Environment

Environment refers to the natural and physical surroundings in which living organisms exist, including air, water, land, climate and ecosystems, as well as their interactions. It encompasses both biotic components such as plants, animals and microorganisms and abiotic elements such as soil, minerals and atmospheric conditions. The environment influences life processes, human activities and the functioning of ecosystems.

Girl Sitting on Shore
Most bathing sites in Europe safe: EU environment agencyNews

Most bathing sites in Europe safe: EU environment agency

Copenhagen, Denmark | AFP - Most of Europe's bathing sites are safe to swim in, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Tuesday, with around…
SourceSourceMay 28, 2024 Full article
Image: Aerial view of a forest in fog
Vast concessions threaten Malaysia’s forest: reportNews

Vast concessions threaten Malaysia’s forest: report

Bangkok, Thailand | AFP - Vast concessions in Malaysia's forests threaten millions of hectares of rich natural habitats and risk the country's commitment to 50…
SourceSourceMay 28, 2024 Full article
Image: thermometer
Climate change caused 26 extra days of extreme heat in last year: reportNews

Climate change caused 26 extra days of extreme heat in last year: report

Paris, France | AFP - The world experienced an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably…
SourceSourceMay 28, 2024 Full article
Image: Cerrado landscape
Deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado higher than in Amazon: reportNews

Deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado higher than in Amazon: report

Sao Paulo, Brazil | AFP Deforestation in Brazil's Cerrado region, a vast tropical savanna renowned for its rich biodiversity, increased sharply in 2023 and overtook…
SourceSourceMay 28, 2024 Full article
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Submerged homes, heat waves fuel Mexico climate angstNews

Submerged homes, heat waves fuel Mexico climate angst

By Yussel Gonzalez | AFP El Bosque, Mexico - Waves wash over abandoned homes in a Mexican village slowly being swallowed by the sea --…
SourceSourceMay 28, 2024 Full article
Image: Girl cleaning the plastic bottle from ground
Philippines deploys river rangers in battle against plasticNews

Philippines deploys river rangers in battle against plastic

Manila, Philippines | AFP - Using a long-handled net, Ronnel Narvas scoops up discarded plastic soft drink bottles, shopping bags and palm-sized sachets as he…
SourceSourceMay 28, 2024 Full article
Oil pumps work rhythmically against the backdrop of dusky sky
Brazil’s new Petrobras chief calls to speed up oil explorationNews

Brazil’s new Petrobras chief calls to speed up oil exploration

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil | AFP - The new boss of Brazil's Petrobras said Monday it was crucial that the state-run company "accelerate" oil exploration,…
SourceSourceMay 28, 2024 Full article
Image: A Penguin in Antarctica
How politics and climate could affect the Antarctic TreatyClimate

How politics and climate could affect the Antarctic Treaty

The Antarctic Treaty System has long been hailed as an example of successful international cooperation. But could that be at risk? It's been hot in…
SourceSourceMay 27, 2024 Full article
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France’s historic D-Day beaches threatened by rising sea levelsNews

France’s historic D-Day beaches threatened by rising sea levels

By Matthieu CLAVEL | AFP Caen, France - As France prepares to mark 80 years since Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, the…
SourceSourceMay 27, 2024 Full article
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Europe’s water contamined by PFAS chemical: NGOsNews

Europe’s water contamined by PFAS chemical: NGOs

Paris, France | AFP Europe's rivers, lakes and groundwater are riddled with "alarming" levels of a persistent man-made 'forever chemical' linked to synthetic pesticides, a…
SourceSourceMay 27, 2024 Full article
Forest with technology - image generated by AI
Machine learning accelerates discovery of high-performance metal oxide catalystsScience

Machine learning accelerates discovery of high-performance metal oxide catalysts

Researchers have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to significantly advance the discovery and optimization of multicomponent metal oxide electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction…
SourceSourceMay 26, 2024 Full article
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Gas strategy fuels concerns about the cost of energyClimate

Gas strategy fuels concerns about the cost of energy

By Dani Alexander, UNSW in Sydney The Australian government's gas strategy has stoked old tensions between advocates of fossil fuels and those who want our reliance on…
SourceSourceMay 25, 2024 Full article
Image: Island covered by trees, Maldives
Low-lying Maldives seeks easier funding to battle wavesNews

