Environment

Amazon nears climate ‘tipping point’ faster than expected

by Marlowe HOOD PARIS, France (AFP) — Hammered by climate change and relentless deforestation, the Amazon rainforest is losing its capacity to recover and could irretrievably transition into savannah, with dire consequences for the region and the world, according to a study published Monday. Researchers warned that the results mean the Amazon could be approaching a so-called “tipping point” faster than previously understood. Analysing 25 years of satellite data, researchers measured for the first time […]

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Chile creates national park to save glaciers

SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) – Chile said Saturday it is creating a vast national park to protect hundreds of glaciers that are melting due to climate change. The new National Glacier Park will cover 75,000 hectares of Andes mountain land about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the capital Santiago, President Sebastian Pinera said at a ceremony announcing its creation. “We are managing to protect 368 glaciers,” the president said. These masses of permanent ice hold 32 […]

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Probe accuses Swiss mining firm of hiding Guatemala pollution

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AFP) – Two subsidiaries of Swiss mining company Solway Investment Group hid reports of pollution in an indigenous area of northeastern Guatemala, an international consortium of media companies said Sunday. The “Mining Secrets” investigation — in which 65 journalists from 15 countries participated — also accused Solway subsidiaries Guatemalan Nickel Company (CGN) and PRONICO of intimidation and influence peddling. The investigation run by the Forbidden Stories NGO “reveals the strategies that Solway […]

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America is finally cleaning up its abandoned, leaking oil wells

by Chris Stein Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Bill Suan bought his family’s cattle farm in the mountains of West Virginia a decade-and-a-half ago with little thought for the two gas wells drilled on the property — but then they started leaking oil onto his fields and sickening his cows. After taking the operator to court, Suan was successful in plugging one well, but the company has since disappeared, leaving him to […]

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In Cameroon’s arid north, climate stress boosts ethnic strife

by Adrien MAROTTE Agence France-Presse MAROUA, Cameroon (AFP) – Their homes are a scattering of huts made of branches and dry leaves that seem to almost dissolve into the arid landscape. A group of men sit on a rug, conversing in the shade of a tree, while women perching on stones under the scorching Sahel sun prepare a meal with the few ingredients they have to hand, as children play nearby. These are some of […]

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Australia orders 200,000 to flee floods moving towards Sydney

by Maddison Connaughton Agence France-Presse NEWCASTLE, Australia (AFP) – Australia’s emergency services ordered 200,000 people to flee from the path of a wild storm that lurched towards Sydney Thursday after killing 13 people in more than a week of record-setting floods along the east coast. Authorities issued severe rain and wind warnings for a 400-kilometre (250-mile) stretch of coast as water levels rose rapidly — including in suburbs around Sydney, Australia’s largest city and home […]

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Bolsonaro proposes Amazon mining over fertilizer shortages

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday proposed lifting a ban on mining in indigenous territories in the Amazon to offset potential fertilizer shortages due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The far-right leader said that mineral extraction in indigenous territories — something vehemently opposed by those local communities and environmentalists — was necessary to avoid dependence on imported products. “With the Russia/Ukraine war we now face the risk of a lack of […]

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Ford unveils new structure as it speeds electric car push

by John BIERS Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – Ford announced Wednesday it is creating separate businesses for its conventional and electric-auto operations, as it accelerates its build-out of emission-free vehicles. Under the plan, which sent Ford shares sharply higher, the conventional internal combustion operations will be known as “Ford Blue,” while the electric vehicle (EV) products will be run through “Ford Model e.” The reorganization, while significant, keeps both operations under the […]

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UN to take first step towards ‘historic’ plastic treaty

by Nick Perry Agence France-Presse NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) – The United Nations is to launch formal negotiations on Wednesday for a global treaty to address a plastic trash “epidemic” that supporters say is a historic moment for the planet. The UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), convening in Nairobi, is poised to adopt a resolution creating an intergovernmental committee to negotiate and finalise a legally binding agreement by 2024. The amount of plastic trash entering the oceans […]

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UN urged to tackle plastic trash ‘epidemic’ with treaty

NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) – The United Nations opened an environment summit in Nairobi on Monday where nations are being urged to adopt the blueprint for a landmark global treaty to reduce plastic pollution. Representatives from more than 100 nations are expected to agree on a broad template for a world-first treaty on plastic waste over three days of in-person and virtual deliberations. The UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) was told plastic had been found on the remotest […]

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Ukraine crisis challenges oil industry caution at high prices

by John BIERS Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – As commodity prices soar, the Ukraine crisis has prompted demands from petroleum lobbies for a reboot of US energy policy to promote domestic oil and gas production. But recent history suggests Wall Street may be an even bigger barrier than Washington to increased exploration and production. As oil prices have risen over the last year — including Thursday’s brief surge above $100 a barrel […]

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Australia’s gas and mining emissions higher than estimated: report

by Maddison Connaughton Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Gas and mining projects in Australia are emitting significantly more greenhouse gases than their operators promised, with an environmental group reporting Thursday that one pipeline was releasing 20 times the initial estimate. During an 18-month investigation, researchers from the Australian Conservation Foundation found one-in-five fossil fuel companies reporting their emissions had exceeded the amount approved by the government. One gas pipeline in the state of Queensland, operated […]

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