The Pacific nation of Vanuatu was under a state of emergency Friday, after two earthquakes and two cyclones hit in as many days.. "People on (Espiritu) Santo felt the earthquake, but couldn't go outside to assess the damage because of the high winds," Dickinson Tevi, secretary general of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society told AFP. "They told me they didn't sleep well as the earthquake hit when they were already awake from the cyclone."
Some send divers in speed boats, others dispatch submersible robots to search the seafloor, and one team deploys a "mud missile" -- all tools used by scientists to scour the world's oceans for the next potent cancer treatment or antibiotic. . That means there is still huge potential to find the next antibiotic or HIV therapy, scientists say.
Norway's government on Thursday apologised to indigenous Sami reindeer herders affected by wind farms that were declared illegal after they were built, following a week of protests by activists.. "I have apologised on behalf of the government to the reindeer farms in Fosen for the fact that the permits involve a violation of human rights," Petroleum and Energy Minister Terje Aasland said at a joint press conference on Thursday with the speaker of the Sami parliament.
From the Amazon to the evergreen forests of Africa and Southeast Asia, large-scale deforestation threatens reductions in rainfall across the tropics, according to new research.. Using data gathered across the tropical Amazon, Congo and Southeast Asia regions between 2003 and 2017, Smith and his colleagues found that large-scale deforestation disrupts the water cycle and leads to significant rain reduction, with the greatest loss occurring during wet seasons.
Leaders were set to gather in Panama on Thursday to discuss the world's oceans and the multiple threats they face, from climate change and pollution to overfishing and mining.. By bringing governments, activists and industry together, "we are able to increase our collective understanding of the issues our ocean is facing and successful initiatives that could be more widely adopted," she told AFP. Observers say the Our Ocean gathering is important because it is the only conference to address all ocean-related issues under a single roof.
A jump in renewables and efficiency efforts helped blunt a feared runaway in carbon emissions growth from a surge in coal use last year due to the global energy crisis, the IEA said Thursday, even if CO2 emissions hit a new record.. "The impacts of the energy crisis didn't result in the major increase in global emissions that was initially feared –- and this is thanks to the outstanding growth of renewables, EVs, heat pumps and energy-efficient technologies," IEA executive director Fatih Birol said.
A sunken Philippine tanker carrying 800,000 litres (210,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil has leaked some of its cargo into the sea, authorities said Thursday, as they raced to find the vessel and contain the spill.. The Philippine Coast Guard initially reported the spillage was diesel fuel, which had been powering the vessel, and not industrial fuel oil from the ship's cargo.
More than 100 countries have backed a plan by Vanuatu to enlist the UN's top court in tackling climate change, after what the nation's officials on Thursday described as a "herculean" diplomatic effort.. With rising sea levels threatening its future, Vanuatu has spearheaded a drive for the court to define what legal responsibility countries have for the changing climate and its impacts.
It was once a source of national pride -- an award-winning firm that powered South Africa's mining boom and later brought electricity to black communities left behind by apartheid.. All this largely benefited white people, with black South Africans segregated and disregarded by the apartheid government.
Night falls over Ynys Enlli.. "It's put Ynys Enlli on the map," says Caroline Jones, administrator for the Bardsey Island Trust, which manages the site.
