of problems at a handful of projects, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said in an interview with AFP.

Over 110 countries support tripling renewables by 2030: EU chief

More than 110 countries want the COP28 climate negotiations to adopt a goal of tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday.

King Charles urges 'genuine' climate action at COP28

King Charles III told world leaders Friday that the UN's COP28 talks in Dubai must be a turning point in the fight against climate change, as tough negotiations over the fate of fossil fuels began.

India's Modi offers to host UN climate talks in 2028

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered Friday to host the UN's COP33 climate conference in 2028.

King Charles says COP28 must be climate 'turning point'

King Charles III told world leaders on Friday that the UN's COP28 climate talks in Dubai must be a "critical turning point" in the fight against climate change, with "genuine transformational action".

Horn of Africa floods displace more than two million

More than two million people across the Horn of Africa have been forced from their homes by torrential rains and floods, according to an AFP tally compiled Thursday from government and UN figures.

COP28 opens with 'historic' launch of loss and damage fund

Nearly 200 nations agreed Thursday to launch a fund to support countries hit by global warming, in a "historic" moment at the start of UN climate talks in the oil-rich UAE.

UAE COP28 chief says fossil fuels must be part of climate deal

The Emirati host of the UN climate conference said Thursday that fossil fuels must be part of any deal as the crucial negotiations on global warming opened in Dubai.

German govt loses key climate court case

The German government on Thursday lost a key climate case brought by environmental groups, in an embarrassing slap down the day before Chancellor Olaf Scholz was due to travel to the COP28 climate summit.

Global warming casts cloud over Winter Olympics future

As global warming and prohibitive costs threaten the long-term future of the Winter Olympics, organisers know they must soften their demands in order to retain a pool of potential hosts for the decades to come.

COP28 talks no place to boost fossil fuels says ex-UN climate boss

The UN's former climate chief said she was "giving up hope" that fossil fuel firms will be part of the solution to warming as pivotal COP28 talks start Thursday in oil-rich United Arab Emirates.

US vice president to talk climate, Gaza at Dubai summit

US Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the UN climate summit in Dubai and meet regional officials on the Israel-Hamas conflict, the White House said Wednesday, after US President Joe Biden faced pushback for not going.

Climate change worsened Chinese extreme heat and flooding event in 2020: study

Man-made global warming exacerbated an incident of extreme flooding and heat in eastern China in 2020, according to a study released Wednesday, which highlighted the need to prepare for increasingly intense episodes of such weather in the country.

UAE to pump CO2 into rock as carbon capture debate rages

High in remote mountains in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, a new plant will soon take atmospheric CO2 and pump it into rock -- part of controversial attempts to target planet-heating emissions without abandoning fossil fuels.

COP28 puts out welcome mat to lobbyists

"All views are welcome. All views are needed," declared Sultan Al Jaber, president of the UN's COP28 and head of the Emirates state oil and gas company in the run-up to the climate talks in Dubai.

Virgin set for first long-haul flight with low-carbon fuel

British airline Virgin Atlantic on Tuesday operates the first transatlantic flight powered entirely by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), but environmental groups criticised the event as "greenwashing".

A dozen dead in storm across Russia, Ukraine and Moldova

Hurricane force winds, snowfall and flooding that swept parts of southern Russia, Ukraine and Moldova left at least 13 people dead Monday and almost two million without power, authorities said.

US defends 'robust' COP28 team despite Biden snub

The White House said on Monday a "robust" US delegation would attend a key UN climate summit in Dubai despite the fact that President Joe Biden is planning to miss it.

Extreme rainfall increases exponentially with global warming: study

State-of-the-art climate models drastically underestimate how much extreme rainfall increases under global warming, according to a study published Monday that signals a future of more frequent catastrophic floods unless humanity curbs greenhouse emissions.

Disease stalks Somali district ravaged by floods

The floodwaters in the southwestern Somali district of Dolow may have started to recede -- for now -- but distraught families who have lost their homes, their livelihoods in the muddy deluge are now at risk of potentially fatal disease.

70 perish in Kenya flood 'emergency': Ruto

Seventy people have perished in widespread flooding in Kenya that has also driven tens of thousands of people from their homes, President William Ruto said on Saturday, describing it as an "emergency situation".

Three positive climate developments

While humanity's efforts to curb planet-warming emissions are nowhere near enough to avoid heating the world to catastrophic levels, tentative improvements show that progress is possible.

Oil firms face 'moment of truth' in climate crisis: IEA

Oil and gas firms will face a crucial choice at UN climate talks next week between contributing to the climate crisis or embracing the clean energy transition, the International Energy Agency said Thursday.

From drought to deluge: Kenyan villagers reel from floods

Days after floodwaters swallowed her home in eastern Kenya, Fatuma Hassan Gumo waded through thigh-deep murky water to collect her only remaining possessions -- floating utensils.

Climate conspiracy theories flourish ahead of COP28

Climate conspiracy theories are flourishing with lifestyle influencers joining in the misinformation war and scientists hounded on social media, researchers say, as pressure rises on leaders at the COP28 summit.

Maldives to battle rising seas by building fortress islands

Rising sea levels threaten to swamp the Maldives and the Indian Ocean archipelago is already out of drinking water, but the new president says he has scrapped plans to relocate citizens.

Earth to warm up to 2.9C even with current climate pledges: UN

Countries' greenhouse gas-cutting pledges put Earth on track for warming far beyond key limits, potentially up to a catastrophic 2.9 degrees Celsius this century, the UN said Monday, warning "we are out of road".

World's richest 1% emit as much carbon as bottom two-thirds: report

The richest one percent of the global population are responsible for the same amount of carbon emissions as the world's poorest two-thirds, or five billion people, according to an analysis published Sunday by the nonprofit Oxfam International.

At least 21 dead in torrential Dominican Republic rains

At least 21 people, including three children, died after heavy rainfall inundated the Dominican Republic over the weekend, authorities said Sunday.

Kenya's economy faces climate change risks: World Bank

The impacts of climate change could shave up to seven percent off Kenya's economic output by 2050 compared to baseline forecasts, unless it adapts, the World Bank warned on Friday.

Flash floods kill 100 in Horn of Africa: charity

More than 100 people, including 16 children, have died and over 700,000 been forced out of their homes in the Horn of Africa due to flash flooding, the British charity Save the Children said Thursday.

Oil, gas giants could pay climate damage and still profit: research

Major oil and gas companies such as Aramco, ExxonMobil and Shell could have paid for their share of the damage caused by climate change and still earned trillions of dollars in profit, researchers said on Thursday.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Weather (English)