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by Jorge SVARTZMAN RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has unveiled a sweeping plan for the Amazon rainforest that would open indigenous lands to mining — a “dream” for the far-right leader, but a “nightmare” for environmentalists and tribal leaders. Bolsonaro proposed a new bill Wednesday that would allow mining, farming, and hydroelectric power projects on formerly protected land in the world’s largest rainforest, saying: “I hope this dream… comes true.” […]
by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse Paris, France (AFP) — Overlapping environmental crises could tip the planet into “global systemic collapse,” more than 200 top scientists warned Wednesday. Climate change, extreme weather events from hurricanes to heatwaves, the decline of life-sustaining ecosystems, food security and dwindling stores of fresh water — each poses a monumental challenge to humanity in the 21st century. Out of 30 global-scale risks, these five topped the list both in terms of likelihood […]
BALI, Indonesia (AFP) — Hundreds of pigs have died from African swine fever in Bali, authorities said Wednesday, marking the Indonesian holiday island’s first recorded outbreak and after the virus claimed some 30,000 hogs in Sumatra. Ida Bagus Wisnuardhana, Bali’s agriculture and food security agency chief, said nearly 900 pigs succumbed to swine fever since mid-December. “The results are positive for African swine fever,” Ida told reporters, referring to tests performed on the dead animals. […]
by Marlowe HOOD PARIS, France (AFP) — Fireflies are in deep trouble, with many species facing extinction due to habitat loss and exposure to pesticides, according to the first major review of their global status, published Monday. Adding irony to injury, one of Nature’s most entrancing spectacles is also being snuffed out by artificial light pollution, researchers reported in the journal BioScience. More than 2,000 species of fireflies — which are, in fact, beetles — […]
by Patrick GALEY Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Rich nations are funneling cash through government-backed financial institutions to provide $30 billion to fossil fuel projects each year that “run counter to the Paris Agreement”, a new analysis showed Thursday. The export credit agencies (ECAs) of G20 countries currently provide more than 10 times more state-backed finance to oil, gas and coal projects abroad than they do to renewable energy schemes, the analysis said. […]
MILAN, Italy (AFP) – Milan will ban cars from driving within the city on Sunday, a measure aimed at tackling high pollution levels, even as authorities consider new measures, such as prohibiting smoking at bus stops. The measure – which is not the first time that Italy’s economic capital has banned driving within city limits – has been met with skepticism by some, with the regional counsellor for the environment, Raffaele Cattaneo, calling it “demagogy […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia was bracing for a heatwave to sweep across the country’s fire-ravaged southeast in the coming days, with the forecast stoking fears the soaring temperatures could inflame bushfires. Temperatures reached above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday in South Australia state, where dangerous fire weather warnings were issued in several bushfire-prone areas. The heatwave is then expected to hit Melbourne and Canberra on Friday before parts of Sydney reach […]
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AFP) — A rare species of frog native to the eastern slopes of the Bolivian Andes has been spotted in the South American country for the first time in 18 years, the investigation team that made the discovery told AFP. The Bolivian Cochran frog is notable for its transparent belly, leading to its nickname, the “glass frog”. “The rediscovery of this species fills us with a ray of hope for the future […]
by Patrick GALEY Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Hydrocarbon gases bubbling from the bottom of the Red Sea are polluting the atmosphere at a rate equivalent to the emissions of some large fossil fuel exporting countries, researchers said Tuesday. The gases seeping from the waters — which are ringed by the resorts and ports of several countries, including Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — then mix with emissions from industrial shipping and turned […]
by Caroline Nelly Perrot Agence France-Presse SILIANA, Tunisia (AFP) – Around 40 young Tunisian volunteers gather on a bare hill in the central region of Siliana. Their weekend mission — revive a burned forest by planting Aleppo pine shoots. Hamdi, from the eastern city of Sfax, gets straight to work after travelling 250 kilometres (150 miles) to the marginalised region. A camping and hiking enthusiast, he found out about the initiative on Facebook. “It’s […]
SABARÁ, Brazil (AFP) – Valeria PACHECO Elaine Almeida looked at her aunt’s ruined house in Sabará, a town in a southeastern region of Brazil where at least 45 people have died in floods that followed record rainfall. “The water rose more than two meters, she lost everything,” Almeida said. She and her aunt tried pushing the door of the house open, but the mud inside was so deep they had to give up. In Sabará, a […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Three people were killed when a water-bombing plane crashed southwest of Sydney on Thursday, setting off a “large fireball”, Australian officials said, as bushfires flared across the country’s southeast. New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said authorities lost contact with the C-130 Hercules aircraft, which was operating in the Snowy Monaro region, shortly before 1:30 pm Thursday. Fitzsimmons said the aircraft owner, Canadian firm Coulson Aviation, was grounding […]
