Environment

UN adopts resolution promoting bicycles to combat climate change

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – The 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday supporting bicycles as a tool for combatting climate change. The resolution, proposed by Turkmenistan, was passed unanimously and like all General Assembly resolutions is non-binding. It calls on member states to “integrate the bicycle into public transportation, in urban and rural settings in developing and developed countries.” Increasing cycling through improved road safety and the promotion […]

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Landslide in Peruvian Andes buries dozens of homes

by Carlos MANDUJANO Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) – A landslide on Tuesday in the northern Peruvian town of Retamas has buried dozens of homes and trapped at least 15 people, according to authorities. A video circulating on social media shows a hill’s collapse, and the person filming can be heard screaming “No! God! It’s all buried.” Manuel Llempen, the governor of the La Libertad region where Retamas is located, told RPP radio that “the […]

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Ford accelerates electric car push in Europe

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – US carmaker Ford on Monday said it would offer seven new electric vehicle models in Europe by 2024 and expand operations in Germany, Romania and Turkey. Ford last month created a new business dedicated to electric cars, and said it aims to sell more than 600,000 of these vehicles annually in Europe alone by 2026, as part of a larger goal of selling two million electric cars worldwide by […]

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Private jets soar past global pandemic, oil price woes

by Nathalie OLOF-ORS Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – Airlines may find themselves swept up in unprecedented turbulence — with air travel shunned over climate concerns, plagued by pandemic shutdowns and soaring oil prices — but for private jet operators, business is booming. The appeal of private jets has taken off since the start of the pandemic, amid fear of catching Covid-19 and as widespread cancellations and stringent measures have turned flying commercial into a […]

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France announces 2.0-bn-euro fuel aid package

by Jérémy MAROT / Juliette VILROBE Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – The French government has announced a package worth 2.0 billion euros ($2.2 billion) to help consumers struggling with soaring fuel prices, with the cost of filling up set to be cut at the pump. French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced late Saturday that petrol and diesel prices would be reduced by 15 centimes per litre. The bill will be slashed by this amount […]

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Four killed in Malaysia landslide due to ‘unusual’ heavy rains

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) – Four people were killed after a massive landslide triggered by “unusual” heavy rains buried their homes in a township outside the Malaysian capital, a senior rescue official said Friday. Malaysia has been experiencing heavy rains over the past few weeks, which officials and environmentalists say is unusual at this time of year and could be the result of climate change. Norazam Khamis, the emergency services chief of Selangor state, said […]

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Thailand makes green push with floating hydro-solar power project

by Pathom SANGWONGWANICH Agence France-Presse UBON RATCHATHANI, Thailand (AFP) – A vast array of solar panels floats on the shimmering waters of a reservoir in northeast Thailand, symbolising the kingdom’s drive towards clean energy as it seeks carbon neutrality by 2050. The immense installation, covering 720,000 square metres of water surface, is a hybrid system that converts sunlight to electricity by day and generates hydropower at night. Touted by the authorities as the “world’s largest […]

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Brazil stars protest Bolsonaro environmental policy

by Marcelo SILVA Agence France-Presse Brasília, Brazil (AFP) – Iconic Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso led a star-studded protest Wednesday against President Jair Bolsonaro’s environmental policy, seeking to block a series of bills that activists say would be devastating for the Amazon rainforest and beyond. Thousands of protesters flooded the square at the seat of power in Brasilia, brandishing a giant inflatable turtle, bird and other animals and urging Congress to vote down what they call […]

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Will Ukraine war help or hinder green energy transition?

by Catherine HOURS / Julien MIVIELLE Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Despite fears that the energy price shock unleashed by Russia’s war in Ukraine will put climate ambitions on the back burner, the transition to green fuels is more relevant than ever to reduce dependence on Russian hydrocarbons. Coal no longer a taboo As the United States imposes an embargo on Russian oil, the European Union and other countries are seeking to wean themselves […]

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Fukushima region forges renewable future after nuclear disaster

by Etienne BALMER and Harumi OZAWA Agence France-Presse NAMIE, Japan (AFP) – Solar farms along tsunami-ravaged coastlines, green energy “micro-grids” and the experimental production of non-polluting hydrogen: 11 years after its nuclear nightmare, Japan’s Fukushima region is investing in a renewable future. On March 11, 2011, an earthquake unleashed a deadly tsunami on northeastern Japan, triggering a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant and forcing mass evacuations over radiation fears. One year later, Fukushima’s regional […]

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Australia floods force tens of thousands to evacuate

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Sydney residents have been told to evacuate their homes as severe storms and flash flooding inundated swathes of Australia’s largest city Tuesday. The national weather bureau warned of “a tough 48 hours ahead” for the city, with 60,000 people subject to evacuation orders and warnings across the affected areas, according to emergency services. The death toll from a week of what officials have called “unprecedented” floods across […]

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‘Chemical recycling’ of plastic slammed by environmental group

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Most plastic “advanced recycling” plants in the United States aren’t actually recycling plastic but instead converting it into a dirty fuel, while producing toxic waste in low-income communities, a study by a leading environmental group said Monday. Advanced recycling, also known as chemical recycling, is a relatively new technique touted by industry groups that breaks plastic down to its molecular building blocks. It is said to be able to […]

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