Tag: climate

Britain runs coal power stations amid energy crisis

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain, which faces soaring natural gas prices, has been forced to run coal-fired power stations in order to secure energy supplies, electricity generation company Drax said on Thursday. The country is particularly exposed to Europe’s ongoing energy crisis due to its reliance on natural gas to generate electricity. The price of European gas futures has more than doubled since May. “These facilities have fulfilled a critical role in keeping the […]

Germany’s climate militants fight for parliamentary seats

by Yann SCHREIBER with Pauline CURTET in Garmisch-Partenkirchen Agence France-Presse MONCHENGLADBACH, Germany (AFP) – Dressed in a rainbow-coloured unicorn costume, Kathrin Henneberger once camped on a beech tree, trying to save a forest from destruction. Come Monday, she hopes to be one of Germany’s newly elected MPs. The 34-year-old counts among one of Germany’s most prominent climate militants standing in Sunday’s general elections for a seat in parliament. After years of occupying coal mines or […]

US, UK welcome China end to coal funding but seek more

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – The United States and Britain on Wednesday welcomed China’s promise to end funding for coal projects overseas, but voiced hope the world’s largest emitter would also do more at home on climate change. President Xi Jinping told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that China will stop backing coal overseas, all but drying up the world’s foreign assistance to the dirty form of energy in developing countries after similar […]

UK climate motorway protesters risk jail under new injunction

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Climate protesters who repeatedly caused traffic chaos by blocking London’s busy M25 orbital motorway may now face imprisonment after the government on Wednesday announced it had won a court injunction. “Invading a motorway is reckless & puts lives at risk. I asked National Highways to seek an injunction against M25 protestors which a judge granted last night,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote in a tweet. “Effective later today, activists will […]

Turkey to ratify Paris climate agreement, Erdogan tells UN

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday that Turkey was ready to finally ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change. Erdogan’s announcement at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly followed a year of violent weather events in Turkey — including wildfires and flash floods — that have claimed some 100 lives. Turkey in April 2016 signed the landmark agreement on limiting the dangerous emissions that contribute to […]

Climate: summer wildfires emit record amount of CO2

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Wildfires in Siberia, North America and around the Mediterranean caused record levels of planet-warming CO2 emissions this summer, the EU’s Earth monitoring service said Tuesday. Globally, forests going up in flames emitted more than 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 — equivalent to India’s annual emissions from all sources — in July and August alone, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reported. More than half of CO2 […]

In climate landmark, China promises to end coal funding overseas

by Shaun Tandon with Issam Ahmed in Washington Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – China will stop funding coal projects overseas, President Xi Jinping announced Tuesday, all but ending the flow of public aid for the dirty energy contributing to the climate crisis. Xi made his announcement at the UN General Assembly where US President Joe Biden, seeking to show leadership in a growing competition with China, promised to double Washington’s contribution to […]

Firefighters race to protect giant sequoias in California fires

LOS ANGELES, California (AFP) – Hundreds of firefighters were battling to protect several groves of giant sequoias in the United States on Monday, warning the enormous ancient trees were at risk from out-of-control blazes. A number of separate fires were converging on the California woodland that is home to the huge trees, highlighting the terrifying power of wildfires to consume everything in their path. Incident commanders said the Windy Fire, which has already charred 25,000 […]

Bill Gates raises over $1 billion for clean energy

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Bill Gates’s nonprofit group Breakthrough Energy announced Monday that it has raised more than $1 billion from seven major companies, including ArcelorMittal and General Motors, to fund clean energy development. Early participants in the initiative, dubbed “Catalyst,” also include American Airlines, Bank of America, BlackRock, Boston Consulting Group and Microsoft. The amount raised so far tops $1 billion and has been given in the form of grants, shares and […]

UK PM Boris Johnson cautious over fulfilling UN climate fund pledges

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Forcing wealthy nations to honour their UN climate fund pledges this week will “be a stretch”, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted ahead of a Monday meeting with global leaders aiming to do just that. At the 2009 Copenhagen climate conference, rich nations promised to provide annual funding of $100 billion from 2020, for poorer nations to counteract the effects of climate change. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has said […]

Southern EU leaders target climate change at Greek summit

ATHENS, Greece (AFP) – Greece is hosting a summit of southern EU leaders on Friday that will focus on climate change and “security challenges” including migration and the Afghan crisis. Greek government spokesman Yiannis Economou said the one-day meeting, with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in attendance, will address issues “jeopardising safety and stability in the Mediterranean”. The agenda includes migration and the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover but Economou said Athens was placing […]

Climate activists heckle Germany’s Laschet at election rally

BREMEN, Germany (AFP) – Climate activists on Thursday heckled Armin Laschet, the conservative candidate seeking to replace Chancellor Angela Merkel, disrupting a rally just over a week before general elections. Holding posters reading “the climate crisis kills” and “our lives in your hands”, the militants booed Laschet as he sought to address the gathering in the northern city of Bremen. “We came from all over Germany. We intend to carry out this kind of action at […]