Climate change ‘steroid’ contributed to $130 bln in insured losses last year
Climate change played a part in insured losses from natural catastrophes that totalled $130 billion globally in 2021, the fourth-highest on record, broker Aon said in a report on Tuesday. Economic losses – the combination of insured and uninsured losses – reached $343 billion, Aon said in the report whichContinue Reading
Coal the beginning of the end
The fuel that powered the industrial revolution may be in decline at last. This year looks set to see the largest fall in electricity production from coal on record, according to a new report. The reduction is estimated to be more than the power generated from coal in Germany, SpainContinue Reading
Pristine coral reef unblemished by warming oceans found off Tahiti
Scientists have discovered a pristine, 3-km (1.8-mile) long reef of giant rose-shaped corals off the coast of Tahiti, in waters thought to be deep enough to protect it from the bleaching effects of the warming ocean. The reef, which lies at depths of more than 30 metres (100 feet), probablyContinue Reading
Peru’s Castillo decrees major oil spill an environmental emergency
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo declared an environmental emergency on Thursday as clean-up teams struggled to contain a huge oil spill at the country’s biggest refinery, after rogue waves rocked a ship unloading crude there. The spill, blamed on unusual swells caused by a volcanic eruption thousands of miles away inContinue Reading
Indonesia aims to get mangrove restoration back on track in 2022
Indonesia aims to restore 150,000 hectares of degraded mangroves this year, after rehabilitating about a quarter of this total last year when funds had to be diverted from the state budget to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. The Southeast Asian nation, which has huge tracts of mangroves, launched aContinue Reading
Germany’s climate movement
In late November 2021, Germany’s new coalition government announced its aim to phase out coal power across the country by 2030, eight years ahead of schedule. Earlier that month, the government of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where activists have been protesting against coal mining, announced it would accelerate phasingContinue Reading
Seeking the ‘plastic score’ of the food on our plates
Microplastics are found everywhere on Earth, yet we know surprisingly little about what risks they pose to living things. Scientists are now racing to investigate some of the big unanswered questions. Daniella Hodgson is digging a hole in the sand on a windswept beach as seabirds wheel overhead. “Found one,”Continue Reading
Water crisis looms for tsunami-hit Tonga; New Zealand help on the way
Two New Zealand navy vessels will arrive in Tonga on Friday carrying critical water supplies for the Pacific island nation reeling from a volcanic eruption and tsunami and largely cut off from the outside world. Hundreds of homes in Tonga’s smaller outer islands have been destroyed, and at least three people were killed after Saturday’s hugeContinue Reading
Hidden cost of our obsession with fish oil pills
Scanning the shelves and internet for fish oil is a dizzying task. There are dozens of brands available and, although the typical consideration for the popular supplement is that quality matters most, it is not the only factor. These prized products travel a long way before being labelled as “pure”Continue Reading
Rhinoceros, One of world’s last two northern white rhinos dropped from race to save the species
One of the world’s last two northern white rhinos, a mother and her daughter, is being retired from a breeding programme aimed at saving the species from extinction, scientists said on Thursday. Najin, 32, is the mother of Fatu who is now the only donor left in the programme, whichContinue Reading