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Iraq's prized rice crop threatened by drought
Drought is threatening the Iraqi tradition of growing amber rice, the aromatic basis of rich lamb and other dishes, and a key element in a struggling economy.
Peru sues Spain's Repsol for $4.5 bn over oil spill
Peru has filed suit against Spanish energy company Repsol over the massive January oil spill that ravaged its coast, seeking $4.5 billion in damages.
Climate change made deadly S. Africa rains twice as likely
Rainfall that caused catastrophic floods and landslides last month in and around Durban, South Africa, was made twice as likely by global warming, scientists said Friday.
Low French rainfall adds new cloud to global food market
French farmer Robin Lachaux is worried about his wheat. In normal years, it flowers and bulks up in May thanks to regular spring rainfall, but this year hot and dry conditions risk stunting its progress.
Paris plans green makeover of Champs-Elysees for Olympics
Paris will give the famed Champs-Elysees a makeover ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games by planting trees and increasing pedestrian areas, the French capital's officials said on Wednesday.
India relaxes environment rules for coal mines, citing heatwave
India has relaxed environmental compliance rules for coal mines seeking to ramp up production as power outages exacerbate a sweltering heatwave, a government notice showed.
UN says 'imminent' Yemen oil spill would cost $20 bn to clean up
The United Nations warned Monday that it would cost $20 billion to clean up an oil spill in the event of the "imminent" break-up of an oil tanker abandoned off Yemen.
Standoff at strategic Ukraine river eyed by Russian troops
On the municipal beach at Nikopol in southern Ukraine, barbed wire, sand bags and other defences have replaced children playing on the sand.
Brazil deforestation shatters April record
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon last month shattered the record for April, destroying more than 1,000 square kilometers of the world's biggest rainforest, nearly double the previous high, according to official figures published Friday.
Inbreeding won't doom the last of the vaquitas, but fishing might: study
Vaquita porpoises are on the edge of extinction, with just 10 left in their sole habibat within Mexico's Gulf of California.
World needs food system 'transformation' to tackle climate: expert
Food is fundamental to the efforts to tackle climate change, according to a scientist who has spent decades tracing the interactions between global warming and what we eat.
Thousands sick as latest severe sandstorm sweeps across Iraq
One person died in Iraq and more than 5,000 were treated in hospitals Thursday for respiratory ailments due to a sandstorm, the seventh in a month, the health ministry said.
Please don't croak: Setting the mood to save Venezuelan frog
Enormous expectations rest on the tiny endangered amphibian perched on a rock in a plastic box: the Mucuchies' Frog needs to produce offspring if its species is to survive.
Fossils dating back 66 million years found outside Bangkok mall
More than 70 shells embedded in a footpath outside a Bangkok shopping mall have been found to be the fossils of marine creatures that lived more than 66 million years ago, Thai experts have confirmed.
Floods, fires drive Australian home insurance 'crisis'
Fiercer floods, winds and bushfires whipped up by warmer temperatures mean more than half a million homes in Australia will cost too much to insure by 2030, according to an analysis by a climate advocacy group published Tuesday.
US megadrought reveals 1980s body in lake, with more to come: police
A worsening drought has revealed a four-decade-old body dumped in a US lake, police said Monday, warning that falling water levels would lead to the uncovering of more corpses.
Iraq yet again hit by dust storm
Iraq on Sunday was yet again covered in a thick sheet of orange as it suffered the latest in a series of dust storms that have become increasingly common.
Look! A polar bear meanders way down south in Canada
A polar bear was spotted Saturday in the Quebec region of Canada, prompting wildlife officials to warn residents of a small town stunned by this very rare appearance.
Boosted by oil prices, ExxonMobil, Chevron throw cash at investors
ExxonMobil and Chevron reported soaring profits Friday despite lower oil and natural gas volumes as the petroleum giants return billions of dollars to shareholders in the wake of lofty crude prices and refining margins.
California probes 'Big Oil' over plastic pollution
California launched a sweeping investigation Thursday into plastic pollution by major oil companies, in a probe it says will look at whether fossil fuel giants have been lying about the problem for decades.
