Environment

Threat from sand and dust storms spreading: UN

The UN warned Wednesday that the number of sand and dust storms are increasing “dramatically” with Central Asia most hit by the dangerous phenomena. Toxic sand storms have plagued parts of desert and steppe covered Central Asia and North Africa and the UN said they are a threat to life. The UN’s Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is meeting for five days in the historic city of Samarkand, just under a week before the COP28 […]

Heat projected to kill nearly five times more people by 2050

By Daniel Lawler Nearly five times more people will likely die due to extreme heat in the coming decades, an international team of experts warned on Wednesday, adding that without action on climate change the “health of humanity is at grave risk”. Lethal heat was just one of the many ways the world’s still-increasing use of fossil fuels threatens human health, according to The Lancet Countdown, a major annual assessment carried out by leading researchers […]

South Asia worst in world for water scarcity: UN

NEW DELHI, Nov 13, 2023 (AFP) – More children in South Asia are struggling due to severe water scarcity made worse by the impacts of climate change than anywhere else worldwide, the United Nations said Monday. “A staggering 347 million children under 18 are exposed to high or extremely high water scarcity in South Asia, the highest number among all regions in the world,” the UN children’s agency said in a report. The eight-nation region, […]

All 40 workers in India tunnel collapse ‘safe’

DEHRADUN, India, Nov 13, 2023 (AFP) – Rescue workers in northern India said Monday they had made contact with 40 workers trapped for over 24 hours after the road tunnel they were building collapsed. “All the 40 workers trapped inside the tunnel are safe,” Karamveer Singh Bhandari, a senior commander in the National Disaster Response Force told AFP, from the site in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. “We sent them water and food.” The collapse […]

Critically endangered Sumatran elephant born in Indonesia

A critically endangered Sumatran elephant was born in western Indonesia over the weekend, according to officials, giving renewed hope to conservation efforts after several other baby elephant and rhino births in recent months. Weighing about 108 kilograms (238 pounds), the yet-to-be-named male calf was born at the Way Kambas National Park in Lampung province in southern Sumatra, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry said Sunday. The calf was in good health and his mother Riska […]

Endangered sea turtles get second life at Tunisian centre

By Aymen JAMLI SFAX, Tunisia, Nov 13, 2023 (AFP) – A crowd has gathered to see off Rose, a loggerhead sea turtle, who labours across the Tunisian sand to rejoin the waters of the Mediterranean. For the last month, Rose has been recovering at the First Aid Sea Turtle Center in the coastal city of Sfax after she was ensnared in a fishing net. The facility, one of two in North Africa, is run by […]

Endangered Galapagos tortoises suffer from human waste: study

QUITO, Nov 9, 2023 (AFP) – Endangered giant Galapagos tortoises continue to swallow plastic and other human waste despite a ban on disposable plastic items in the Ecuadoran archipelago, according to a study published Wednesday. Turtles of the species Chelonoidis porteri ingest plastic in and around urban centers on the island of Santa Cruz, according to the study by the Charles Darwin Foundation, which is dedicated to conservation efforts in the Galapagos. Researchers analyzed 5,500 […]

China says climate talks with US a success

BEIJING, Nov 9, 2023 (AFP) – China said Thursday that climate talks with the United States had been a success, following talks aimed at strengthening cooperation between the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters. The talks between the top officials come ahead of a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week, as the two powers seek to improve ties after years of frosty relations. Beijing’s Ministry of Ecology and […]

Hottest October on record as 2023 on track to be warmest year in history

By Kelly MACNAMARA PARIS, Nov 8, 2023 (AFP) – Last month was the hottest October on record globally, Europe’s climate monitor said Wednesday, as months of exceptional heat are likely to make 2023 the warmest year in history. With temperatures soaring beyond previous averages by exceptional margins, scientists say the pressure on world leaders to curb planet-heating greenhouse gas pollution has never been more urgent as they prepare to meet in Dubai for the UN […]

‘Air-pocalypse’: Indian capital launches ‘Green War Room’

By Abhaya SRIVASTAVA NEW DELHI, Nov 3, 2023 (AFP) – The enemy is nearly invisible and there are no soldiers, but the Indian capital’s new “Green War Room” is battling air pollution that is cutting lives of residents by over a decade. “It’s a pollution emergency”, said Gopal Rai, environment minister for the rapidly expanding megacity of over 20 million people, consistently ranked the world’s worst capital for air quality. Rai dubs the problem an […]

Australian police arrest woman suspected of poisoning family with mushrooms

By Sharon MARRIS SYDNEY, Nov 2, 2023 (AFP) – Australian police on Thursday arrested the woman at the centre of a mushroom meal mystery that left three people dead and a local preacher fighting for his life. The arrest of Erin Patterson, 49, is the latest twist in a saga that has gripped the nation and thrust the spotlight on the small rural town of Leongatha, 110 kilometres (70 miles) southeast of Melbourne. Detective Inspector […]

Flooding, heavy rain kill three in Vietnam

HANOI, November 1, 2023 (AFP) – Three people died after days of heavy rain in central and north Vietnam that flooded homes and submerged roads, disaster management authorities said Tuesday. Access to several communities in central Ha Tinh province has been cut off, while the police and military have been mobilised to rescue people from high-risk areas. A woman and a 13-year-old boy were found dead in the province after being swept away by strong […]