As climate woes worsen, Africa’s economies suffer, UN says
March 15, 2023 GMTFrom devastating cyclones and floods to an unrelenting drought, African countries are spending between 2% and 9% of their budgets to respond to extreme weather events, according to a report released by the United Nations on Wednesday.
Alaska oil project approval adds yet another climate concern
March 14, 2023 GMTJUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Biden administration’s approval of a massive oil development in northern Alaska commits the U.S.
Scientists say climate change goosed New Zealand storm fury
March 14, 2023 GMTClimate change worsened flooding from a tropical cyclone that shut down much of New Zealand last month in one of the country's costliest disasters, scientists said, but they couldn't quite calculate how much it magnified the catastrophe.
Carbon emissions from boreal forest fires rose in 2021
March 2, 2023 GMTPhillip Meintzer was hours away by car from the largest fires raging in the forests of British Columbia and Alberta in summer of 2021, but the air was still thick with smoke from the Canadian infernos.
Ice Age Europeans found refuge in Spain, doom in Italy
March 1, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — New research reveals that the hunter-gatherer people who dominated Europe 30,000 years ago sought refuge from the last Ice Age in warmer places, but only those who sheltered in what is now Spain and Portugal appear to have survived.
Extreme heat is a health crisis, Columbia experts say
February 28, 2023 GMTThe record-breaking heat Earth endured during the summer of 2022 will be repeated without a robust international effort to address climate change, a panel of scientists warned Monday.
Heat-related deaths, wildfires, extreme rainfall, and persistent drought are expected to become increasingly severe as both ocean and atmospheric temperatures continue to rise, the experts said.
Study: Back-to-back hurricanes likely to come more often
February 27, 2023 GMTWhat used to be a rare one-two punch of consecutive hurricanes hitting about the same place in the United States weeks apart seems to be happening more often, and a new study says climate change will make back-to-back storms more frequent and nastier in the future.
Pipeline debate at center of California carbon capture plans
February 25, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In its latest ambitious roadmap to tackle climate change, California relies on capturing carbon out of the air and storing it deep underground on a scale that’s not yet been seen in the United States.
German court rejects farmer’s climate suit vs Volkswagen
February 24, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — A German court on Friday rejected a farmer's bid to force automaker Volkswagen to end the sale of vehicles with combustion engines by 2030.
In the case at the state court in the western town of Detmold, farmer Ulf Allhoff-Cramer said that drier soil and heavier rains because of climate change are harming his fields, cattle and commercial forests.
Study: Don’t blame climate change for South American drought
February 16, 2023 GMTClimate change isn’t causing the multi-year drought that is devastating parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Bolivia, but warming is worsening some of the dry spell’s impacts, a new study says.
Rise in Horn of Africa migration a worry, says UN official
February 15, 2023 GMTNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The numbers of women and children migrating from the Horn of Africa to Gulf countries through Yemen has significantly increased and is a cause of concern, according to the head of the International Organization for Migration.
How climate change can impact your finances
February 15, 2023 GMTKristy Jiayi Xu got an unwelcome surprise this New Year’s Eve: The roof of her garage was leaking during a severe rainstorm in San Francisco. Delays in getting a contractor to fix the roof has brought unexpected costs to keep things dry, including a dehumidifier.
Where’s the snow? Climate change affects ski racing season
February 10, 2023 GMTMERIBEL, France (AP) — Besides some minor dustings, it hasn’t snowed significantly in the French resorts hosting the skiing world championships since mid-January.
Australia rejects open-pit coal mine near Great Barrier Reef
February 10, 2023 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia for the first time has rejected a coal mining application based on environmental law, with the government minister citing the open-pit mine's potential harm to the nearby Great Barrier Reef.
In Spain, storks’ trash diet driven by climate change
February 8, 2023 GMTCOLMENAR VIEJO, Spain (AP) — The storks float and swoop in formation, circling over a landfill in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains north of Madrid. Then a garbage truck pulls up and disgorges its contents.
US skiers to don climate change-themed race suits at worlds
February 5, 2023 GMTLooking cool is just the tip of the iceberg for Mikaela Shiffrin, Travis Ganong and the rest of the U.S. ski team when they debut new race suits at the world championships.
Even more, they want everyone thinking about climate change.
India, France, UAE to work on climate change, biodiversity
February 4, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — India, France and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday agreed on a trilateral initiative to undertake energy projects with a focus on solar and nuclear sources, fight climate change and protect biodiversity, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.
