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by Khaliun Bayartsogt Agence France-Presse TSAGAAN KHAD, Mongolia (AFP) – Snaking across the barren Mongolian desert, a convoy crawls along the once-busy highway to the Chinese border — its truckers desperate to finally deliver their cargo of coal after months of brutal Covid-19 delays and no pay. Pre-pandemic, the route was packed with drivers delivering the vital fuel to China — the world’s biggest coal importer — currently grappling with widespread power cuts threatening its […]
STRASBOURG, France (AFP) – The European Parliament backed Wednesday an ambitious EU push to make farming more sustainable, in a move hailed by environmental activists who also called for binding targets for slashing pesticides. A majority of 452 legislators gave the thumbs up to a report on the EU executive’s “farm to fork” strategy in the face of intense lobbying from agricultural groups. There were 170 against with 76 abstentions. “MEPs highlighted the need for enhanced […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Australia-based mining giant Rio Tinto on Wednesday announced plans to cut direct carbon emissions 50 percent by 2030, ramping up previous targets as the firm tries to green its highly polluting operations. Rio Tinto said it would spend around $7.5 billion from now until the end of the decade to cut so-called scope one and two emissions — from mining operations and power consumption. “Governments are setting more ambitious targets and […]
by Layal Abou Rahal Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – By challenging Lebanon’s national passion for automobile ownership, and driving growing numbers towards greener or more collective transport, the economic crisis is succeeding where everything else failed. In the absence of a functioning public transport system, car culture has thrived and many households, even modest ones, boast multiple vehicles. Since 2019, however, an ever worsening financial crisis has made petrol unaffordable for many and long […]
by Frankie TAGGART Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – President Joe Biden has pledged to enact the toughest environmental policies in US history but his plans look dead on arrival thanks to one senator who has pocketed a fortune from fossil fuels. The $150 billion Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP) — a cornerstone of Biden’s sweeping domestic agenda — would reward utilities that switch to renewable energy and penalize those that do not. […]
Brasília, Brazil (AFP) – Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro and his Colombia counterpart Ivan Duque said on Tuesday they would head to the next UN climate summit “united” in defense of the Amazon. The Cop26 climate conference begins in Glasgow on October 31 and will last two weeks. “We will arrive in Glasgow untied to tackle a very important and dear affair for all of us: our dear, rich and desirable Amazon,” said Bolsonaro following his meeting […]
by Joe JACKSON Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday urged foreign investors to buy into post-Brexit Britain as he seeks to power future prosperity on renewable energy and green technology. His government also outlined more detailed plans to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, including a drive towards electric vehicles. The moves are part of a £90 billion ($125 billion, 107-billion-euro) plan that ministers say will support 440,000 […]
by Pablo COZZAGLIO / Alberto PEÑA Agence France-Presse LA HIGUERA, Chile (AFP) – The Humboldt archipelago off the northern Pacific coast of Chile is a “natural treasure” and refuge for unique species of fauna, including a particular type of penguin and an otter on the brink of extinction. But its fragile ecosystem is under threat, say environmentalists, from a $2.5 billion mining project on the nearby mainland that has stirred the debate in Chile between […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson Prince William presented the inaugural Earthshot prizes at a ceremony in London on Sunday, with projects from Costa Rica, Italy, the Bahamas and India picking up prizes. The new annual awards were created by Prince William to reward efforts to save the planet in the face of climate change and global warming. Five winners were announced, each receiving a million pounds ($1.4 million). The build-up to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
