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by Bahira Amin Agence France Presse Cairo, Egypt (AFP) — Entrepreneurial young Egyptians are helping combat their country’s huge plastic waste problem by recycling junk-food wrappers, water bottles and similar garbage that usually ends up in landfills or the Nile. At a factory on the outskirts of Cairo, run by their startup TileGreen, noisy machines gobble up huge amounts of plastic scraps of all colours, shred them and turn them into a thick liquid. The […]
by Kelly MACNAMARA Agence France Presse Paris, France (AFP) — The runaway collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet — which would trigger catastrophic sea level rise — is not “inevitable”, scientists said Monday following research that tracked the region’s recent response to climate change. As global temperatures rise, there is mounting concern that warming could trigger so-called tipping points that set off irreversible melting of the world’s massive ice sheets and ultimately lift oceans […]
Geneva, Switzerland (AFP) by Nina LARSON The past eight years were the hottest since records began, the United Nations confirmed Thursday, despite the cooling influence of a drawn-out La Nina weather pattern. Last year, as the world faced a cascade of unprecedented natural disasters made more likely and deadly by climate change, the average global temperature was about 1.15 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the World Meteorological Organization said. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan plans to start releasing more than a million tons of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean this year, a top government spokesman said Friday. The plan has been endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but the government will wait for “a comprehensive report” by the UN watchdog before the release, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. Cooling systems at the plant […]
by Sébastien VUAGNAT Agence France-Presse MONTECITO, United States (AFP) — A California town that is home to Britain’s Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle was ordered evacuated on Monday, with firefighters warning mudslides could engulf homes. Montecito, a town of about 9,000 people that is also a favorite of American entertainment royalty such as Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston, was expected to get up to eight inches (20 centimeters) of rain in 24 hours — […]
The ozone layer that shields life on Earth from deadly solar radiation is on track to recover within decades, but controversial geoengineering schemes to blunt global warming could reverse that progress, a major scientific assessment warned Monday. The ozone layer is situated in the stratosphere at 15 kilometres altitude and protects Earth from the Sun’s ultra-violet radiation. Without it there’d be no plants, no animals… none of us would be here! A natural shield comes […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – Pakistan will ask Monday for billions in international support towards its recovery from the aftermath of last year’s devastating floods and to help it better resist climate change. To meet the huge needs, Pakistan and the United Nations will co-host an international conference in Geneva, urging countries, organizations and businesses to step up with financial and other support towards a long-term recovery and resilience plan. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UN […]
by Lucie AUBOURG Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Half of the Earth’s glaciers, notably smaller ones, are destined to disappear by the end of the century because of climate change, but limiting global warming could save others, according to a new study. The findings, published in the journal Science on Thursday, provide the most comprehensive look so far at the future of the world’s 215,000 glaciers. The authors emphasized the importance of restricting […]
by Huw GRIFFITH Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Flood watches were in place over a swathe of California on Thursday after a powerful storm dumped several inches (centimeters) of rain, with forecasters warning of yet another incoming front. Central and northern parts of the state were walloped overnight Wednesday as a bomb cyclone, fueled by a moisture-laden atmospheric river, unleashed torrents of rain on already-soaked ground. The rainfall resulted in localized flooding, […]
by Huw GRIFFITH Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A bomb cyclone smashed into California on Wednesday, bringing powerful winds and torrential rain that was expected to cause flooding in areas already saturated by consecutive storms. Authorities issued ominous warnings of threats to life and property for a vast stretch of the most populous US state, focused around San Francisco and Sacramento. Forecasters said gusts of up to 70 miles (110 kilometers) an […]
Paris, France (AFP) by Daniel Lawler Fish that have lost food due to mass coral bleaching are getting into more unnecessary fights, causing them to expend precious energy and potentially threatening their survival, new research said Wednesday. With the future of the world’s coral reefs threatened by climate change, a team of researchers studied how a mass bleaching event affected 38 species of butterflyfish. The colourfully patterned reef fish are the first to feel the […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The world is getting warmer, winters included. The United States, however, has experienced severe winter storms in recent years, and experts are taking a closer look at the link between these extreme cold events and climate change. While the link between global warming and heat waves is very direct, the behavior of winter storms is governed by complex atmospheric dynamics that are more difficult to study. Even so, “there are certain […]
