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White House unveils new climate goals weeks before Trump's return

President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday unveiled a new climate target under the landmark Paris accord, just weeks before Donald Trump's return to the White House threatens to upend US efforts to combat global warming.

UN experts urge three 'transformations' for nature

Human societies need a radical overhaul to stop the destruction of the planet, according to the UN biodiversity expert panel's "transformative change" report released Wednesday.

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A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast

The BBC on Thursday apologised after a graphic incorrectly forecast winds of more than 13,000 miles (20,000 kilometres) per hour in London, as Hurricane Milton battered the US state of Florida.

Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts

Hurricane Milton tore a coast-to-coast path of destruction across the US state of Florida, whipping up a spate of deadly tornadoes that left at least four people dead and millions without power Thursday.

World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts

The hosts of the upcoming UN climate summit urged countries on Thursday not to "waste time" assigning blame over global warming and instead find common ground in tackling the problem.

Florida braces for monster Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton closed in on Florida Wednesday, unleashing tornadoes and threatening a wide swath of the state with life-threatening flooding, as residents made last-minute preparations for impact and the country's top politicians sparred over relief efforts.

One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France

The remnants of Hurricane Kirk swept into western Europe Wednesday, tearing up trees in Portugal and Spain before dumping heavy rains on France that left at least one dead.

Overshooting 1.5C risks 'irreversible' climate impact: study

Any breach of what climate scientists agree is the safer limit on global warming would result in "irreversible consequences" for the planet, said a major academic study published on Wednesday.

Time runs out in Florida to flee Hurricane Milton

Florida residents fled -- or defied warnings and tried to take shelter -- Wednesday in the final hours before Hurricane Milton, a lethal Category 4 storm, roars out of the ocean and tears across the state.

Chad issues warning ahead of more devastating floods

Chad's government on Wednesday called on the public to help tackle deadly flooding brought on by torrential rains and rising water in the river Chari, which cuts through the capital N'Djamena.

A US climate scientist sees hurricane Helene's devastation firsthand

Carl Schreck spent his career studying tropical storms thousands of miles away from home.

Can carbon credits help close coal plants?

A few dozen kilometres from the Philippine capital Manila sits a coal plant that some hope could be a model for how developing countries can quit the polluting fossil fuel.

Milton returns to Category 5 as Florida braces for next hurricane

Storm-battered Florida braced for a direct hit from Hurricane Milton which restrengthened to a Category 5 storm Tuesday, as President Joe Biden begged residents to flee what he warned could be the worst natural disaster to hit the US state in a century.

Stay and 'you are going to die': Florida braces for next hurricane

Weather-weary Florida girded Tuesday for a hit from Hurricane Milton, a monster storm packing furious winds and the threat of walls of water gushing inland.

Hurricane Milton roars towards storm-battered Florida

Hurricane Milton barreled towards Florida as a weakened but still major Category 4 storm on Tuesday, threatening the US state with a second ferocious hurricane in as many weeks.

From Bolivia to Indonesia, deforestation continues apace

Deforestation continued last year at a rate far beyond pledges to end the practice by 2030, according to a major study published Tuesday.

COP29 fight looms over climate funds for developing world

The developing world needs trillions of dollars in climate aid, but who should pay for it? Wealthy nations? Big polluters? Countries that got rich burning fossil fuels? All of the above?

Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night

Roasted by summer temperatures too hot for the beach, Dubai has turned to an innovative solution: opening them at night, complete with floodlights and lifeguards carrying night-vision binoculars.

A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help

The only road to Pensacola, in the remote mountains of western North Carolina, is now a muddy path through deep, twisting gorges. Its main bridges were swept away last week in floods fueled by devastating Hurricane Helene -- and a cold winter is coming.

Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown

Blocking a road to protest inaction against climate change could soon be punishable with prison in Italy as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government cracks down on demonstrations, even peaceful ones.

After Helene's destruction, North Carolina starts to rebuild

When Hurricane Helene roared over the mountains before dawn last week, it brought a maelstrom of water that rose to the mailbox of Shelby Holzhauser's little white house on the banks of the Swannanoa River.

'Devastating' storm hits Augusta National but Masters will go on

Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said Thursday the home of the Masters suffered damage from Hurricane Helene but vowed the tournament will be played next April as planned.

Relief in Brazil, Asia over delay to EU deforestation rules

Brazil's government on Thursday joined Asian palm oil and coffee producers in welcoming a European Union decision to delay implementation of new anti-deforestation rules which had faced strong global pushback.

'Welcome relief': Asia producers hail EU deforestation law delay

Producers from Malaysia's palm oil industry to Vietnam's coffee sector on Thursday welcomed a European Union decision to delay implementation of its anti-deforestation rules.

Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon makes landfall

Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taiwan's south on Thursday, the island's weather agency said, after forcing schools and offices to shut for a second day amid winds and rain that have left two dead and more than 100 injured.

Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land

Taiwan shut down schools and offices for a second day Thursday as Typhoon Krathon pounded the island before its expected landfall, leaving two dead and more than 100 injured.

Supercharged storms: how climate change amplifies cyclones

From Hurricane Helene to Typhoon Yagi, powerful storms are battering the globe, and scientists warn that a warming planet is amplifying their destructive force to unprecedented levels.

Extreme heat another form of death sentence in Texas jails

Prison cells so hot that inmates splash themselves with toilet water. Jails described as ovens where convicts are baked to death.

Droughts drive Spanish boom in pistachio farming

Two decades ago, Miguel Angel Garcia harvested grapes and grains on his farm in central Spain, like his father and grandfather before him.

Thousands evacuated as Super Typhoon Krathon approaches Taiwan

Taiwan closed schools and evacuated thousands of people in the south of the island Tuesday ahead of the arrival of Super Typhoon Krathon as the president warned it was likely cause "catastrophic damage".

With 118 dead from Hurricane Helene, Biden defends US government response

The death toll from a devastating storm that battered the southeastern United States climbed to 118 on Monday, as the disaster became a hot topic in an already bitter election campaign, with the White House angrily refuting claims it had been slow to respond.

As toll crosses 100, Trump puts Hurricane Helene at election center stage

Donald Trump sought to turn a storm that killed more than 100 people and caused destructive flooding across the US southeast into a major presidential election issue Monday, as he hurried to the impact zone and the White House refuted criticism of its emergency response.

100 dead in storm Helene damage, flooding across US southeast

At least 100 people have been killed after destructive floods ripped through the US southeast, officials said Monday, with the emergency response effort fast becoming a political football in a region that could decide the presidential election.

Nepal's urban poor count cost of 'nightmare' floods

When floodwaters submerged large swathes of Nepal's capital, Indra Prasad Timilsina was able to save the three cows that keep his family fed -- but everything else was claimed by the river.

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