Climate Change & Environment
Latest stories
Mexico abandons protection of loggerhead sea turtles

The Mexican government has largely abandoned protection and enforcement measures for loggerhead sea turtles, leading to a spike in the number of turtles being caught up and killed in fishing nets, according to a report released Monday.

The findings were announced by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, which functions as part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement.

W140 Full Story
Ban on single-use plastics takes effect in Hong Kong in bid to reduce pollution

Hong Kong has long been a major producer and consumer of great food, and a great amount of plastic and Styrofoam to go with it.

That's going to change as new legislation aiming to stop the sale and distribution of Styrofoam products and single-use plastic cutlery went into effect on Monday.

W140 Full Story
Europe is the fastest-warming continent, at nearly twice the average global rate

Europe is the fastest-warming continent and its temperatures are rising at roughly twice the global average, two top climate monitoring organizations reported Monday, warning of the consequences for human health, glacier melt and economic activity.

The U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization and the European Union's climate agency, Copernicus, said in a joint report that the continent has the opportunity to develop targeted strategies to speed up the transition to renewable resources like wind, solar and hydroelectric power in response to the effects of climate change.

W140 Full Story
Three Filipinos dead in UAE floods

Three workers from the Philippines have died in heavy flooding in the United Arab Emirates, Filipino officials announced, as the desert country struggled on Friday to recover from record rains.

W140 Full Story
Barcelona to get floating desalination plant to help fight drought in northeastern Spain

Spain's drought-stricken region of Catalonia will install a floating desalination plant to help the city of Barcelona guarantee its drinking water supply, regional authorities said Thursday.

Barcelona already relies on Europe's largest desalination plant for domestic use to compensate over three years of below average rainfall that have led to a historic drought made worse by climate change.

W140 Full Story
Climate change concerns grow, but few think Biden's climate law will help

Like many Americans, Ron Theusch is getting more worried about climate change.

A resident of Alden, Minnesota, Theusch has noticed increasingly dry and mild winters punctuated by short periods of severe cold — symptoms of a warming planet.

W140 Full Story
Giving a second life to fashion's deadstocks

At the Nona Source showroom in northern Paris, designers pick through luxurious textiles with ornate names: curly alpaca, geometrical macrame guipure, silk diamond cloque Jacquard.

What makes them really exotic, however, is that they all come from "deadstocks" -- the leftovers designers discard when they have finished with a roll of fabric.

W140 Full Story
Emirates airline again halts local flight check-in as UAE recovers from record rains

Long-haul carrier Emirates said Friday it would again halt local check-in for passengers traveling on its flights as the wider United Arab Emirates tries to recover from record-setting rains this week.

Emirates said the order would go through the entire day into early Saturday.

W140 Full Story
Lebanon poised for a clean energy revolution: Don't miss Middle East Clean Energy 2024!

Lebanon is at a crossroads. With a growing demand for clean energy solutions and a booming clean energy sector, the country is primed to lead the way in a sustainable future. At the heart of this movement is the Middle East Clean Energy exhibition & conference, returning for its much-anticipated 3rd edition on May 8th to 10th, 2024, in Beirut.

This landmark event, established as Lebanon's first and only Clean and Renewable Energy Trade Fair, offers a unique platform for businesses, innovators, and industry leaders to come together, showcase their expertise, and forge a path toward a greener tomorrow.

W140 Full Story
European court decision shows that safe climate is a human right

Having a safe climate is becoming more of a human right globally with this week's European court decision that says countries must better protect people from climate change, something warming-hit residents of the Global South long knew, said former Ireland President Mary Robinson.

Robinson, who was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, praised Tuesday's mixed court decision as precedent-setting and change-triggering. The European Court of Human Rights sided with Swiss senior women saying their government wasn't doing enough to protect them from climate shocks, but dismissed similar complaints from Portuguese youth and France's mayor on technical grounds.

W140 Full Story