HONG KONG, Oct 8, 2023 (AFP) – Hong Kong issued its third-highest storm warning signal on Sunday, prompting the closure of some transport services and schools, as Typhoon Koinu skirted the financial hub, bringing rains and powerful gusts. Koinu comes just a month after the financial hub was lashed by Typhoon Saola, which triggered Hong Kong’s highest “T10” storm alert. A week after that, the city experienced its highest rainfall in nearly 140 years, flooding […]
Tag: climate
Japan climate group urges ban on power company’s ‘CO-2 free’ ads
TOKYO, Oct 6, 2023 (AFP) – A Japanese climate group has filed a petition to stop advertisements by the nation’s biggest power company using the phrases “zero-emissions thermal power” and “CO2-free fire.” Jera, Japan’s largest coal-fired power generation company, plans to use ammonia alongside fossil fuels to generate power at its existing plants and reduce its carbon emissions. But NGO Kiko Network has said the company’s ad campaign fails to mention that the production of […]
Eastern Canada breaks autumn heat records
By Mathiew LEISER MONTREAL, Oct 5, 2023 (AFP) – Eastern Canada shattered heat records this week with temperatures close to 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), worrying experts and everyday people struggling to cope with extreme weather made worse by climate change. “It’s unheard of for a day in October,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Jean-Philippe Begin. “It’s normal to have occasional warm spells, but extreme heat like this is very unusual.” The last three days heat […]
Floods threaten 130 homes in eastern Australia, just 48 hours after bushfires
SYDNEY, Oct 4, 2023 (AFP) – Emergency services warned people to flee floods threatening more than 130 homes in eastern Australia Thursday — in a region swept by bushfires just 48 hours earlier. Heavy rains had swollen the McAllister River in the eastern state of Victoria, threatening rural homes, said David Baker, deputy chief of the state’s emergency service. “We estimate up to around 130 properties may be impacted by this event, hence why we […]
Climate change worsens Bangladesh dengue outbreak, with record deaths
By Shafiqul ALAM DHAKA, Oct 5, 2023 (AFP) – In the crowded fever ward in Bangladesh’s Mugda hospital, every bed is taken, as the country struggles in the grip of its deadliest dengue outbreak. More than 1,000 people have died this year in the nation’s worst recorded spate of the mosquito-borne disease, which scientists say is increasing in frequency due to climate change. In the worst cases, intense viral fevers trigger bleeding, internally or from […]
Japan sees hottest September since records began
TOKYO, Oct 3, 2023 (AFP) – Japan has seen its hottest September since records began 125 years ago, the weather agency said, in a year expected to be the warmest in human history. The scorching September’s average temperature was 2.66 degrees Celsius higher than usual, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Monday. This was “the highest figure since the start of statistics in 1898”, the agency said in a statement. This year is expected to […]
UK equals record for hottest September: Met Office
LONDON, Oct 2, 2023 (AFP) – The UK matched the record last month for the warmest September since records began in 1884, according to provisional figures released by the national weather service on Monday. The mean temperature in September was 15.2 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit), equalling the 2006 record, with the Met Office saying the figures were “substantially influenced” by the impact of climate change. “This September’s temperature records are heavily driven by how significantly […]
State of emergency declared as torrential rains paralyze New York
Heavy rains overnight in the northeastern United States left parts of New York under water on Friday, partially paralyzing subways and airports in America’s financial capital. LaGuardia airport closed down one of its terminals, with social media images showing passengers walking through water well above the tops of their shoes. Mayor Eric Adams urged people not to venture out because the streets were blocked and subway stations flooded. “If you are home, stay home. If […]
Australia’s firefighters face worst season in years
SYDNEY, Sept 22, 2023 (AFP) – Volunteer firefighters are scorching Australia’s forest undergrowth, reducing fuel for what is expected to be the fiercest fire season since the monster “Black Summer” blazes. Deadly wildfires have devastated forests in Canada, Greece, Hawaii and elsewhere around the world this year but unlike many other countries, Australia heavily relies on a 190,000-strong volunteer cohort to battle the flames. Their courage was on display during the “Black Summer” fires of […]
Climate protesters throng New York, demand end to fossil fuels
NEW YORK, Sept 17, 2023 (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of New York on Sunday, calling for increased action against climate change ahead of the opening of the UN General Assembly. Taking up multiple city blocks, protesters from some 700 organizations and activist groups carried signs reading “Biden, end fossil fuels,” “Fossil fuels are killing us” and “I didn’t vote for fires and floods” in a demonstration that came […]
California sues oil giants, alleging climate risks deception: NYT
LOS ANGELES, Sept 16, 2023 (AFP) – The US state of California sued five of the world’s largest oil companies on Friday, alleging the firms caused billions of dollars in damages and misled the public by minimizing the risks from fossil fuels, The New York Times reported. It follows numerous other cases brought by US cities, counties and states against fossil fuel interests over the impact of climate change as well as alleged disinformation campaigns […]
Devastation unleashed: Libya’s Derna counts the dead as flood toll climbs
DERNA, Libya, Sept 13, 2023 (AFP) – Libya’s devastated eastern city of Derna was counting its dead on Wednesday with the toll from the floodwaters unleashed by Storm Daniel expected to rise even further. Two dams burst there on Sunday afternoon after the storm hit, releasing a surge of water that tore through the city, sweeping away buildings and the people inside them. By late Tuesday, the preliminary death toll from authorities in the politically […]





