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by Sara HUSSEIN Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Warmer seas caused by climate change are making hurricanes stronger for longer after landfall, increasing the destruction they can wreak on impact, a new study has found. Researchers warn the finding suggests inland communities — which may be less prepared than coastal regions to face hurricanes — are increasingly at risk. The effects of climate change on tropical storms including hurricanes are still being studied, although […]
by Mikhail FLORES MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — A gardening craze dubbed “plantdemic” has spread across the Philippines after coronavirus restrictions fuelled demand for greenery, sending plant prices soaring and sparking a rise in poaching from public parks and protected forests. Photos of delicate flowers and broad-leafed foliage cultivated in backyards and on balconies have flooded social media as housebound Filipinos turn to nature to relieve stress and boredom. “It’s unbelievable. People are super interested […]
by Eléonore HUGHES Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The world’s biggest iceberg is on a collision course with a remote South Atlantic island that is home to thousands of penguins and seals, and could impede their ability to gather food, scientists told AFP Wednesday. Icebergs naturally break off from Antarctica into the ocean, but climate change has accelerated the process — in this case, with potentially devastating consequences for abundant wildlife in the British […]
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lanka’s navy and volunteers rescued 120 pilot whales stranded in the country’s biggest mass beaching, but at least two injured animals were found dead, officials said. Sailors from the navy and the coastguard along with local volunteers pushed back at least 120 whales by dawn Tuesday after a gruelling overnight rescue, navy spokesman Indika de Silva said. The school of short-finned pilot whales washed ashore at Panadura, 25 kilometres […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Wednesday insisted its close partnership with the United States was in safe hands whoever comes out on top of the tumultuous presidential election, while noting disaccord over the Paris climate pact. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a populist ally of President Donald Trump, stayed up into the night to follow the results coming in, according to a Downing Street spokesman. But Johnson refused to be drawn in parliament when […]
by Issam AHMED Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON D.C., United States (AFP) — The United States left the Paris accord on Wednesday, becoming the first country to ever withdraw from an international climate change pact as the fate of its presidential election hangs in the balance. It may prove to be a temporary blip before a Joe Biden administration rejoins the agreement. Otherwise, the global effort to rein in the Earth’s warming will have to proceed without […]
MINSK, Belarus (AFP) — Belarus on Tuesday launched its controversial Russia-built nuclear power station despite safety concerns from neighbouring Baltic states three decades after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. A string of incidents during construction of the nuclear power station has raised questions over its safety among EU countries, particularly neighbouring Lithuania. The launch comes as Belarus strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko faces historic protests over his claim to victory in August presidential polls which Western leaders […]
by Andrew BEATTY / with Holly Robertson in Brisbane Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s ANZ became the country’s last major bank to walk away from thermal coal investments Thursday, delivering a fresh blow to a sector facing export market upheaval and widespread public hostility. The bank said that from 2030 it would no longer finance thermal coal mines or coal-fired power stations, joining Australia’s other “big four” banks who have already made similar […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian conservationists have slammed plans to turn the home of endangered Komodo dragons into a Jurassic Park-style attraction, after a viral photo showing one of the giant reptiles sparked an online backlash over the development. Nearly 3,000 of the world’s biggest lizard species live on a cluster of islands east of Bali, where they grow to around three metres (10 feet) in length and weigh up to 90 kilograms (200 pounds). Authorities […]
by Jeremie Richard Agence France-Presse LANGJOKULL, Glacier, Iceland (AFP) — Instead of a slow slog on snowshoes, a giant bus sweeps passengers at up to 60 kilometres an hour across Iceland’s second largest glacier, which scientists predict will likely be nearly gone by the end of the century. The red glacier mega bus is 15 metres (50-foot) long and fitted with massive tyres for traction across the powder snow of western Iceland’s vast Langjokull ice […]
by John BIERS Agence France-Presse FLINT, Michigan (AFP) — Authorities say Flint’s water meets federal safety guidelines, outperforming comparable cities. Residents remain unconvinced. On a Tuesday morning this month, blocks and blocks of cars waited near a church in the eastern part of the Midewestern city to receive value packs of bottled water. These giveaways still happen three days a week, some six years after residents began complaining that a decision to supply the city […]
by Jordane BERTRAND Agence France Presse MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AFP) — Under stress from a historic drought, large swathes of forest and wetlands in central South America known for their exceptional biodiversity have been ravaged by devastating fires. Experts say the wildfires in a region that spans Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay — especially the region between the Paraguay, Parana and Uruguay rivers — have become critical in 2020. “There has been a dramatic […]
