Environment

Scientists find plastic microbeads in remote Arctic ice

Even in the Arctic, microscopic particles of plastic are falling out of the sky with snow, a study has found. The scientists said they were shocked by the sheer number…

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Swedish activist Greta Thunberg sails to New York

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg waves to well-wishers while leaving Plymouth, Britain, 14 August 2019. Greta Thunberg is making her way from Plymouth to New York aboard the Malizia II to…

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Air pollution can be as damaging as a packet of cigarettes a day

Air pollution can be as damaging as a packet of cigarettes a day, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of Washington looked at how exposure to four…

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Fighting climate change through food

The UN's scientific body on climate change highlights in a new report the strong connection between land use and climate change. A radical change in the food system is key…

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Photo Story: Seal pups released into the North Sea

Helpers release four young seal pups into the North Sea on the beach of Juist island, northern Germany. Four young seals - Freya, Lotte, Mucki and Finchen - were brought…

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€72-million project in Paris to make it greener and cooler

Paris will make itself greener and its streets cooler by creating "urban forests," Mayor Anne Hidalgo says. Her strategy, unveiled recently, is to create new urban parks and gardens, adding 30 hectares…

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Photo Story: Forest fires in Madrid

A flying boat takes water from La Pinilla dam in Pinilla del Valle, Madrid, Spain, 04 August 2019, issued 05 August 2019, to extinguish the forest fires. The fires broke…

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Photo Story: The Wildfires in Siberia

A handout picture made available by the press service of the Federation Service Aviation Forest Protection shows servicemen fighting wildfires in the taiga, or boreal forest, Krasnoyarsk region, Russia In…

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BoE’s Carney warns of bankruptcy for firms that ignore climate change

Businesses that fail to adapt to climate change will go bust, warned Bank of England Governor Mark Carney. “Companies that don’t adapt - including companies in the financial system -…

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Russian troops to help fight Siberia wildfires

Russia's military will join the combat against wildfires raging in Siberia as they rip through several remote regions in Siberia. As residents of several Russian cities struggle with the effects…

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Prince Harry plans a ‘maximum’ of two children to help save the planet

Prince Harry said he is not intending on having more then one child out of concern for the state of the planet. In an interview with famed chimpanzee expert, Jane…

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Russia declares emergency over huge wildfires in Siberia

An area of 3.2 million hectares was engulfed by forest fires in remote regions of Russia on Monday and have continued to spread. In comparison, the total surface of the…

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Photo Story: Arctic Wildfires spreading across Alaska and Canada

A handout photo made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows a true-color composite image of smoke from Arctic wildfires spreading across Alaska and Canada, captured by…

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Photo Story: International Tiger Day at Melbourne Zoo

Indrah, a nine-year-old Sumatran Tiger during International Tiger Day at Melbourne Zoo in Melbourne, Australia. International Tiger Day is celebrated on 29 July annually to promote the protection of natural…

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Humanity has already consumed more than the planet can sustainably produce in one year

With just five months left in 2019, humanity has already consumed more than the planet can sustainably produce in one year. Over the past 20 years, Earth Overshoot Day has…

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Think the heatwave was bad? Climate already hitting key tipping points

As Europe just went through one of the worst heatwaves on record and other parts of the world are suffering adverse effects of the climate, Reuters correspondent Matthew Green writes…

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Malta: Large turnout in protest against Central Link project

There was a large turnout Sunday morning in Attard on Sunday for the protest against the controversial Central Link project, which will involve the uprooting of 549 trees and the…

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British government studying ways to make the country greener

Britain’s official statisticians have developed an algorithmic technology that can measure how green are all the British gardens in a bid to help combat flooding and reduce pollution and CO2.…

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Plastic bottles for metro tickets in Rome

Machines have been placed at three Rome metro stations which allow passengers to “earn” public transport tickets by recycling their old plastic bottles. The machines were placed in the Cipro…

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Growing risk of locust swarms in Yemen and Horn of Africa

Yemen and several countries in the Horn of Africa region, are facing an increased risk of desert locust swarms, threatening agricultural production during the next three months, the UN Food and…

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Paris authorities see trees as solution to excessive heat

As Paris goes through record temperatures due to the current heatwave, Paris authorities have been implementing a strategy to use increased vegetation to beat the urban heat effect caused by…

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Russia alarmed by large fall in bee populations

Large areas of central and southern Russia have seen a major decline in their bee populations in recent months. The head of the Russian beekeepers' union, Arnold Butov, said 20…

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Photo Story: Environmental protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London

Police officers walk stand in front of a blue boat belonging to Extinction Rebellion protesters outside the Royal Courts of Justice this morning where Extinction Rebellion climate change protesters have blocked…

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Indonesia sending back dozens of containers of waste back to Western nations

Indonesia is sending dozens of containers of waste back to Western nations after finding it was contaminated with used nappies, plastic and other materials, adding to a growing backlash in…

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Photo Story: Protest against the use of plastics in Hungary

Whale sculptures made from plastic waste that was recovered from the ocean are on display at the parliament building in Budapest, Hungary. The temporary installation was erected by Greenpeace…

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New Greenpeace report warns of ‘irreversible harm’ from deep sea mining

