Environment
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Earth is exceeding its “safe operating space for humanity” in six of nine key measurements of its health, and two of the remaining three are headed in the wrong direction, a new study said. Earth’s climate, biodiversity, land, fresh water, nutrient pollution and “novel” chemicals (human-made compounds like microplastics and nuclear waste) are all out […]
GABORONE, BOTSWANA — The Botswana government responded to criticism from an anti-hunting activist, saying the number of elephants legally killed by hunters since the lifting of a hunting ban in 2019 is negligible. South Africa-based activist Adam Cruise recently published a report titled “Trophy Hunting in Botswana: a tale of declining wildlife, corruption, exploitation and impoverishment.” […]
HAMBURG, GERMANY — Leaders of nine small island states turned to the U.N. maritime court on Monday to seek protection of the world’s oceans from catastrophic climate change that threatens the very existence of entire countries. The island states are asking the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to determine if carbon dioxide […]
HONG KONG — The Asian financial hub of Hong Kong was drenched on Friday by the heaviest rain since records began 140 years ago, killing one person and injuring 83, media reported, as unusually wet weather caused by typhoons brought more disruption to southern China. Videos showed cascades of water surging down steep hillsides in the […]
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon fell 66.1% in August to its lowest level for the month since 2018, Environment Minister Marina Silva said on Tuesday, in a significant mark for its environmental policy as destruction often spikes this time of year. Satellite data from Brazilian space research agency INPE indicated that 563 square kilometers of rainforest […]
NAIROBI — Much of the world takes daily weather forecasts for granted. But most of Africa’s 1.3 billion people live with little advance knowledge of what’s to come. That can be both deadly and expensive, with damage running in the billions of dollars. The first Africa Climate Summit opens Monday in Kenya to highlight the continent […]
GABORONE, BOTSWANA — The elephant population in southern Africa has increased by 5% since 2016 to nearly 228,000, according to results of a first ever aerial census conducted last year. However, there are concerns over the animals’ mortality rate. The elephants are mostly found in a large conservation area, the Kavango Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area, or […]
SYDNEY — Releasing helium balloons and the use of thick shopping bags will be banned starting Friday in parts of Australia as state authorities there impose more restrictions on single-use plastic. Releasing helium balloons into the sky is now banned in the Australian state of Queensland. Research has shown that plastic balloons are a significant threat […]
PARIS — The European Union’s fossil fuel energy production hit a record low the first half of the year, think tank Ember Climate reported Wednesday, although green sources are struggling to fill the gap. The decline in coal and gas generation was driven by a drop in electricity consumption across the bloc of 4.6% amid […]
When members of the marine mammal team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare rush to a Cape Cod beach to help a stranded dolphin or porpoise, they have no choice but to treat the endangered animal on site and then immediately release it. That is about to change. The organization, which protects animals worldwide, […]