Brazil’s Lula to visit Biden on Feb. 10
January 31, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for meetings on Feb. 10, the White House announced, a month after the storming of government buildings in the Brazilian capital by far-right protesters.
AI: World likely to hit key warming threshold in 10-12 years
January 30, 2023 GMTThe world will likely breach the internationally agreed-upon climate change threshold in about a decade, and keep heating to break through a next warming limit around mid-century even with big pollution cuts, artificial intelligence predicts in a new study that's more pessimistic than previous modeling.
India to get 12 cheetahs from South Africa next month
January 27, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — India will receive 12 cheetahs from South Africa next month that will join eight others it received from Namibia in September as part of an ambitious plan to reintroduce the cats in the country after 70 years.
Bird deaths over New Mexico possibly due to climate change
January 22, 2023 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers are studying a 2020 incident in which thousands of migratory birds dropped dead over New Mexico, possibly due to climate change.
Hundreds of millions of birds fly south in the winter and north in the summer, but recent studies by NASA and others show climate change may be interfering with that annual cycle and those disruptions can ripple through entire ecosystems.
Climate misinformation ‘rocket boosters’ on Musk’s Twitter
January 19, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Search for the word “climate” on Twitter and the first automatic recommendation isn't “climate crisis” or “climate jobs” or even “climate change” but instead “climate scam.”
Clicking on the recommendation yields dozens of posts denying the reality of climate change and making misleading claims about efforts to mitigate it.
Report: Climate change fueling conflict in Lake Chad Basin
January 19, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Droughts, flooding and a shrinking Lake Chad caused in part by climate change is fueling conflict and migration in the region and needs to be better addressed, a report said Thursday.
At Davos, Zelenskyy urges allies to speed up push vs. Russia
January 18, 2023 GMTDAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told political leaders at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos that supplies of Western weapons must come quicker than Russia’s attacks, urging the world to move faster because “tragedies are outpacing life; the tyranny is outpacing democracy.”
Moving species emerges as last resort as climate warms
January 17, 2023 GMTIn a desperate effort to save a seabird species in Hawaii from rising ocean waters, scientists are moving chicks to a new island hundreds of miles away.
Moving species to save them — once considered taboo — is quickly gaining traction as climate change upends habitats.
Economic woes, war, climate change on tap for Davos meeting
January 16, 2023 GMTDAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The World Economic Forum is back with its first winter meetup since 2020 in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos, where leaders are seeking to bridge political divisions in a polarized world, buttress a hobbling economy and address concerns about a climate change — among many other things.
Study: Exxon Mobil accurately predicted warming since 1970s
January 12, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — Exxon Mobil’s scientists were remarkably accurate in their predictions about global warming, even as the company made public statements that contradicted its own scientists' conclusions, a new study says.
Davos report: Cost-of-living crisis overshadows climate
January 11, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Climate change is the global economy's biggest long-term challenge but one the world is least prepared to tackle because of short-term problems led by a cost-of-living crisis, the World Economic Forum said in a report Wednesday.
NOAA: Ian, drought supercharged US weather extremes in 2022
January 10, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — Costly weather disasters kept raining down on America last year, pounding the nation with 18 climate extremes that caused at least $1 billion in damage each, totaling more than $165 billion, federal climate scientists calculated Tuesday.
Powell: Fed has only narrow role to play on climate change
January 10, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve has only a limited role to play in combating climate change, Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday, a stance that puts him at odds with environmental activists who have pushed central banks worldwide to take steps to restrict lending to energy companies.
On first day, Massachusetts Gov. Healey names climate chief
January 6, 2023 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey marked her first full day on the job Friday by issuing an executive order creating what she says is the nation’s first cabinet-level state climate chief.
Report: US’s largest estuary, Chesapeake Bay, earns D-plus
January 5, 2023 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — An environmental group gave the Chesapeake Bay watershed a D-plus grade in an evaluation released on Thursday — the same grade earned in its last report two years ago.
Efforts to restore the nation's largest estuary are struggling to reduce agricultural pollution, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said in a news release on its State of the Bay report, which is released every two years.
US gets 1 bid for oil and gas lease in Alaska’s Cook Inlet
December 31, 2022 GMTThe U.S. government on Friday said it received one bid for the right to drill offshore for oil and gas in Alaska's Cook Inlet near habitat for bears, salmon, humpback whales and endangered beluga whales.
