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Germany sees 'worrying' record dry spell in early 2025

Germany's environment minister on Wednesday warned of a high risk of forest fires and poor harvests after a "worrying" lack of rain in recent weeks.

Prague zoo breeds near-extinct Brazilian mergansers

Five chicks of the critically endangered Brazilian merganser have been born at the Prague Zoo, fuelling hopes for a reintroduction of the duck in the wild, a breeder said Wednesday.

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UK cost-of-living crisis worsens as energy price cap nearly doubles

Britain announced Friday a vast 80-percent hike in electricity and gas bills, in a dramatic worsening of the cost-of-living crisis before winter as the country awaits a new leader.

Lights out? Swiss brace for looming power shortages

Switzerland is among the world's wealthiest countries, but its reliance on Russian gas and French nuclear power -- both in short supply -- has it bracing for power shortages and even blackouts this winter.

UN high-seas biodiversity treaty struggles to leave port

A two-week negotiating session on a treaty to protect the high seas wraps up Friday, with UN observers holding their breath that the long-stalled deal can cross the finish line.

California says new cars must be zero emission by 2035

California ruled Thursday that all new cars sold in America's most populous state must be zero emission from 2035, in what was billed as a nation-leading step to slash the pollutants that cause global warming.

Brazil records worst day for Amazon fires in 15 years

The number of forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon hit a nearly 15-year high this week, according to official figures that provided the latest warning on the advancing destruction of the world's biggest rainforest.

California set to ban fossil fuel cars by 2035

All new cars sold in California by 2035 will have to be zero emission under plans set to be adopted by the state this week, as the biggest economy in the United States drives a nationwide fossil fuel evolution.

Boiling heat and no water: taps run dry in southern Iraq

Younes Ajil turns on the tap in his home but nothing comes out: dozens of villages are without running water in drought-hit Iraq, surviving on sporadic tanker-truck deliveries and salty wells.

Auld reekie: Edinburgh bin strike leaves a bad smell

Trash overflowed from bins on the streets of Edinburgh on Tuesday as a strike by council workers hit the city during its internationally renowned arts festival.

Cyprus says major gas find could boost European supplies

A new gas discovery off Cyprus could speed up exploitation of untapped resources and help secure supplies to Europe, Cypriot Energy Minister Natasa Pilides said Tuesday.

After 'doomsday' floods, Sudanese fear worse to come

In the Sudanese village of Makaylab, Mohamed Tigani picked through the pile of rubble that was once his mud-brick home, after torrential rains sparked heavy floods that swept it away.

Swiss glaciers shrink in half since 1931: study

Swiss glaciers have shed half their volume since 1931, Swiss researchers said Monday, following the first reconstruction of the country's ice loss in the 20th century.

'We are divided': lake upends life for tiny Kenyan tribe

At first light, children from one of Kenya's smallest and most isolated tribes put on life jackets and board a fishing boat for the journey across the lake to school.

Algeria fires mostly contained but more residents forced to evacuate

Wildfires which killed at least 38 people across northern Algeria have been largely contained, firefighters said Friday, but new blazes forced further evacuations and the closure of some roads near the Tunisian border.

Greenland treads softly on tourism as icebergs melt

As tourists flock to Greenland to take in its breathtaking icebergs and natural beauty, authorities are mulling ways to control crowds to protect the fragile environment, already threatened by global warming.

Power shift for Mumbai's double-decker buses

India's entertainment capital is expanding its fleet of London-style red double-decker buses nearly a century after they made their debut -- this time as electric vehicles.

'Tornado of fire': Algeria forest blazes kill 38

Algerian firefighters battled Thursday to rein in forest fires that have ravaged large parts of the drought-hit North African country, killing almost 40 people including 12 who died in a bus trapped by the flames.

World could save 700 mn tonnes of CO2 if people cycled more, study shows

The world would save nearly 700 million tonnes of carbon pollution each year -- more than Canada's annual emissions -- if every person adopted the Dutch way of life and cycled on a daily basis, new research showed Thursday.

Cyprus row over threat to dig up protected turtle nests

A row has erupted in Cyprus after a community leader threatened to dig up the nests of protected turtles because his village is missing out on land development compensation.

Wildfires in Portugal, Spain contained

Massive wildfires in Portugal and Spain were largely under control Thursday after forcing thousands from their homes and destroying large swathes of land.

Huge Portugal fire 'under control' for now

Officials said a massive forest fire in Portugal was "under control" after raging for days, but more than 1,000 firefighters were still battling to keep it contained Thursday.

Canada's Hudson Bay a summer refuge for thousands of belugas

Half a dozen beluga whales dive and reemerge around tourist paddle boards in Canada's Hudson Bay, a handful of about 55,000 of the creatures that migrate from the Arctic to the bay's more temperate waters each summer.

Hunting pythons in Florida, for profit and therapy

Enrique Galan is seldom happier than when he disappears deep into the Everglades to hunt down Burmese pythons, an invasive species that has been damaging Florida's wetland ecosystem for decades.

Amazon tribe go behind the camera in Nat Geo film 'The Territory'

When Covid-19 reached Brazil's Amazon, and an indigenous tribe sealed off its borders, director Alex Pritz found an innovative way to finish his documentary -- he handed the cameras over to the Uru-eu-wau-wau themselves.

Biden signs major climate change, health care law

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a big climate change and health care spending bill, giving Democrats another boost ahead of midterm elections in which Republicans are suddenly less certain of their predicted crushing victory.

Spain, Portugal battle to control huge wildfires

Spain and neighbouring Portugal fought against large wildfires on Tuesday, while three people were badly injured after their train hurtled into a smaller Spanish blaze.

Oil majors' climate visions 'inconsistent' with Paris targets

Global decarbonisation scenarios envisioned by oil and gas majors are incompatible with the Paris climate deal temperature goals aimed at averting devastating heating, according to research published Tuesday.

Polish firemen pull tonnes of dead fish from Oder river

Polish firefighters said Tuesday they had recovered 100 tonnes of dead fish from the Oder river running through Germany and Poland, deepening concerns of an environmental disaster.

'Extreme healt belt' to cover middle of US by 2053: report

An area of intensely warm weather -- a so-called "extreme heat belt" -- with at least one day per year in which the heat index hits 125 Fahrenheit (52C), is expected to cover a US region home to more than 100 million people by the year 2053, according to a new study.

Spain fights fierce fire fanned by winds

Firefighters were battling strong winds Monday as a huge forest fire burnt out of control in southeastern Spain while another blaze in the north was stabilised, officials said Saturday.

UN resuming talks on high-seas treaty amid growing concerns

After four inconclusive sessions, UN member states on Monday resume talks aimed at finally completing a treaty to protect the world's high seas, a vital yet fragile resource that covers nearly half the planet.

Firefighters battle blazes in southeast France

French firefighters tackled wildfires raging in the country's southeast Saturday as officials kept a wary eye on a huge blaze that appeared to be contained further west.

'Dead fish everywhere' in German-Polish river after feared chemical waste dump

Thousands of fish have washed up dead on the Oder river running through Germany and Poland, sparking warnings of an environmental disaster as residents are urged to stay away from the water.

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