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by Daniel Lawler Agence France Presse Climate change will drive animals towards cooler areas where their first encounters with other species will vastly increase the risk of new viruses infecting humans, raising the threat of another pandemic, researchers warned Thursday. There are currently at least 10,000 viruses that have the capacity to cross over into humans “circulating silently” among wild mammals, mostly in the depths of tropical forests, according to a study published in […]
by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Europe endured record extreme weather in 2021, from the hottest day and the warmest summer to deadly wildfires and flooding, the European Union’s climate monitoring service reported Friday. While Earth’s surface was nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels last year, Europe saw an average increase of more than two degrees, a threshold beyond which dangerous extreme weather events become more likely and […]
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) – More electric vehicles and green energy were among the measures Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laid out Tuesday under a multibillion-dollar plan for how Canada will meet its carbon emissions target. In a speech in Vancouver announcing Can$9.1 billion (US$7.3 billion) in climate actions, the prime minister linked Europe’s desire to wean itself off Russian oil and gas after the invasion of Ukraine to a broader global push toward renewable energy. “The […]
by Florian CAZERES Agence France-Presse RIBBECK, Germany (AFP) – As Germany scrambles to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, the pungent fumes from the manure and other organic waste in Peter Kaim’s farm could be part of the solution. An hour’s drive west of Berlin, a strong smell emanates from three large cylinders in the middle of a muddy field on Kaim’s property shared with 100 dairy cows. Every day, tonnes of organic waste — […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – The Australian coastal enclave of Byron Bay, best known for its celebrity residents and idyllic beaches, was inundated by floodwaters Wednesday as severe storms battered stretches of the country’s east. Torrential rain that began Monday proved unrelenting, with more than 250 millimetres (9.8 inches) falling in the area in 24 hours, forcing many shops in the Byron Bay town centre to close as roads were cut off by rising water levels. […]
by Laurent Lozano Agence France-Presse DAKAR, Senegal (AFP) – Many residents of the Senegalese metropolis Dakar get up in the middle of the night hoping to collect water from their taps, which mostly run dry. “We wake up at 4 or 5 am to get water, says Sidy Fall, 44, in her kitchen in a working-class neighbourhood, filled with large bottles of stored water. If she doesn’t get up in time, the water often runs […]
by Nick Perry Agence France-Presse NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) – “Plastic still has value,” said Nzambi Matee of the mountains of discarded oil drums, laundry buckets, yoghurt tubs and other trash being shredded into colourful flakes at her Nairobi factory. “I believe that plastic is one of the misunderstood materials.” The 30-year-old Kenyan engineer and inventor would know: her start-up recycles tonnes of plastic destined for landfill into eco-friendly bricks that are stronger, cheaper and lighter […]
by Joshua Howat Berger Agence France-Presse RIO DE JANERIRO, Brazil (AFP) – Cold beer in hand, the sun shining, Edson Rocha seems to have everything for a beautiful day at the beach. In front of him, emerald hills cascade into Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay; to the right is the Brazilian seaside city’s majestic Sugarloaf Mountain; above, the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue outstretches his arms, as if to embrace the perfect beauty of it […]
by Laure FILLON Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – After the world missed almost all of its targets to protect fast-dwindling nature for the last decade, observers following a new round of negotiations are focusing as much on how goals will be put in place as the headline targets. Nearly 200 nations are taking part in talks until Tuesday, aimed at fine-tuning a draft text to preserve biodiversity by 2050, with key milestones at 2030, […]
LEON, Nicaragua (AFP) – It took Ana Muller half an hour to trek to the peak of the Cerro Negro volcano, a small effort given the reward on offer at Nicaragua’s top tourist attraction: volcano boarding. The active Cerro Negro is just 728 meters (2,400 feet) high, but sliding down its ash-covered slopes on a board is a 40-second thrill that allows participants to say they have surfed a volcano. “It is a unique experience,” […]
QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) – An unusually long, intense and destructive rainy season in Ecuador has left 52 people dead and more than 100 injured, officials there said Saturday. In addition, more than 27,000 people were affected by flooding, landslides and building collapses over the past six months, said the National Risk Management Service. Every one of Ecuador’s 24 provinces was affected — with the exception of the Galapagos archipelago, 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) off the […]
by Ismail Bellaouali Agence France-Presse RABAT, Morocco (AFP) – As Morocco withers under its worst drought in 40 years, experts warn that a combination of climate change and bad resource management could trigger severe drinking water shortages. “The country hasn’t seen a situation like this since the start of the 1980s,” said water policy expert Abderrahim Hendouf. While it was usually farmers who bore the brunt of repeated droughts in the North African kingdom, today […]