Judge sides with Elon Musk in lawsuit over SolarCity
A judge in the state of Delaware on Wednesday handed Tesla chief Elon Musk a victory in a shareholder lawsuit filed over the controversial buy of solar panel maker SolarCity.
Over 21% of reptile species at risk of extinction
At least one in five reptile species are threatened with extinction, including more than half of turtles and crocodiles, according to the first major global assessment of the world's so-called cold-blooded creatures.
Restoring damaged land key to climate, biodiversity goals
Unsustainable farming is on track to increase the amount of severely degraded land by an area the size of South America by mid-century, a UN report warned Wednesday, as experts said restoration was a matter of "survival".
Solar energy projects lower bills in Rio de Janeiro favelas
In a hillside slum with breathtaking views of Rio de Janeiro's famed Copacabana beach, a rooftop covered in photovoltaic panels glitters in the tropical sun -- one of many in Brazil's first favela solar energy project.
No 'significant' harm from Galapagos diesel spill: reserve
A diesel spill off one of Ecuador's ecologically sensitive Galapagos islands caused no "significant" damage, the protected nature reserve said Sunday.
Scuba diving boat sinks off Ecuador's Galapagos Islands
A scuba diving boat sank Saturday off one of Ecuador's ecologically sensitive Galapagos Islands but damage was minor and no one was hurt, officials said.
Scientists to scour African waters to gauge ocean pollution
Scientists on Saturday began a five-month mission to study how plastic pollution in Africa's main rivers and climate change stresses are impacting microorganisms in the Atlantic ocean, they announced.
Dalai Lama urges move to renewable energy to combat climate crisis
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama urged the public to reduce fossil fuel use during a meeting with activists to mark Earth Day, warning that the climate change crisis transcends national boundaries.
Ecotourism giving rare iguanas a sweet tooth
Ecotourists feeding grapes to rock iguanas on remote islands in the Bahamas have given them a sweet tooth and high blood sugar, researchers said Thursday, warning of unknown effects on the health of the vulnerable reptiles.
'Small actions' can help reduce reliance on Russian energy: IEA
Adjusting the heating and working more from home are just some of the "small actions" that can reduce Europe's reliance on Russia, the International Energy Agency and the European Commission said Thursday.
Judge halts work on Mexico president's contentious tourist train
A Mexican judge has suspended construction of part of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's flagship tourist train project in the Yucatan peninsula due to a lack of environmental impact studies.
Indigenous lands block Brazil deforestation: study
Brazil's indigenous reservations have acted as a barrier against deforestation over the past three decades, although destruction of the Amazon rainforest has accelerated recently under President Jair Bolsonaro, according to a study published Tuesday.
Record low Antarctic sea ice extent could signal shift
Sea ice around Antarctica shrank to the smallest extent on record in February, five years after the previous record low, researchers said Tuesday, suggesting Earth's frozen continent may be less impervious to climate change than thought.
Biden restores environmental safeguards dropped by Trump
The administration of President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced it would restore safeguards in a cornerstone environmental law weakened under Donald Trump -- including a duty to assess the climate impacts of proposed infrastructure projects.
Iraq 'green belt' neglected in faltering climate fight
Envisioned as a lush fortress against worsening desertification and sand storms, the "green belt" of Iraq's Karbala stands as a wilted failure.
Cruise ships at center of dispute in Florida's idyllic Key West
The island-city of Key West off the southern tip of Florida invites visitors to stroll slowly, enjoy turquoise waters and take in the sunset. But according to some residents, that idyllic peace is endangered -- by lumbering, tourist-filled cruise ships.
Endangered North Atlantic right whales make a stand in Cape Cod
After many hours scouring Cape Cod Bay and a few false alarms, those aboard the Research Vessel Shearwater on a bright April day make their first sighting: three North Atlantic right whales, including a rare mother-calf pair.
Climate activists block four of London's busiest bridges
UK climate activist group Extinction Rebellion on Friday shut down four of London's busiest bridges, snarling traffic on the first day of the Easter bank holiday.
Israel to top up shrinking Sea of Galilee with desalinated water
Israel, a leader in making seawater drinkable, plans to pump excess output from its desalination plants into the Sea of Galilee, depleted by overuse and threatened by climate change.