The Japan Times

Niger's threatened giraffes find new home

Conservationists in Niger said on Wednesday they had transferred threatened West African giraffes to a new home 600 kilometres (375 miles) away.

Climate change set to 'increase hunger' in Africa: UN

As COP27 delegates in Egypt debate planet-heating emissions, the climate crisis is exacerbating devastating hunger across several African nations and will worsen further without urgent action, the UN said Wednesday.

Poland says blast likely caused by Ukraine missile in accident

Poland on Wednesday said a deadly blast that killed two people in a village near the border with Ukraine was likely caused by a stray Ukrainian air defence missile launched against a Russian barrage.

Filipina youth activist brings fight for climate finance justice to COP27

A fierce defender of climate voices from the world's developing countries, Mitzi Jonelle Tan has brought her call for climate justice to the COP27 summit in Egypt.

Indonesian leader says negotiations on G20 declaration 'very tough'

Indonesia's president said Wednesday that negotiations for a joint G20 summit declaration were extremely difficult, but hailed the leaders' agreement.

Poland military on alert after missile strike

Poland's military was on high alert Wednesday after a deadly missile strike on a village near the border with war-ravaged Ukraine.

Seven million homes in dark as missiles pound Ukraine cities

Missile strikes hit cities across Ukraine on Tuesday, plunging seven million homes into darkness just days after a humiliating Russian retreat, prompting a defiant response from President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Sperm count is declining at accelerating rate worldwide: study

Sperm count among men worldwide is falling at an accelerated rate after halving over the last 40 years, a large new study said Tuesday, calling for action to stop the decline.

Campaigners rally COP27 to fight climate disinformation

Campaigners on Tuesday urged the COP27 summit to fight disinformation that undermines efforts to limit deadly global warming, as a survey showed millions of people believe climate change falsehoods.

EU vows to raise its climate target at COP27

The EU vowed Tuesday at UN climate talks to raise its emissions reduction target, as developing nations admonished rich polluters for falling short on efforts to help them cope with global warming.

Humanity hits the eight billion mark

A baby born somewhere on Tuesday will be the world's eight billionth person, according to a projection by the United Nations.

UN climate talks enter home stretch with deep divides

COP27 entered its final week Monday with rich carbon polluters and developing nations at loggerheads over how to speed up and fund reductions in emissions to slow global warming.

Rainforest giants Brazil, Indonesia, DR Congo sign deforestation pact

The world's biggest rainforest nations Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday formally launched a climate partnership to work together on conservation.

Net-zero in fashion, but clothing giants struggle to cut emissions

The world's fashion giants have pledged to trim their carbon footprint but that goal remains elusive at a time "fast fashion" is all the rage -- a topic in the spotlight at the UN climate summit.

Climate disaster aid scheme 'Global Shield' launched at COP27

A scheme to give speedy financial support to communities battered by climate disasters was launched Monday by a group of rich and developing nations at the UN COP27 summit in Egypt.

Brazil's Lula headed to UN climate talks with vow to save Amazon

Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected this week at the UN climate summit in Egypt to pledge to reverse the environmental policies of his right-wing predecessor and protect the Amazon rainforest.

GMO skeptics still distrust big agriculture's climate pitch

As a changing climate intensifies extreme weather, agricultural multinationals are hyping the ability of genetically modified crops to boost yields when facing drought, heat or even heavy rainfall.

Sharks, turtles, disease on agenda of wildlife trade summit

The trade in shark fins, turtles, and other threatened species will come under scrutiny at a global wildlife summit in Panama, starting Monday, that will also focus on the spread of diseases such as Covid-19.

Climate activists challenge TotalEnergies CEO at COP27

French giant TotalEnergies' chief executive was confronted by climate activists Friday at the COP27 summit in Egypt, where the presence of fossil fuel firms has drawn backlash.

Brazil sets new Amazon deforestation record for October

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest broke the monthly record for October, with the destruction of 904 square kilometers (350 square miles), official figures showed Friday.