Low-lying Maldives seeks easier funding to battle waves

Malé, Maldives (AFP) - The Maldives on Saturday demanded international funding to battle rising sea levels, saying the low-lying Indian Ocean archipelago was being unfairly…
SourceSourceMay 25, 2024 Full article
Image: Beautiful outdoor nature with sky and sunset or sunrise around coconut palm tree (s. heatwave, climate)
Mexico heat waves leave 48 dead since MarchNews

Mexico heat waves leave 48 dead since March

Mexico City, Mexico (AFP) - Mexico has registered 48 deaths in a series of heat waves since March, the government said Friday, as scientists warned…
SourceSourceMay 24, 2024 Full article
Image: Close-up of Woman Preparing Herbs in Pounder
Celebrations as new biopiracy treaty agreed at UNNews

Celebrations as new biopiracy treaty agreed at UN

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP (Updated) - Representatives of Indigenous peoples celebrated Friday at the United Nations following the agreement of a treaty against the pillaging…
SourceSourceMay 24, 2024 Full article
Image: Still life of world intellectual property day (s. biopiracy, patent)
Agreement reached at UN on biopiracy treatyNews

Agreement reached at UN on biopiracy treaty

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP More than 190 nations agreed Friday on a new treaty to combat so-called biopiracy and regulate patents stemming from genetic resources…
SourceSourceMay 24, 2024 Full article
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What Australia’s new gas strategy gets wrongClimate

What Australia’s new gas strategy gets wrong

By Samantha Hepburn, Deakin University in Melbourne Australia’s gas future must involve energy security and climate security. The new government strategy fails to strike this…
SourceSourceMay 24, 2024 Full article
Image: wolves
Culling controversy as French wolf population falls in 2023News

Culling controversy as French wolf population falls in 2023

By Laure FILLON | AFP Lyon, France - The estimated number of wolves in France last year was 1,003, down nine percent from the year…
SourceSourceMay 23, 2024 Full article
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Uncertainty clouds UN talks on biopiracy treatyNews

Uncertainty clouds UN talks on biopiracy treaty

By Agnès PEDRERO | AFP Geneva, Switzerland - UN talks to create a global treaty to combat biopiracy and the exploitation of genetic resources hung…
SourceSourceMay 23, 2024 Full article
Image: Tiger Habitat
India plans ‘historic’ tiger transfer to Cambodia this yearNews

India plans ‘historic’ tiger transfer to Cambodia this year

Phnom Penh, Cambodia (AFP) - India will send four tigers to Cambodia this year in a "historic" bid to revive the kingdom's big cat population,…
SourceSourceMay 23, 2024 Full article
Image: Working industrial cargo ship in the sea (mining)
WWF takes Norway to court over deep sea miningNews

WWF takes Norway to court over deep sea mining

Oslo, Norway (AFP) - The World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) Norwegian chapter said Thursday it would take legal action against Norway for opening up…
SourceSourceMay 23, 2024 Full article
Image: Tiehm buckwheat (s. rare plants)
Flower or power? Campaigners fear lithium mine could kill rare plantNews

Flower or power? Campaigners fear lithium mine could kill rare plant

United States | AFP Delicate pink buds sway in the desert breeze, pregnant with yellow pompoms whose explosion will carpet the dusty corner of Nevada…
SourceSourceMay 23, 2024 Full article
Image: bottle and glass
Bottled water is full of microplastics. Is it still ‘natural’?Climate

Bottled water is full of microplastics. Is it still ‘natural’?

By Joseph Winters | Grist Is bottled water really “natural” if it’s contaminated with microplastics? A series of lawsuits recently filed against six bottled water…
SourceSourceMay 22, 2024 Full article
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Shell faces shareholder revolt over climate strategyNews

Shell faces shareholder revolt over climate strategy

London, United Kingdom (AFP) - More than a fifth of Shell investors have revolted against its climate strategy in a key vote, the British energy…
SourceSourceMay 21, 2024 Full article