A ravaged Quebec coast fights climate change by retreating
December 20, 2022 GMTPERCE, Quebec (AP) — Against the ravaging seas, Quebec's coastal communities have learned through bitter experience that the way to advance against climate change is to retreat.
Over the past decade, civilization has been pulled back from the water’s edge where possible along the eastern stretch of the Gaspe Peninsula where coastline is particularly vulnerable to erosion.
A ravaged Quebec coast fights climate change by retreating
December 20, 2022 GMTPERCE, Quebec (AP) — Against the ravaging seas, Quebec's coastal communities have learned through bitter experience that the way to advance against climate change is to retreat.
Over the past decade, civilization has been pulled back from the water's edge where possible along the eastern stretch of the Gaspe Peninsula where coastline is particularly vulnerable to erosion.
Today in History: December 20, Louisiana Purchase completed
December 20, 2022 GMTToday in History
Today is Tuesday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2022. There are 11 days left in the year.
California approves roadmap for carbon neutrality by 2045
December 19, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California air regulators voted unanimously Thursday to approve an ambitious plan to drastically cut reliance on fossil fuels by changing practices in the energy, transportation and agriculture sectors, but critics say it doesn’t go far enough to combat climate change.
EU reaches deal on emissions trading, social climate fund
December 18, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — European Union governments and lawmakers reached a deal Sunday on key elements of the 27-nation bloc's green deal, reforming the EU's trading system for greenhouse gas emissions and creating a new hardship fund for those hardest-hit by measures to curb climate change.
2022 Notebook: Climate catastrophe, and a bit of hope too
December 15, 2022 GMTTHE BACKGROUND: For those worried about climate change — and, by extension, the planet's future — 2022 was a mixed bag. Hurricanes and floods plagues many places, and the COP27 meeting in Egypt didn't end with as much progress as many activists hoped.
Rural voters ‘in the trenches’ on climate, leery of Biden
December 10, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Drought in California meant Raquel Krach, a rice farmer and graduate student in the Sacramento Valley, planted very little. Using groundwater, she and her husband planted 75 acres this year to maintain their markets.
Climate concerns give national attention to Louisiana race
December 9, 2022 GMTBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The election for a seat on a typically obscure regulatory commission in Louisiana, a state with a front row seat to the effects of climate change, has gained national attention as major utility companies and outside political action committees pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race.
UN rights chief: Protect ‘civic space’ for climate activists
December 9, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The top United Nations human rights official said Friday that it's important to protect the “civic space” for young environmental activists to highlight the urgency of tackling climate change.
Officials talk biodiversity as drought stunts Kenya wildlife
December 8, 2022 GMTARCHERS POST, Kenya (AP) — In Kenya's sweltering northern Samburu county, a destructive drought exacerbated by climate change is wreaking havoc on people and wildlife.
Africa forum hails ‘circular economy’ solutions for climate
December 7, 2022 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Reducing waste while boosting recycling and reuse, known as the ‘circular economy,’ will be vital for halting the loss of nature by meeting growing demand with fewer resources and will make communities more resilient to climate change by encouraging more sustainable practices on the African continent, organizers of the World Circular Economy Forum said Wednesday.
Extinctions, shrinking habitat spur ‘rewilding’ in cities
December 7, 2022 GMTDETROIT (AP) — In a bustling metro area of 4.3 million people, Yale University wildlife biologist Nyeema Harris ventures into isolated thickets to study Detroit's most elusive residents — coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks among them.
Swiss climate activists lament election of oil lobbyist
December 7, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Environmentalists in Switzerland criticized the election Wednesday of a top car and oil industry lobbyist to the country's new government, calling it a “disaster for climate policy.”
Lawmakers picked Albert Roesti of the nationalist Swiss People's Party as one of two new members of the Cabinet, or Federal Council.
UN summit: Don’t repeat mistakes on nature, scientists warn
December 7, 2022 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Scientists around the world are warning governments who will be gathering in Montreal this week for the United Nations biodiversity summit to not repeat past mistakes and are urging officials to “avoid trade-offs” between people and conservation needs in a report Monday.
IEA: Renewables could top coal as electricity source by 2025
December 6, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The expansion of renewable power generation picked up sharply in 2022 and within three years it could pass coal as the top source of electricity, The International Energy Agency said in a new report published Tuesday.
