Environment

Iceland suspends whale hunt on animal welfare concerns

Iceland's government said Tuesday it was suspending this year's whale hunt until the end of August due to animal welfare concerns, likely bringing the controversial practice to a historic end.. "I have taken the decision to suspend whaling" until August 31, Food Minister Svandis Svavarsdottir said in a statement, after a government-commissioned report concluded the hunt does not comply with Iceland's Animal Welfare Act.

Court mulls case against Spain govt over climate inaction

Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday began examining a case filed by Greenpeace and other environmental groups accusing the central government of insufficient action to tackle climate change, the court and NGOs said. . A spokeswoman confirmed the court had begun assessing the claim which was filed in September 2020 by Greenpeace, Spain's Ecologists in Action and Oxfam against "the government's failure" to act on its international commitments vis-a-vis climate change. 

France to shut down climate NGO after protest violence

French authorities are expected shortly to issue a decree shutting down a climate activist group after demonstrators clashed with police over a controversial irrigation project that left one man in a coma.. The decree is likely to be discussed at the government's weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday, a source close to the issue said.

In fire-hit Greece, Greens struggle to be heard

Wildfires, floods and climate change have failed to budge Greeks towards voting Green for over a decade, but a new coalition hopes to break through deep-rooted scepticism in Sunday's national elections.. That is unlikely to change in Greece's national elections on June 25 -- not a single environment party is polling remotely near the three percent threshold required to enter the chamber.

Celebrities to urge climate action at Hollywood gathering

Stars including Jane Fonda and the Oscar-winning directors of "Everything Everywhere All At Once" will urge the entertainment industry to tackle climate change head-on at a summit in Los Angeles this week.. The summit sees "Abbott Elementary" star Quinta Brunson join "Everything Everywhere" directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert in a keynote discussion, before Fonda calls on the industry to battle new fossil fuel developments in California.

'Not based on science': US confronts abortion 'reversal' myths

Wracked by guilt after taking an abortion pill, a sobbing woman calls a US hotline.. Anti-abortion advocates in the United States have heralded the so-called "reversal" treatment -- which involves taking the hormone progesterone -- for women who change their minds after taking mifepristone.

Lab-grown human embryo models spark calls for regulation

Scientists have used stem cells to create structures that resemble human embryos in the lab, in a first that has prompted calls for stricter regulation in the rapidly advancing field.. The labs used different techniques to encourage human embryonic stem cells, which can become any type of cell, to self-assemble into a structure that resembles an embryo -- without needing sperm, an egg or fertilisation.

Facing housing crunch, Toronto cuts into once-protected lands

A billboard at the foot of a field on Toronto's far outskirts heralds the coming construction of new homes, but it also highlights a broken promise never to permit encroachment into this vast green space, and the backlash which has ensued.. The Ford government has designated 15 locations to build 50,000 homes and contribute to the goal of adding 1.5 million new residences in Ontario by 2031.

Himalayan glaciers melting 65 percent faster than previous decade: study

Himalayan glaciers providing critical water to nearly two billion people are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, scientists warned Tuesday.. Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region are a crucial water source for around 240 million people in the mountainous regions, as well as for another 1.65 billion people in the river valleys below, the report said.

France pledges to combat 'overtourism'

Faced with surging numbers of visitors to historic landmarks and natural treasures, France wants to put a lid on the tourist crowds that flood in each year -- though officials recognise it won't be easy.. "It's up to the government, working hand in hand with regional officials and tourist sites, to implement measures for informing tourists and locals, and to help manage the crowds," she said.