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Fine particle pollution blamed for nearly 240,000 EU deaths in 2022

Fine particle air pollution killed nearly 240,000 people in the European Union in 2022, a five percent fall on the previous year, the European Environment Agency said in a report published Tuesday.

President's push to scrap gold mining ban causes outcry in El Salvador

El Salvador's gang-busting strongman President Nayib Bukele has set out on a new mission: to kickstart his country's sputtering economy by inviting back the mining companies that were barred seven years ago.

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2024 'certain' to be hottest year on record: EU monitor

This year is "effectively certain" to be the hottest on record and the first above a critical threshold to protect the planet from dangerously overheating, Europe's climate monitor said Monday.

'David v Goliath' battle at ICJ climate hearings

Halfway through marathon climate change hearings at the world's top court, battle lines are being drawn between developed countries urging judges to stick to current legal obligations and vulnerable nations pleading for more.

World's oldest known wild bird is expecting again, aged 74

Parenting can be tough, even for the young and energetic, but one elderly albatross is about to go through it all again -- at the ripe old (and apparently record-setting) age of 74.

With blasts and grit, Colombia fights gold mines run by crime gangs

A thin detonating cord snakes its way into an illegal gold mine drilled high up on a mountain near the Colombian city of Cali, exploding with a roar and destroying a lucrative source of money for armed groups that include leftist rebels.

'Scary' drought empties one of Bosnia's largest lakes

Staring across what was once one of Bosnia's largest expanses of water, all that Saliha Kuljanin can see is boats left high and dry after months of drought emptied Lake Jablanicko.

China reports warmest autumn since records began

China reported its warmest autumn this year since records began decades ago, its National Climate Centre announced on Wednesday.

Hong Kong mega development plan to devour villages, wetlands

For almost half a century, Kwok Hoi-yin's humble cottage on Hong Kong's border with mainland China was surrounded by leagues of fishponds and green fields, buffering the modern highrises of megacity Shenzhen to the north.

Relief as Delhi schools reopen but smog crisis persists

Teenage student Aniksha is relieved to be back in class in India's capital -- even if the choking smog that prompted her school to close last month has yet to dissipate.

US 'disappointed' after plastic pollution talks collapse: White House

The US government said Tuesday it was "disappointed" after nations negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic waste failed to reach a deal, blaming a "small group" of countries and producers for blocking progress.

Japan witnesses warmest autumn on record

Japan has recorded its warmest autumn since records began 126 years ago, the weather agency said, delaying the country's popular displays of seasonal foliage into December.

Third death as Storm Bora batters Greece

A storm sweeping through Greece has claimed a third victim, state TV reported Monday, after damaging roads and buildings on the islands of Lemnos, Rhodes and other parts of the country.

New Zealand scientists dissect world's rarest whale

New Zealand scientists on Monday began dissecting a whale considered the rarest in the world, a species so elusive that only seven specimens have ever been documented.

Sixth Greenland hearing for anti-whaling activist Watson

A Greenland court will decide on Monday whether to further extend the four-month-long detention of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, pending a decision on his extradition to Japan.

Plastic pollution talks fail to reach landmark deal

Deeply divided negotiators failed on Sunday to reach a landmark global treaty to curb plastic pollution, missing a self-imposed deadline, and agreed to extend their talks.

Divided plastic pollution negotiators call for more time

Negotiators have failed to reach agreement on a landmark treaty to curb plastic pollution and need more time to continue discussions, the diplomat chairing the talks said Sunday.

No accord on plastic pollution deal, more time needed: chair

Negotiators have failed to reach agreement on a landmark treaty to curb plastic pollution, the diplomat chairing the talks said Sunday, calling for additional time to continue discussions.

Afghanistan must participate in future climate talks: Taliban

An Afghan environment official on Sunday said the country must be allowed to participate in future global climate talks, after returning from COP29 in Baku where Taliban officials attended for the first time.

Calls for extension as plastic treaty negotiations falter

Delegates seeking the world's first deal to curb plastic pollution began openly advocating for an extension of talks on Sunday, accusing a handful of nations of obstructing an ambitious agreement.

The farm fires helping to fuel India's deadly air

Blazing flames light the sky as Indian farmer Ali Sher burns his fields to clear them for new crops, a common but illegal practice that is fuelling deadly pollution killing millions.

Philippine Eagle hatchling dies in conservation setback

A Philippine Eagle chick hatched via artificial insemination has died, an avian conservation foundation has announced, in a fresh setback for one of the world's largest and most critically endangered raptors.

Nations warn of 'obstruction' at plastic talks

Dozens of countries warned Sunday that a handful of nations were obstructing efforts in South Korea to reach an ambitious landmark global treaty to curb plastic pollution.

Nations warn of deadlock at landmark plastic pollution talks

Diplomats warned Saturday that a majority of countries could walk away from talks on the world's first plastic pollution agreement if a handful of delegations continue resisting calls to compromise.

Researchers analyse DNA from dung to save Laos elephants

Slow and silent, former logging elephant Mae Khoun Nung emerges from a forest in northern Laos and follows her guide to an animal hospital for a check-up.

Showdown looms on plastic treaty days before deadline

Diplomats warned Friday of a looming showdown in negotiations to reach the world's first deal to curb plastic pollution, after a new draft text emerged littered with competing visions and ongoing disagreements.

Days before deadline, plastic treaty draft highlights disagreement

With just two days before negotiators are due to agree on the world's first deal to curb global plastic pollution, a new draft text released Friday showed deep differences remain.

Top UN court to open unprecedented climate hearings

The world's top court will next week start unprecedented hearings aimed at finding a "legal blueprint" for how countries should protect the environment from damaging greenhouse gases -- and what the consequences are if they do not.

In Bosnia, the path to renewables runs through its coal mines

At 250 metres underground, the dust is thick and oxygen is in short supply at the Mramor mine in northeastern Bosnia.

Plastic pollution talks must speed up, chair warns

Negotiators must move "significantly" faster to agree on a landmark treaty to curb plastic pollution, the diplomat chairing the talks warned Wednesday, as countries lined up to express frustration about the limited progress.

Thailand to return nearly 1,000 trafficked lemurs, tortoises to Madagascar

Thailand is sending almost 1,000 highly endangered lemurs and tortoises back to their home in Madagascar, in what both countries called their biggest ever operation against wildlife trafficking.

Environmentalists slam lobbyist influence on plastic talks

Environmental groups on Wednesday slammed the presence of dozens of petrochemical and fossil fuel industry lobbyists at UN talks on a plastic pollution treaty, accusing them of "obstruction" and "misinformation."

'Very, very slow': plastic treaty talks grind forward

Negotiations on a first global treaty to curb plastic pollution are moving "very, very slowly", diplomats and observers told AFP on Wednesday, threatening the chances of reaching an agreement.

COP29 president blames rich countries for 'imperfect' deal

The tough-fought finance deal at UN climate negotiations was "imperfect", the Azerbaijan COP29 leadership has admitted, seeking to blame richer countries for an outcome slammed by poorer nations as insulting.

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