Biden urges world to 'step up' climate fight at COP27

President Joe Biden vowed at UN climate talks on Friday that the United States was on track to slash its carbon emissions, urging all nations to ramp up their own efforts to avert catastrophic global warming.

'Threat multiplier': How climate change affects health

Deadlier than Covid, or even rivalling cancer? Researchers have been increasingly attempting to calculate the effect climate change will have on health if the world does not act quickly to reduce carbon emissions.

CO2 pollution from fossil fuels to hit all-time high in 2022

Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change, are on track to rise one percent in 2022 to reach an all-time high, scientists said Friday at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.

Mongolia sells more coal to China as world shuns polluting fuel

Mongolia is ramping up efforts to export coal to energy-hungry China, a government official told AFP, despite global efforts to end the use of the polluting fossil fuel.

India at 75: Melting glaciers, heatwaves and climate crisis

From prime ministers and millionaires to labourers and ascetics, Hindu faithful dream of trekking at least once in their lives to Gaumukh, where the waters of India's holiest river, the Ganges, emerge from a Himalayan glacier.

Oil and gas emissions up to three times what is reported: monitor

Planet-heating emissions from oil and gas production could be three times higher than reported, according to a satellite monitoring project launched Wednesday that the UN chief said made it harder to "cheat".

More than 130 seals found dead on Caspian beaches

More than 130 endangered seals have been found dead on Kazakh beaches of the Caspian Sea, officials said Wednesday.

At COP27 climate talks, US midterms make waves

The US midterms made waves Wednesday at a UN climate summit on the shores of Egypt, with activists urging President Joe Biden to take bolder action against global warming regardless of the result.

US-China rivalry clouds Beijing's climate promises at UN summit

Fractured relations between the United States and China have cast further doubt on whether Beijing will sign up to more climate promises, with pressure mounting on the world's biggest emitter.

Please don't lick psychedelic toads, warn US park officials

US park officials have asked visitors to stop licking psychedelic toads, warning that anyone seeking a hallucinogenic high from the wart-covered amphibians is more likely to end up seriously ill.

Colombia, Venezuela launch COP27 call to save Amazon

The presidents of Colombia and Venezuela, Gustavo Petro and Nicolas Maduro, launched a call Tuesday at the COP27 climate summit for a wide-ranging alliance to protect the Amazon, the planet's biggest tropical forest.

Ukraine's Zelensky tells COP27 Russia's war harms climate efforts

A fast-heating world "cannot afford a single gunshot", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN climate summit on Tuesday, arguing that Russia's invasion threatened international efforts to tackle global warming.

Bow makers fear demise as Brazil seeks ban on rare wood trade

Global classical stars including US cellist Yo-Yo Ma and British conductor Simon Rattle joined a campaign on Tuesday to stop Brazil blocking the trade in a rare wood used for making bows.

Global South needs $2 trillion a year to tame, cope with climate

Developing and emerging countries -- excluding China -- need investments well beyond $2 trillion annually by 2030 if the world is to stop the global warming juggernaut and cope with its impacts, according to a UN-backed report released Tuesday.

Renault to reorganise towards electric future

French automaker Renault will pitch investors Tuesday on its planned green revamp, with two spin-offs: a new electric-vehicle unit and a subsidiary for thermal and hybrid assets.

Cities under strain: India's predicted urban boom

India is projected to see an explosion in its urban population in the coming decades, but its cities already cannot cope and climate change will make living conditions harsher still.

Wounded whale washes ashore in northern France

A 7.6-metre (25-foot) whale, wounded but alive, was discovered stranded on a beach in northern France on Monday, authorities said, with experts hoping the rising tide will help the cetacean back on its way.

World leaders gather for climate talks under cloud of crises

World leaders meeting Monday for climate talks in Egypt are under pressure to deepen cuts in emissions and financially back developing countries already devastated by the effects of rising temperatures.

COP27: Financing for climate damages gets a foot in the door

UN climate negotiations on Sunday offered a sliver of hope and "solidarity" for developing countries battered by increasingly costly impacts of global warming, in agreeing to discuss the thorny issue of money for "loss and damage".

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