Environment

Carbon capture: how does CO2 removal work?

With global temperatures still on the rise, even the most sceptical of scientists agree that carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is crucial to meet the Paris Agreement goal of capping global warming below two degrees Celsius.. A new global assessment published Thursday says limiting global warming at liveable levels will be impossible without massively scaling up CDR.  But even the most ardent promoters of carbon removal technology insist that slashing emissions remains the primary objective, even if the continued failure to do so has pushed CDR sharply higher on the climate agenda. 

Thu, Jan 19, 2023 3 mins read

Environment

Ukrainian deminers learn from decades of Cambodian experience

The baking sun beating down on them, a group of Ukrainian deminers watched intently as their Cambodian trainers swept through a dusty field in eastern Battambang province on Thursday, seeking to learn from decades of bitter experience.. After the field demonstration, the Ukrainians met with some of the victims of those landmines from nearby villages, to learn about their experiences. 

Thu, Jan 19, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

New leases to significantly expand UK offshore wind power

The UK on Thursday announced leases for six new offshore wind projects which aim to cement the country as one of the world's leading renewable energy generators in the offshore sector. . The UK currently boasts nearly 14GW of installed wind capacity across dozens of offshore sites, according to industry body RenewableUK. That places it second globally behind China, which generates 66GW.  The British government is aiming for 50GW by the end of the decade, as it bids to meet climate change targets agreed internationally.

Thu, Jan 19, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

The black hell of Albania's ageing oil fields

The people of Zharrez in central Albania live amid a stinking apocalyptic landscape of leaking oil wells and rusting storage tanks, the soil blackened from spills of crude that seep into their water.. Abandoned wells and storage tanks and rusted and leaking pipelines litter the oil-rich Patos-Marinza area, where swamps and little lakes of black crude scar the landscape.

Thu, Jan 19, 2023 3 mins read

Environment

Tiny beetle causes 'Christmas Eye' agony in Australia

A rare and agonising affliction dubbed "Christmas Eye", caused by the toxic secretions of a tiny native beetle, has re-emerged to torment residents in a remote part of southeastern Australia.. "These people are in abject misery," she told national broadcaster ABC. Holloway said Christmas Eye was caused by the native species of orthoperus beetles, which measure less than 1 millimetre in length.

Thu, Jan 19, 2023 1 mins read

Environment

Finnish fur farm horror caught on video as industry fights ban

Obese, infection-ridden foxes trapped in small cages; cubs feeding on their dead siblings: footage filmed by an animal rights group paints a shocking picture of fur farming in Finland.. The footage also shows young cubs eating their dead siblings.

Wed, Jan 18, 2023 3 mins read

Environment

Sustainable influencers take on fast fashion

Sustainable influencer Masego Morgan was shocked when a fast fashion giant offered her $1,000 for a single social media post to promote its brand. . Former "Love Island" contestant and sustainable fashion influencer Brett Staniland said he was offered close to $5,500 (5,076 euros) for a post for a major fast fashion brand, the kind of money most small or sustainable brands simply can't compete with. 

Wed, Jan 18, 2023 4 mins read

Environment

Lula calls for regional policy to preserve Amazon

Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday called for South American nations that are home to the Amazon rainforest to join forces in protecting the key resource to fighting climate change.. In his interview Wednesday he said he wants to set up a federal police body that "acts with more force" to protect the rainforest as well as to strengthen other government institutions.

Wed, Jan 18, 2023 1 mins read

Environment

Rapid scale-up of CO2 removal crucial for climate goals

Capping global warming at liveable levels will be impossible without massively scaling up the extraction of planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the first global assessment of CO2 removal warned Thursday.. "Regardless of whether we do a little or a lot of carbon dioxide removal, we will still have to do massive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions," report co-author Gregory Nemet, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, told AFP. But CO2 emissions in 2022 remained at near-record levels, thrusting CDR into an even more critical role.

Wed, Jan 18, 2023 3 mins read

Environment

Climate activist Greta Thunberg to storm into Davos

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg returns to Davos on Thursday to press her battle against fossil fuels at the annual confab of the global business and political elite.. The four campaigners will be among the panellists to discuss with Birol on Thursday calls to end new investments in fossil fuels and what should be done to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, organisers said.

Wed, Jan 18, 2023 2 mins read