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Airbus acknowledges slow progress on hydrogen plane

Airbus acknowledged on Friday that progress on developing an aeroplane operating on hydrogen was slower than expected, but said it was not reviewing its approach to decarbonising aviation.

Trump slams paper straws, vows 'back to plastic'

President Donald Trump on Friday raged against eco-friendly paper straws promoted by his predecessor Joe Biden, and pledged that the United States would return to using plastic ones.

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UN biodiversity summit opens under guerrilla threat in Colombia

The world's biggest nature protection conference gets a ceremonial kickoff in Colombia Sunday with host city Cali on high alert after threats from a guerrilla group.

El Salvador activists acquitted after contentious trial

A court in El Salvador on Friday acquitted six former guerrillas, including five anti-mining campaigners, whose trial for a civil war era murder was criticized by fellow environmentalists as politicized.

Global coral bleaching event biggest on record: US agency

A global coral bleaching event that began last year has quickly grown to the largest on record, according to a US agency, with the impacted reef area continuing to grow.

'Timebomb' ship highlights hazard of dangerous cargoes

A damaged ship, spurned by European ports because of its potentially explosive cargo, has been stranded in the North Sea for weeks while authorities work out what to do with it.

Countries under pressure to fork out for nature at UN conference

Thousands of delegates from around the world are descending on Colombia for a summit on halting humankind's rapacious destruction of nature, with host city Cali on high alert after threats from guerrilla groups.

Public money 'must be at core' of new climate pact: UN's Stiell

The UN's climate chief said Thursday that money from rich countries "must be at the core" of a new deal to increase funding for poorer nations to combat global warming.

Climate-hit Pacific Islands plot landmark UN court case

Five Pacific nations on Thursday plotted how to prosecute a pivotal UN court case that aims to hold climate-polluting countries to account and safeguard their islands' survival.

Bondi beach 'closed' as Sydney shores hit by 'tar balls'

Lifeguards declared Sydney's famed Bondi beach and several other strands closed Thursday, as more mysterious black "tar ball" globules washed up along the city's shores.

Worms and snails handle the pressure 2,500m below the Pacific surface

Giant worms found wriggling under the Pacific seabed have unveiled a thriving ecosystem in a fiercely hostile environment, according to a study published by Nature.

Few countries have drawn up nature protection plans: UN

Fewer than 15 percent of countries have submitted plans to slow the destruction of nature ahead of a global biodiversity summit in Colombia, according to a count shared by the United Nations Wednesday.

Middle East crisis top-of-mind at first EU-Gulf summit

Gulf leaders including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with European heads of state and government in Brussels Wednesday for summit talks the EU hopes could help defuse an "extremely dangerous escalation" in the Middle East.

India issues flood warnings as rain pounds south

Intense rain lashed southern India on Wednesday, with weather officials issuing a red alert warning of flash floods and landslides.

'Age of Electricity' coming as fossil fuels set to peak: IEA

More than half of the world's electricity will be generated by low-emission sources before 2030 but the deployment of clean energy is "far from uniform" across the globe, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

Egyptian geese spread wings in France, threatening biodiversity

They came a long way from sub-Saharan Africa to eastern France -- but now the Egyptian geese are quite at home there and are chasing out local ducks and swans, just one symptom of the world's biodiversity crisis.

Giant pandas flown to US from China aboard 'Panda Express'

Two giant pandas arrived at the Washington zoo on Tuesday in the latest chapter in China's campaign of international "panda diplomacy."

Draft UN climate pact leaves open thorny question of money

The latest draft of a UN climate deal published Tuesday narrows the options for increasing funding to poorer countries, but leaves unresolved the thorny question of how much they should receive.

Two giant pandas arrive in US from China aboard 'Panda Express'

Two giant pandas destined for the Washington zoo arrived in the United States from China on Tuesday, the latest in Beijing's campaign of international "panda diplomacy."

Twin panda cubs to make public debut at Berlin zoo

Berlin Zoo visitors will from Wednesday be able to catch their first glimpse of two rabbit-sized panda cubs born almost eight weeks ago.

Ethiopia's 'korale' recyclers turn waste into money

With a tattered bag on his back, Dereje Enigdamekonen trawled the endless alleyways of the Merkato market in Addis Ababa, calling for the Ethiopian capital's abundant scrap.

Cars, chlamydia threaten Australian koalas

Clinging to a fluffy toy twice her size, orphaned koala joey Ajooni made a snuffling noise as she drank milk from a tiny syringe.

Can biodiversity credits unlock billions for nature?

For supporters, biodiversity credits could unlock billions in much-needed funding for nature, but critics fear a repeat of scandals that have dogged other financial approaches to protecting the environment.

In the Colombian Pacific, fighting to save sharks

A lone catamaran named "Silky" patrols waters around the remote island of Malpelo, a refuge that is protected yet full of peril for endangered marine species in the Colombian Pacific.

'Pandas are coming': Two new bears depart China for US capital

Two giant pandas departed China for a zoo in the US capital on Monday, a Chinese conservation group said in a statement.

Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world's 8,000m peaks

Cheering crowds hailed an 18-year-old Nepali mountaineer as a hero as he returned home Monday after breaking the record for the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks.

Panama's water wheel trash collector keeps plastic at bay

A trash-collecting machine powered by a water wheel and solar panels has prevented hundreds of tons of plastic and other garbage from Panama from littering mangroves and the ocean.

France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables

To maintain the glow of the City of Light, Paris is modernising its underground electric cables, vulnerable to damage during heatwaves and dating back 60 years.

S. Africa offers a lesson on how not to shut down a coal plant

The cold corridors of South Africa's once-mighty Komati coal-fired power plant have been quiet since its shutdown in 2022 in what was trumpeted as a pioneering project in the world's transition to green energy.

China's solar goes from supremacy to oversupply

Strong state support and huge private investment have made China's solar industry a global powerhouse, but it faces new headwinds, from punitive tariffs abroad to a brutal price war at home.

Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF

Wild populations of monitored animal species have plummeted over 70 percent in the last half-century, according to the latest edition of a landmark assessment by WWF published on Thursday.

With EU funding, Tunisian farmer revives parched village

With parched crops on one side and lush green plants on the other, a small farming project in northwest Tunisia demonstrates how foreign funding coupled with dogged local efforts can help tackle the impact of climate change.

September second-warmest on record: EU climate monitor

Last month was the second-warmest September ever registered globally in an exceptional year "almost certain" to become the hottest on record, the EU climate monitor Copernicus said on Tuesday.

'Small' oil leaks detected in Samoa after NZ navy shipwreck

Samoa on Tuesday said it had detected and contained "small leakages" from a New Zealand navy vessel wrecked on a reef while carting almost 1,000 tonnes of diesel.

The Japan Times - Nature (English)