Environment

France to push shipping carbon tax at finance summit

France said Friday it would throw its weight behind an emissions tax on the heavily polluting shipping industry, adding momentum to a campaign long championed by Pacific island nations and environmental campaigners.. Two Pacific nations exposed to the risk of rising sea levels, the Marshall and Solomon islands, have been pushing over the last decade for a $100-per-tonne tax on maritime industry emissions which would create incentives for operators to cut their pollution.

Fri, Jun 16, 2023 3 mins read

Environment

Trendy French island limits visitors to fight 'overtourism'

The small French island of Brehat, a popular north coast tourist destination, is restricting the number of visitors this summer after seeing as much as 15 times its population arrive at its rocky shores in a single day. . In the spring and summer, the number of visitors can peak to nearly 6,000 in a single day. 

Fri, Jun 16, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

Record UK drinking water demand sparks water use restrictions

Millions of people across parts of southern Britain will be banned from using garden hoses as a hot spell sparks record demand for drinking water, authorities said on Friday.. South East Water said demand in June had broken records despite the company providing an extra 120 million litres of water a day.

Fri, Jun 16, 2023 1 mins read

Environment

France to plough cash into low-emission planes: Macron

France will pump hundreds of millions of euros into developing low-emission aircraft, engines and aviation fuel in the coming years, President Emmanuel Macron said Friday.. Paris would dedicate 300 million euros ($330 million) to aircraft and motor research, Macron said during a visit to jet engine maker Safran just outside the capital.

Fri, Jun 16, 2023 1 mins read

Environment

Beijing roasts in record mid-June temperatures

Temperatures in Beijing hit a record for mid-June of 39.4 degrees Celsius (103 Fahrenheit) on Friday, China's meteorological authority said, warning the public to stay indoors.. "At around 2:30 pm on June 16, the temperature at Beijing's Nanjiao observatory hit 39.4 degrees Celsius, breaking the record high for mid-June," the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) wrote in a social media post.

Fri, Jun 16, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

Night owls die earlier due to drinking and smoking: study

People who tend to stay up late are not more likely to die younger than early risers -- as long as they don't use those longer nights for drinking and smoking, a 37-year-long study suggested on Friday.. The evening people tended to be younger, and tended to drink and smoke more.

Fri, Jun 16, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

Cyclone Biparjoy leaves destructive trail on Indian coast

Cyclone Biparjoy tore down power poles and uprooted trees Friday after pummelling the Indian coastline, though the storm was weaker than feared and there were no immediate reports of casualties.. Hundreds of electricity poles were uprooted along the coast, cutting power to most of the area, a spokesperson for Gujarat's government told AFP. Several hundred trees were also uprooted and emergency teams were struggling to access villages cut off by roadside debris. 

Fri, Jun 16, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

'There is nothing for me': Vietnam drought dries up income

On the shores of a reservoir that feeds one of Vietnam's biggest hydropower plants, Dang Thi Phuong points at the cracked ground where the fish that help her earn a living normally swim.. "Normally, I can earn up to three million dong ($125) per month from fishing on the lake, but now there is nothing for me," Phuong, 42, said, adding that even her buffaloes were suffering, no longer able to take a proper bath in the shallow waters.

Fri, Jun 16, 2023 2 mins read

Environment

'Heating hammer': Germany huffs and puffs over climate law

When Maike Biert was choosing a new heating system for her house in western Germany, she baulked at the huge cost of installing a heat pump, instead opting for a gas boiler.. The new rules mean heating systems will need to be powered by at least 65 percent renewable energy, effectively banning new oil and gas boilers, as Germany seeks to slash emissions and become climate neutral by 2045.

Fri, Jun 16, 2023 3 mins read

Environment

Vietnam's power crisis hits local firms, foreign investors

An intensely hot summer and unprecedented drought are straining energy supplies in northern Vietnam, prompting rolling blackouts and sudden power outages that have led to "uncountable" losses among local firms and foreign manufacturers.. "The power cut issue will be very serious for not only firms who have already invested in Vietnam, but also for us trying to call for investors to come to Vietnam," Hong Sun, chairman of the Korean Chamber of Business in Vietnam, told AFP. Other investors agreed that the blackouts -- along with an increasingly dark capital city that has turned off many street lights -- are not a good look for Vietnam.

Thu, Jun 15, 2023 4 mins read