Governments gather in Canada in bid to boost biodiversity
December 6, 2022 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Amid warnings that biodiversity is in freefall, environmental leaders will gather in Montreal to hammer out measures aimed at shoring up the world's land and marine ecosystems and coming up with tens of billions of dollars to fund these conservation efforts.
December serving up baked Alaska and warming most of Arctic
December 5, 2022 GMTMuch of the Arctic is in a burst of freak December warming.
In Utqiagvik, Alaska’s northernmost community formerly known as Barrow, it hit 40 degrees (4.4 degrees Celsius) Monday morning.
US, EU agree to intensify talks on ‘green subsidies’ dispute
December 5, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and European Union agreed Monday to intensify talks to resolve EU concerns over major subsidies for American companies contained in a U.S.
Nevada toad in geothermal power fight gets endangered status
December 3, 2022 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — A tiny Nevada toad at the center of a legal battle over a geothermal power project has officially been declared an endangered species, after U.S. wildlife officials temporarily listed it on a rarely used emergency basis last spring.
Prince William, like his father, prioritizes the environment
December 3, 2022 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Prince William capped a three-day visit to Boston by meeting with President Joe Biden to share his vision for safeguarding the environment before attending a gala event Friday evening where he sounded an optimistic tone about solving the world’s environmental problems through “hope, optimism and urgency.”
Negotiators take first steps toward plastic pollution treaty
December 2, 2022 GMTMore than 2,000 experts wrapped up a week of negotiations on plastic pollution Friday, at one of the largest global gatherings ever to address what even industry leaders in plastics say is a crisis.
Amazon loses 10% of its vegetation in nearly four decades
December 2, 2022 GMTRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The Amazon region has lost 10% of its native vegetation, mostly tropical rainforest, in almost four decades, an area roughly the size of Texas, a new report says.
From 1985 to 2021, the deforested area surged from 490,000 square kilometers (190,000 square miles) to 1,250,000 square kilometers (482,000 square miles), unprecedented destruction in the Amazon, according to the Amazon Network of Georeferenced Socio-Environmental Information, or Raisg.
Lagoon dries up as drought grips Peru’s southern Andes
December 2, 2022 GMTCCONCHACCOTA, Peru (AP) — From her home under the baking sun of Peru's southern Andes, Vilma Huamaní can see the small Cconchaccota lagoon, the axis of her community’s life. It has been a source of trout, fun for children eager to swim, beauty as flamingos flew from over the mountains and water for thirsty sheep.
Royals tour US green tech incubator, meet at-risk youth
December 2, 2022 GMTBOSTON (AP) — The Prince and Princess of Wales on Thursday heard about solar-powered autonomous boats and low-carbon cement at a green technology startup incubator in suburban Boston before learning how a nonprofit gives young people the tools to stay out jail and away from violence.
Biden, Macron vow unity against Russia, discuss trade row
December 2, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron vowed to maintain a united front against Russia on Thursday amid growing worries about waning support for Ukraine's war effort in the U.S.
EXPLAINER: US-European differences on climate law persist
December 2, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday tried to allay concerns raised by French President Emmanuel Macron about a clean energy law that benefits electric vehicles and other products made in North America.
EPA seeks to mandate more use of ethanol and other biofuels
December 1, 2022 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed increasing the amount of ethanol and other biofuels that must be blended into the nation’s fuel supplies over the next three years, a move welcomed by renewable fuel and farm groups but condemned by environmentalists and oil industry groups.
Spain pledges 350M euros to save Doñana wetlands
December 1, 2022 GMTBARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain's government pledged to invest 350 million euros ($368 million) in the country's Doñana wetlands, a UNESCO world heritage site that ecologists say is dying due to the misuse of water and climate change.
In new role as G-20 chair, India set to focus on climate
December 1, 2022 GMTBENGALURU, India (AP) — India officially takes up its role as chair of the Group of 20 leading economies for the coming year Thursday and it's putting climate at the top of the group's priorities.
Programs to encourage sustainable living and money for countries to transition to clean energy and deal with the effects of a warming world are some of the key areas that India will focus on during its presidency, experts say.
Q&A: Jacob Harold creates philanthropist ‘toolbox,’ guide
December 1, 2022 GMTJacob Harold believes philanthropy needs more “strategic promiscuity” – battling the world’s problems using a variety of approaches.
