Environment

Business and consumers hamper climate fight: report

Corporations and consumers are the main obstacle to the emissions cuts needed to keep global warming to the 1.5-degree Celsius limit, researchers said Wednesday, adding that "positive signs" in other areas are not yet enough to meet climate goals.. That 2015 deal saw nations agree to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times, preferably 1.5C.  Researchers looked at 10 societal factors that they considered to be the most important drivers of decarbonisation and found that currently none are yet at a level that would lead to the dramatic emissions reductions needed by 2050.

Wed, Feb 1, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

Norway not a war profiteer, PM says

Norway has grown richer by the minute as the conflict in Ukraine boosts its gas revenues, but the country is not a war profiteer, its prime minister told AFP in an interview.. Calls have mounted in Norway and abroad for the country to redistribute at least part of the windfall to Ukrainians, or risk being called a war profiteer.

Wed, Feb 1, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

Indonesian islanders file Holcim climate complaint

Residents of the Indonesian island of Pulau Pari have filed a complaint against the Swiss cement giant Holcim, demanding compensation for climate damage, the NGO backing them announced Wednesday.. The complaint requests that Holcim pay compensation for the damage already caused on the island and finance flood protection measures on the picturesque island north of Jakarta.

Wed, Feb 1, 2023 1 mins read

Environment

Electric car sales gain pace despite hurdles

The electrification of the car industry is gathering pace, particularly in Europe, where the sale of new cars running on petrol and diesel will end in 2035.. - China in pole position - China is a leader in the electrification of cars, with favourable policies helping sales to double in 2022.

Wed, Feb 1, 2023 3 mins read

Environment

Arctic cold 'no sweat' for electric cars in Norway

Norwegian electric car owners have a word for the way they feel when they look nervously at their battery indicators while driving in subfreezing weather: "rekkevideangst", or "range anxiety".. With temperatures often falling below zero, rugged terrain and long stretches of remote roads, Norway may not seem like the most ideal place to drive an electric car, whose battery dies faster in cold weather.

Tue, Jan 31, 2023 3 mins read

Environment

Lebanese villagers try to stem illegal logging scourge

Braving the bitter cold, Lebanese villagers have been patrolling a mountainside in the country's north, trying to protect trees from loggers who roll in under the cover of darkness. . Lebanon, whose flag bears a cedar tree, is known for its greenery, with forests covering 13 percent of the Middle Eastern country's territory, according to official data.

Tue, Jan 31, 2023 3 mins read

Environment

Trees could cut urban heatwave mortality by a third: study

Planting more trees in urban areas to lower summertime temperatures could decrease deaths directly linked to hot weather and heatwaves by a third, researchers said Wednesday.. "Urban tree planting -– on the right scale, in the right places, and under certain other conditions -– likely leads to a modest-yet-real reduction in heat-related deaths in many urban areas."

Tue, Jan 31, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

Relentless sex drive may threaten survival of quolls

For male northern quolls, sex is a death sentence.. Hoping to shed light on this sex-driven death frenzy, a team of researchers strapped tiny backpacks carrying tracking devices to seven male and six female northern quolls on Groote Eylandt, an island off the coast of Australia's Northern Territory.

Tue, Jan 31, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

US states miss water share agreement deadline

Seven US states that rely on the Colorado River on Tuesday missed a federal government deadline to agree on reducing water consumption from a watercourse that has been overused for decades.. This is the second deadline missed by the states.

Tue, Jan 31, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

In Norway's icy seas, freediver dances with killer whales

Gliding stealthily through Norway's frigid Arctic waters, world champion freediver Arthur Guerin-Boeri defies the glacial temperatures and darkness to rub shoulders with one of the most fearsome sea predators -- killer whales.. Despite the poor visibility and the Arctic winds that push the temperature of the sea water below freezing, Guerin-Boeri said the dives were an "unforgettable memory".

Tue, Jan 31, 2023 2 mins read