TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Two people were confirmed dead and another two were found “without vital signs” after Typhoon Nanmadol slammed into Japan over the weekend, a government spokesman said Tuesday. The storm system made landfall by the southwestern city of Kagoshima on Sunday night, and dumped heavy rain across the Kyushu region before moving along the west coast. By Tuesday morning, it was downgraded to an extratropical cyclone as it crossed to the […]
Tag: climate
African leaders demand funds to adapt to climate change
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The leaders of two dozen African countries Friday urged wealthier nations to uphold their aid pledges so the continent can tackle climate change impacts for which it shares little blame. They made the call after African leaders on Monday lashed out at industrialised nations for failing to show up to a summit in the Netherlands on helping African nations adapt to these changes. We urge “developed countries to fulfil their […]
California wildfire doubles in size
by Patrick FALLON Agence France-Presse HEMET, United States (AFP) — A wildfire burning outside Los Angeles has doubled in size in less than 24 hours, firefighters said Thursday as they endured yet another day of blistering heat in the western United States. Thousands of people have been told to evacuate in the face of the growing Fairview Fire, which has now spread to 19,000 acres (7,700 hectares). “Active fire behavior occurred in the east, south, […]
Countries growing 70% of world’s food face ‘extreme’ heat risk by 2045
PARIS, France (AFP) — Blistering crop-withering temperatures that also risk the health of agricultural workers could threaten swathes of global food production by 2045 as the world warms, an industry analysis warned Thursday. Climate change is already stoking heatwaves and other extreme weather events across the world, with hot spells from India to Europe this year expected to hit crop yields. Temperature spikes are causing mounting concern for health, particularly for those working outside in […]
Two dead, thousands told to flee California wildfire
by Huw GRIFFITH Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — At least two people are dead and thousands have been ordered to flee a rapidly spreading fire in California, with the region’s oppressive heatwave expected to peak Tuesday. Several buildings were destroyed as the Fairview fire erupted southeast of Los Angeles, racing to consume 2,400 acres (1,000 hectares) in less than 24 hours. Firefighters said two people were known to have died in the […]
Greenhouse gas, sea levels at record in 2021: US agency
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Earth’s concentration of greenhouse gases and sea levels hit new highs in 2021, a US government report said Wednesday, showing that climate change keeps surging ahead despite efforts to curb emissions. “The data presented in this report are clear — we continue to see more compelling scientific evidence that climate change has global impacts and shows no sign of slowing,” said Rick Spinrad, administrator of the National Oceanic and […]
10 times normal rainfall drove vast Pakistan flooding: ESA
Paris, France (AFP) Rainfall 10 times heavier than usual caused Pakistan’s devastating floods, the European Space Agency said Thursday, as it released satellite images of a vast lake created by the overflowing Indus river. Rains, described by UN chief Antonio Guterres as a “monsoon on steroids” have claimed hundreds of lives since June, unleashing powerful floods that have washed away swathes of vital crops and damaged or destroyed more than a million homes. Data […]
‘Dangerous’ heat wave hits southwestern US
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A “dangerous” heat wave was taking hold of the southwestern United States Tuesday, with punishing temperatures expected for the next week. Forecasters said the mercury could reach as high as 112 Fahrenheit (44 Celsius) in the densely populated Los Angeles suburbs as a heat dome settles in over parts of California, Nevada and Arizona. “Dangerously hot conditions expected through the week,” the National Weather Service warned. “A prolonged period […]
UN appeals for $160 mn to help worst hit in Pakistan floods
Geneva, Switzerland (AFP) The United Nations and the Pakistani government launched an emergency appeal for $160 million on Tuesday to help those hardest hit by the devastating floods in the country. The funds will provide 5.2 million people with food, water, sanitation, emergency education, protection and health support, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video statement, calling the flooding a “colossal crisis”. The aid, covering the initial six months of the crisis response, will […]
‘Third’ of Pakistan under water as flood aid efforts gather pace
by Ashraf Khan, with Zain Zaman Janjua and Emma Clark in Nowshera Agence France-Presse SUKKUR, Pakistan (AFP) — Aid efforts ramped up across flooded Pakistan on Tuesday to help tens of millions of people affected by relentless monsoon rains that have submerged a third of the country and claimed more than 1,100 lives. The rains that began in June have unleashed the worst flooding in more than a decade, washing away swathes of vital crops […]
Greenland already locked in to major sea level rise: study
by Kelly MACNAMARA Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Even without any future global warming, Greenland’s melting ice sheet will cause major sea level rise, with potentially “ominous” implications over this century as temperatures continue to rise, according to a study published Monday. Rising sea levels — pushed up mainly by melting ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica — are set to redraw the map over centuries and could eventually swamp land currently home to […]
Heatwave-hit Chinese province resumes power to factories
Beijing, China (AFP) The southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan downgraded emergency energy supply measures on Monday, restoring power to some factories after weeks of rolling blackouts due to a heatwave-induced shortage. Parts of Sichuan province and neighbouring Chongqing saw rainfall and lower temperatures beginning Sunday, after weeks of record temperatures higher than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and a crippling drought that strained hydropower generators throughout the region. “Reservoir water levels are gradually increasing and the […]





