Environment

El Nino puts millions in childhood malnutrition: study

by Patrick GALEY Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Changing rain patterns caused by the El Nino warming phenomenon frequently drives millions of children into malnutrition and saddles them with life-long health issues, researchers said Tuesday, calling for action against the “predictable” impact. El Nino is a periodic event that affects global weather patterns, occurring every few years when eastern Pacific Ocean waters get unusually warm, leading to heavy rain in some regions but relative […]

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Nuclear option: Earth’s climate panacea or poison?

by Julien MIVIELLE Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – For its supporters, nuclear energy is the world’s best — perhaps only — hope to avoid catastrophic climate change. Opponents say it is too expensive, too risky and totally unnecessary. Standing between the two camps are those who see atomic power as a necessary evil that will buy the time needed to develop cleaner and safer alternatives. “We don’t have the luxury of choosing one or […]

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In Glasgow, China-US tensions could shape climate future

by Shaun TANDON Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Global momentum is building on the climate crisis but action will be impossible without two nations, China and the United States, which together account for more than half of emissions — and whose governments don’t get along. Ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, experts believe that breakthrough US-China cooperation could be the catalyst for a historic agreement on climate change — but also […]

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Tens of thousands rally in Belgium climate march

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – Tens of thousands of protesters joined the first major climate march in Brussels since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, weeks before a major climate summit. Police said initial estimates suggested at least 25,000 marchers walked a three-kilometre (two-mile) route from the city’s North rail station to the Cinquantenaire Park. Organisers said the number of participants was 70,000. “It is time for systemic change with radical action.  It’s about the survival […]

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Turkish fires endanger world pine honey supplies

by Raziye Akkoc Agence France-Presse COKEK, Turkey (AFP) – Beekeepers Mustafa Alti and his son Fehmi were kept busy tending to their hives before wildfires tore through a bucolic region of Turkey that makes most of the world’s prized pine honey. Now the Altis and generations of other honey farmers in Turkey’s Aegean province of Mugla are scrambling to find additional work and wondering how many decades it might take to get their old lives […]

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Green energy springs from abandoned UK coalmine

by Olivier DEVOS Agence France-Presse Dawdon coalmine in northeast England was abandoned three decades ago, but is being brought back to life as the unlikely setting for a green energy revolution. The carbon-intensive colliery, near the town of Seaham on the windswept northeast English coast, hauled coal from deep underground until its closure in 1991. Dawdon has long since flooded with water because part of the mine is below sea level, and is heated by […]

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UK cracks down on climate change activists before UN summit

by Callum PATON Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain is eager to brandish its environmental credentials before the upcoming COP26 summit, but it is grappling at the same time with mounting protests from climate activists. Direct action group Extinction Rebellion has brought cities to a standstill and vowed to do the same at the UN climate change conference in Glasgow later this month. In recent weeks, a previously unheard-of offshoot, Insulate Britain, has […]

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Surfers sidelined as California races to clean up oil spill

by Paula RAMON Agence France-Presse HUNTINGTON BEACH, United States (AFP) – Beaches normally thronged with the bronzed torsos of surfers are deserted as California races to clean up a huge oil spill. Up to 131,000 gallons of crude could have leaked into the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States when a pipeline ruptured at the weekend. Authorities are investigating whether a ship’s anchor could have ripped open the pipe, dragging it […]

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Iraq, UAE sign deal on 5 solar electricity plants

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) – Power-short Iraq inked an agreement on Wednesday for the UAE to build five solar electricity plants with a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW). Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi presided over the signing in Baghdad with renewable energy company Masdar, which is based in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates capital. Iraq is rich in oil but its dilapidated grid battles daily blackouts. Iraqi authorities aim to sign several similar accords by 2023 […]

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Natural gas market soars to record heights

by Roland JACKSON Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – European and UK gas prices surged Wednesday to record peaks, energised by fears of runaway demand in the upcoming northern hemisphere winter. Europe’s reference Dutch TTF gas price hit 162.12 euros per megawatt hour and UK prices leapt to 407.82 pence per therm in morning deals. However, prices later reversed as supply concerns eased somewhat. “It’s panic and fear with winter just around the corner,” […]

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General Motors says 2023 car will allow mostly hands-free driving

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – General Motors plans to launch in 2023 a premium model that would enable hands-free operation in 95 percent of driving scenarios, the US auto giant announced Wednesday. The technology, called “Ultra Cruise,” is a centerpiece of a newly unveiled plan that the Detroit company says will enable it to double annual revenues by 2030. “The vehicle has become a software platform,” Chief Executive Mary Barra said at a briefing […]

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Rice sacks to runway: India’s battle to rebrand jute

by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA Agence France-Presse JAGATDAL, India (AFP) – From the boutiques of Christian Dior to royal wedding favours, jute is growing in popularity worldwide as demand for alternatives to plastic soars, with experts predicting the bag industry alone will be worth more than $3 billion by 2024. India is desperate to capitalise on this consumer shift and seize the opportunity to revive its flagging industry, expanding it from sacks and gunny bags to fashion. […]

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