It’s an idea that mirrors his wide-ranging career. Harold was president and CEO of GuideStar before it merged with Foundation Center to form the even larger nonprofit information source Candid, which he co-founded.
UK royals arrive in Boston to showcase youthful monarchy
December 1, 2022 GMTBOSTON (AP) — The Prince and Princess of Wales embarked Wednesday on their first overseas trip since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, aiming to showcase the younger face of a monarchy that is tackling important issues like climate change as it attempts to remain relevant in a modern, multicultural Britain.
Atlantic hurricane season ends with 14 named storms
December 1, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — An Atlantic hurricane season that had 14 named storms officially ended on Wednesday, leaving residents in the Florida Keys to celebrate even as others around Florida and Puerto Rico continue to grapple with the damage caused by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona.
Volcano knocks Mauna Loa carbon monitoring station offline
November 30, 2022 GMTThe eruption of Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano has temporarily knocked off power to the world’s premier station that measures heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but officials Wednesday say it won’t be a problem.
Amazon deforestation in Brazil remains near 15-year high
November 30, 2022 GMTRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon slowed slightly last year, a year after a 15-year high, according to closely watched numbers published Wednesday. The data was released by the National Institute for Space Research.
EU climate chief defends plans for ‘carbon farming’
November 30, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The European Union's top climate official on Wednesday dismissed criticism from environmental groups over its proposal to incorporate carbon removal methods into its climate plans, insisting the plan won't undermine the bloc's efforts to tackle global warming.
‘Necessary evil’: France refires coal plant amid energy woes
November 30, 2022 GMTSAINT-AVOLD, France (AP) — The end of France’s coal era seemed so certain last year that the operator of one of the country’s last coal-burning plants posted an upbeat educational video on YouTube titled “Let’s visit a coal plant that's going to be destroyed!”
Germany quits energy treaty, says it hampers climate goals
November 30, 2022 GMTGermany has formally decided to abandon an international energy accord that fossil fuel companies had used to oppose measures against climate change, the country's energy minister said Wednesday.
Biden, Macron ready to talk Ukraine, trade in state visit
November 30, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Washington on Tuesday for the first state visit of Joe Biden's presidency — a revival of diplomatic pageantry that had been put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NASA cancels greenhouse gas monitoring satellite due to cost
November 29, 2022 GMTNASA is canceling a planned satellite that was going to intensely monitor greenhouse gases over the Americas because it got too costly and complicated.
Australia argues against ‘endangered’ Barrier Reef status
November 29, 2022 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s environment minister said Tuesday her government will lobby against UNESCO adding the Great Barrier Reef to a list of endangered World Heritage sites, arguing that criticisms of government inaction on climate change were outdated.
US rule would limit methane leaks from public lands drilling
November 28, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department on Monday proposed rules to limit methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on public lands, the latest action by the Biden administration to crack down on emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.
Groups ask EU to drop carbon removal from climate plans
November 28, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Scores of environmental groups issued a joint appeal Monday for the European Union to drop carbon removal methods from its climate plans, arguing that some of them rely on untested technology while others may not absorb as many greenhouse gas emissions as claimed.
Spotlight on illegal buildings as Ischia death toll now at 8
November 28, 2022 GMTMILAN (AP) — The Italian resort island of Ischia has a long history of natural disasters, but experts say this weekend’s landslide that has killed eight people and left five missing was exacerbated by a combination of climate change and often-illegal excessive development.
UN: Great Barrier Reef should be on heritage ‘danger’ list
November 28, 2022 GMTPARIS (AP) — A United Nations-backed mission is recommending that the Great Barrier Reef be added to the list of endangered World Heritage sites, warning that without “ambitious, rapid and sustained” climate action the world’s largest coral reef is in peril.
Prince William focuses U.S. trip on climate amid Harry row
November 28, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — Prince William and the Princess of Wales will be looking to focus attention on their Earthshot Prize for environmental innovators when they make their first visit to the United States in eight years this week, a trip clouded by tensions with William's brother, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan, who have criticized Britain’s royal family in the American media.
Wildlife conference boosts protection for sharks, turtles
November 26, 2022 GMTPANAMA CITY (AP) — An international wildlife conference moved to enact some of the most significant protection for shark species targeted in the fin trade and scores of turtles, lizards and frogs whose numbers are being decimated by the pet trade.