Japan's new energy policy aims to increase renewables to up to 50% of electricity needs by 2040 while maximizing nuclear power use, reversing post-Fukushima phaseout. The strategy includes next-gen reactors, solar batteries, and will face extensive anti-nuclear sentiment and safety challenges in achieving these goals.
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India's tiger territory has expanded by 30% between 2006 and 2018, covering over 1.4 lakh sq km, even within densely populated human areas. This success underscores the potential for wildlife-human coexistence and emphasizes the importance of protecting core regions for continued conservation.
Earth experienced its hottest year ever in 2024, surpassing previous records and briefly exceeding the critical 1.5°C warming limit, according to multiple weather agencies. The rise is attributed to greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Scientists warn of severe climate impacts, including increased disasters and long-term environmental damage, urging continued commitment to the Paris Agreement.
Cyclone Chido, having already caused fatalities in Mayotte, made landfall in Mozambique near Pemba with intense winds and heavy rainfall. Communication with Pemba has been lost, but reports indicate significant damage to homes, schools, and health facilities. Aid organizations are working with the government to provide essential services.
The frequency of floods in High Mountain Asia has significantly increased since 2000 due to climate change, causing increased risks in water cycles and unpredictable flood timings. The study links rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns to the sharp rise in flood events, particularly pluvial floods and snowmelt floods.
Global environmental talks are facing a crisis, with recent UN negotiations on climate change, plastic pollution, biodiversity loss, and desertification yielding disappointing results. Experts and activists warn of a "broken" multilateral system hampered by consensus requirements, fossil fuel industry influence, and geopolitical divisions. Despite some progress on climate finance, the overall pace of change is deemed too slow to address the scale of the environmental challenges.
Wildfires in Brazil last year consumed a total area larger than all of Italy, a monitor reported Wednesday, as the country continues to battle blazes often set by farmers and ranchers illegally expanding their territory. But in Brazil, the main driver of the fires are ranchers and farmers who clear land for pasture and agriculture -- a crime the government struggles to contain.
Kazakhstan said on Monday the northern part of the Aral Sea had nearly doubled in volume since 2008, a rare environmental success story in a region plagued by pollution. Since 2008, the volume of water in the northern, smaller part of the sea has "increased by 42 percent and reached 27 billion cubic metres (950 billion cubic feet)", the Central Asian republic's water resources ministry said.
In his small Freetown workshop, engineering student James Samba tinkered with batteries and electrical parts he hoped could help clean up Sierra Leone's polluting public transport system. - 'Good for business, environment' - Samba first ventured into engineering when he built an electric wheelchair for his uncle, who had long struggled to access public transport.
In the newly designated Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, two rare caracals were photographed, marking the first sighting in over two decades in this region. Caracals, now critically endangered in India, face severe habitat loss, with their range shrinking significantly since 1948. Rajasthan has reported the highest sightings of caracals since 2001.
Civil society groups and academics urged governments Thursday to take actual steps toward fulfilling a stalled pledge to end deforestation before this year's UN climate summit in the Brazilian Amazon. "In 2025, governments must take bold action to get on track," the coalition of nearly 40 non-governmental organisations, think-tanks and forest research bodies said in a document outlining policy proposals.