Wine harvests in parts of France and Italy have started unusually early after summer heat and drought pushed grapes to mature ahead of normal schedules. In Oltrepo Pavese in northern Italy, harvesting was under way in the final days of July. Matteo Castellani…
Rhine water levels in Germany are nearing or reaching record lows as low rainfall and high summer temperatures raise concern among shipping operators and industry. Germany's WSV waterways agency said a stretch of the Rhine near Kaub, a key point for commercia…
President Donald Trump's administration has approved five new pesticides that many scientists and environmental advocates say are PFAS “forever chemicals,” intensifying a dispute over how the United States defines and regulates the substances. The Environment…
A heatwave across Central Europe prompted fire bans, cooling centres and energy-saving measures on Friday as authorities warned of pressure on water and power networks. In Hungary, Prime Minister Peter Magyar called on businesses to voluntarily reduce electri…
Chronic water shortages in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, have left residents rationing household use and paying for costly tanker deliveries. Saba, a civil servant whose name was changed for her safety, said her family buys water from tankers with help from rela…
Mexico is deploying navy ships and beach crews to remove a large influx of sargassum from Caribbean beaches, including near Cancun and Playa del Carmen, after officials said some days were bringing more than 9,000 tons ashore. Environmental Secretary Alicia B…
The Rhine has fallen to its lowest recorded level at Lobith, where it enters the Netherlands, and is expected to drop further because of drought, Dutch officials said Thursday. “The drought in the Netherlands continues to worsen,” the Dutch infrastructure and…
Southern Europe has more than twice as many summer days primed for extreme wildfire conditions as it had in earlier decades, according to a study published Thursday in Scientific Reports. The study found extreme fire conditions occurred on fewer than 10 days…
Italian authorities raised the drought alert in the Po Valley to “high” on Thursday as worsening conditions and unfavourable forecasts increased pressure on northern Italy’s water supplies. The Po River Authority said more than 100 municipalities in Piedmont…
The Danube has fallen to record or multi-decade lows in parts of Europe, stranding boats, disrupting shipping and affecting nuclear and hydropower production along the river. The low water has left pleasure boats trapped in algae at Corabia in southern Romani…
More than half of England has been declared in drought after record-low rain and exceptionally high temperatures, the UK government said Wednesday. The Environment Agency said the seven drought areas include London, East Anglia, all of southwest England and t…
Nepal's tiger population has risen by roughly 20 percent in the past four years to an estimated 429, officials said Wednesday, in a conservation gain that also brings challenges for communities near tiger habitats. The latest nationwide survey found tiger num…
Preliminary work on a hotel project linked to the Trump family has already caused irreparable damage to part of Albania's coast, scientists and environmental activists say. Satellite images obtained by AFP show that during a 25-day period in May, a road was c…
Scientists and conservationists in Japan's Okinawa are testing ways to protect coral reefs after a 2024 marine heatwave caused widespread bleaching in the subtropical island region. Researchers are using controlled seawater tanks to simulate hotter, more acid…
Fifteen elephants found dead over the past month in and around Kenya's Amboseli National Park were likely poisoned by cyanide, wildlife officials said Thursday. Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Duncan Juma Wanyama said a preliminary investigation found that t…
Residents of Moroni, the capital of the Comoros, are queuing before dawn or paying for private deliveries as piped water supplies fail for weeks at a time. Ben Joma, an 86-year-old retired printer in the Zilimadjou neighbourhood, told AFP his taps provide wat…
UNESCO has added South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo migratory landscape to its World Heritage in Danger list, giving the country its first UNESCO World Heritage listing. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation added the site on Sunday,…
Spain will enter a new heatwave on Wednesday that is expected to last until at least Sunday, the national weather agency AEMET said, as the country battles major wildfires. “The risk of fires will rise to extreme levels,” AEMET said. The agency had previously…
Human Rights Watch said pollution linked to Perenco’s oil operations in western Democratic Republic of Congo posed serious health risks to nearby communities, allegations the company denied. Perenco is the only oil producer operating in DR Congo and runs seve…
Five young Pallas’s cats have gone on public display at Kobe Animal Kingdom in Japan, the zoo said. The four males and one female were born at the facility in May. Each weighed about 150 grams at birth but now weighs more than one kilogram. The kittens are be…
Surface waters along the California coast are three to four degrees Celsius above normal during a marine heat wave that scientists say is changing wildlife patterns. Andrew Leising, a research oceanographer with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis…
Some European holidaymakers are choosing cooler northern destinations as summer heatwaves affect parts of Europe, but tourism experts say it is not yet clear whether the shift will become a lasting change in travel patterns. With summer temperatures in Europe…
New York is testing whether food carts can replace petrol generators with rechargeable batteries to reduce noise, exhaust fumes and climate-warming emissions. William Arevalo, a 59-year-old vendor in Queens, is one of 10 street vendors taking part in the city…
Meta has left RE100, a global pledge for companies to source all of their electricity from renewable sources, the company confirmed Friday. RE100 is run by the UK-based nonprofit Climate Group and has 444 members, including Apple, Google and Microsoft. The Cl…
Sweden said it plans to ban so-called "forever chemicals" in consumer products such as clothing and kitchenware as early as 2028, before expected European Union regulation comes into force. The planned ban is intended to take effect on January 1, 2028. It is…