The world’s oceans could face severe and irreversible harm unless tighter environmental safeguards are put in place to protect them from the risks of deep sea mining, warns a new…

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Superfires expected to worsen in Europe

The international conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned of the risks from new faster-spreading “superfires” in the wake of heatwaves and droughts that have been afflicting Europe in what…

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Austrian parliament bans glyphosate weed killer

Austria is on track to be the first EU country to completely ban weed killer glyphosate, originally developed by Monsanto and marketed under the name Roundup. Members of Parliament in…

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Japan’s starts first commercial whale hunt in more than 30 years

Five small ships sailed out of harbour on Monday in Japan’s first commercial whale hunt in more than three decades. The decision has aroused global condemnation and fears for the…

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Ship carrying waste arrives back in Canada from the Philippines

A ship carrying 69 containers of waste mislabeled as plastic recyclables returned to Canada on Saturday from the Philippines. The incident sparked a diplomatic dispute and the prospect of an…

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Photo Story: The Melting Sea of Ice

A handout photo made available by the Danish Meteorological Institute (Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut, DMI) on 19 June 2019 shows dogs hauling a sled through meltwater on coastal sea ice…

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Oceans under “unprecedented pressure” due to climate change

The oceans are not only under “unprecedented pressure” due to climate change, but “half of all living coral has been lost in the past 150 years”, United Nations Secretary-General…

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Hundreds told to evacuate in UK due to flooding

Nearly 600 homes in Lincolnshire in the UK are being evacuated after a river burst its banks following heavy rain which has battered the UK this week. The…

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WWF publishes report on the extent of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean

As the world today commemorates World Oceans Day, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) issued a report on the worrying state of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Roughly 600,000…

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Barcelona is the most polluted cruise ship port in Europe

Barcelona is the most polluted cruise ship port in Europe. That’s according to a new report from think tank Transport & Environment, which found Spain had four ports ranking in…

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Philippines returns huge amounts of waste ‘illegally shipped’ by Canada

The Philippines is returning huge amounts of waste which it says was illegally shipped by Canada. Manila said it was mislabelled as recyclable plastics and criticised other western countries for…

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Photo Story: Last male Sumatran Rhino dies in Malaysia

Malaysia's last male Sumatran rhino has died, leaving just one of the rhinos, a captive female, in the entire country. Wildlife experts in the country captured the male, nicknamed…

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PhotoStory: Dead whale washes up in San Francisco Bay Area

A gray whale carcass on the shore of Limantour Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore in California, USA. The marine mammal is the thirteenth dead whale that washed ashore in…

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Appeal so airlines eliminate single-use plastic

Paulo Mirpuri, the chief executive of Portuguese charter Hi Fly said airlines should get ahead of regulators by voluntarily eliminating single-use plastic within five years. Airlines, facing public pressure, are…

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Scientists warn one million species of plants and animals are at risk of extinction

One million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction in an alarming and compelling UN report. Nature everywhere is declining at a speed never previously seen and our…

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Legal problems after 30 hammerhead sharks die at French aquarium

France's largest aquarium is facing legal action over the deaths of 30 hammerhead sharks. The NGO Sea Shepherd filed a lawsuit against Nausicaa National Sea Center, situated in Boulogne-sur-Mer near…

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Photostory: ‘Energy Observer’ arrives in Amsterdam

'Energy Observer', the hydrogen and solar powered self-fueling catamaran, Friday arrived in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Amsterdam is one of Energy Observer's planned 101 ports of call on its trip around…

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Millions to mark Earth Hour today

Millions are set to show their commitment to the planet today by turning off their lights as they mark Earth Hour, an international event organised by the WWF (World Wide…

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Barcelona to ban polluting vehicles

Following in the footsteps of Madrid, Barcelona is planning to restrict the access of vehicles that are considered major polluters. The restrictions would come into force from 2020 and prohibit…

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40kg of plastic found in dead whale

Workers at D'Bone Collector Museum found 40kg of plastic bags inside its stomach of a dead whale that washed up in the Philippines earlier in March. The Cuvier's beaked…

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First global commitment to curb single-use plastics

Nations have agreed to significantly curb items such as plastic bags and straws by 2030. But environmental groups warned that the measures do not go far enough, with the US…

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Summer tourism results in a 40% increase in marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea

Summer tourism is leading to a sharp increase in the amount of plastic ending up in the Mediterranean Sea, new research shows. Analysis for the WWF to mark United Nations World…

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New EU directive to curb plastic use

The European Commission proposed new EU-wide rules on Monday aimed at reducing plastic pollution in cities and oceans by banning several plastic products. Through the new directive plastic utensils, straws,…

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Europe that protects: Clean air for all’ -European Commission outlines measures available to help Member States fight air pollution

The European Commission is providing national, regional and local actors with practical help to improve air quality in Europe, and stepping up its enforcement against 7 Member States who have…

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Is it the end of wet wipes?

The BBC reports that ever so handy wet wipes, used for anything, from cleaning up sticky fingers and removing eye make-up as well as on other parts of the anatomy,…

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Malta and Estonia register highest increase in CO2 emissions – Eurostat

Eurostat estimates that in 2017 carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion increased by 1.8% in the European Union (EU), compared with the previous year. CO2 emissions are a…

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