Miami, United States | AFP | With sheet metal roofs, concrete floors, poor ventilation and spotty electricity, crowded urban slums in Africa can expect to get even hotter and deadlier due to global warming, US researchers said Monday. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University analyzed three informal settlements in Nairobi, including the …
Read More »What is the Paris Agreement?
Paris, France | AFP | On December 12, 2015, 195 countries gathered in the French capital to conclude the first truly universal climate treaty, the Paris Agreement, aimed at preventing the worst-case scenarios of global warming. The Palestinian Authority and Nicaragua have since also signed up, while President Donald Trump announced …
Read More »Sydney, Melbourne warned to prepare for 50-degree days
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Sydney and Melbourne could regularly face 50 degree Celsius (122F) days within 25 years even if Australia meets its Paris global warming targets, a new study warned Wednesday. Other areas across the country should also prepare for extreme heat, said the research led by the Australian …
Read More »Planet-warming methane from livestock underestimated: study
Paris, France | AFP | Emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from livestock are larger than previously thought, posing an additional challenge in the fight to curb global warming, scientists said Friday. Revised calculations of methane produced per head of cattle show that global livestock emissions in 2011 were 11 percent …
Read More »US role in spotlight as nations meet on Paris climate deal
Montreal, Canada | AFP | A top European environment official said Saturday the United States appeared to be softening its stance on the Paris climate accord, but the White House quickly pushed back. The remark came as environment ministers from some 30 countries gathered in Montreal seeking headway on the Paris …
Read More »Report finds staggering decline in Canada wildlife
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Half of the vertebrate populations in Canada are in staggering decline, despite the country’s vast outback, according to a WWF report Thursday that highlighted threats to beluga whales and caribou. The World Wildlife Fund in its Living Planet Report pointed to 451 shrinking animal populations out …
Read More »Urban sprawl in spotlight after historic Houston floods
Washington, United States | AFP | Rapid, poorly regulated urbanization in Houston has exacerbated the impact of flooding from Hurricane Harvey, experts say, warning that local authorities must pay attention as global climate change threatens to intensify extreme weather events. A residential and commercial construction boom the Greater Houston area, even …
Read More »Climate change means more rain but less water in rural rivers: study
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Soaring temperatures driven by climate change are whipping up ever-more intense storms inundating cities with flash floods but leaving the countryside and crucial agricultural land parched, an Australian study has found. Researchers at Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) found that while hotter weather sparked …
Read More »Warmer climate threatens malaria spread in Ethiopia
Paris, France | AFP | Cool, high-lying areas of Ethiopia hitherto shielded from heat-loving malaria mosquitoes are increasingly exposed to the disease as the climate warms, researchers said Thursday. Most Ethiopians live in the country’s highlands, and have long enjoyed natural protection against mosquitoes carrying the malaria-causing parasites Plasmodium falciparum …
Read More »African Union asks G20 to help raise Trump’s awareness on climate
Conakry, Guinea | AFP | The African Union (AU) on Saturday joined the chorus of disapproval at US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the landmark Paris climate deal, expressing its full support for the initiative. The current head of the regional grouping, Guinean President Alpha Conde, called …
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