The China Mail

Featured

Chinese ship scouts deep-ocean floor in South Pacific

A Chinese research vessel docked in the Cook Islands Saturday as it probed the Pacific nation's deep-sea mining potential, a fledgling industry of mounting interest to both Beijing and Washington.

At COP30, nations target the jet set with luxury flight tax

France, Spain and Kenya are among a group of countries spearheading a drive at the COP30 climate summit for a new tax on luxury air travel, a source close to the matter told AFP.

Last news

'More important than rainforests': UK pioneers peat partnership

On a windswept hillside in a remote corner of northern England, a peatland restoration plan pooling public and private money is underway which proponents claim provides a model for climate change mitigation.

Disaster to destination: Fukushima woos tourists with snow

Tourist Benjamin Tuffy's family spent their winter holidays in Japan's picture-perfect snow. But they weren't at the country's famed ski resorts in Hokkaido or Nagano -- they picked Fukushima.

Massive Australia wildfires increased Antarctic ozone hole: study

Smoke from monster wildfires in Australia caused a chemical reaction that widened the ozone hole 10 percent, researchers said Wednesday, raising fears that increasing forest fires could delay the recovery of Earth's atmospheric protection against deadly UV radiation.

Antarctic sea ice cover at record low

Sea ice in Antarctica shrank to the smallest area on record in February for the second year in a row, continuing a decade-long decline, the European Union's climate monitoring service said Tuesday.

Kenyan innovators turn e-waste to bio-robotic prosthetic

Twoportraits of Albert Einstein hang on the walls of a makeshift laboratory on Nairobi's outskirts, inspiring a pair of self-taught Kenyan innovators who have built a bio-robotic prosthetic arm out of electronic scrap.

Pincered at sea, lobsters get new hope on land in UK

The tiny lobsters are safe from predators -- including each other -- as they eddy in large white plastic tanks swirling with artificial currents.

Global food system emissions imperil Paris climate goals

The global food system's greenhouse gas emissions will add nearly one degree Celsius to Earth's surface temperatures by 2100 on current trends, obliterating Paris Agreement climate goals, scientists warned Monday.

'Herstory' trend brings women's lives out of shadows in Britain

From the opera star who went on stage smothered in diamonds to a young widow left penniless with a small child in 19th-century Britain, a new wave of "herstories" are spotlighting female voices ignored or even erased by history.

UN states agree 'historic' deal to protect high seas

UN member states finally agreed Saturday to a text on the first international treaty after years of negotiations to protect the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet.

At least four dead, tens of thousands evacuated in Malaysia floods

At least four people have died and nearly 41,000 were evacuated in Malaysia after floodwaters caused by "unusual" torrential rains lasting days swept through several states, officials said Saturday.

UN talks to protect high seas continue into early morning

UN members were working into the early hours of Saturday morning to reach a long-awaited agreement to protect the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet.

Hatching leatherback turtles get helping hand on Thai beach

It is past midnight on a beach in southern Thailand and 12-year-old Prin Uthaisangchai is anxiously staring at a leatherback turtle nest, waiting for scores of the endangered hatchlings to scrabble out from the sand.

'Surgical' shark-killing orcas fascinate off South Africa

Scores of disembowelled sharks have washed up on a South African beach putting the spotlight on a pair of shark-hunting killer whales whose behaviour has fascinated scientists and wildlife enthusiasts.

Conservatives at big US conference divided on climate change

US conservatives holding a big convention are divided on climate issues as basic as whether carbon dioxide is good for the planet and if global warming should be a priority for humanity in this day and age.

Tractors block Brussels roads in farmer protest

Slow-moving convoys of some 2,700 tractors blocked roads in Brussels on Friday as farmers from the Flanders region protested at moves to cut nitrogen emissions.

Activists end protest at Norway ministries over illegal wind farms

Demonstrators protesting against wind farms that were declared illegal after they were built said Friday they will end their action, following a week of action at Norway's government buildings.

US, EU pledge billions in ocean aid at int'l conference

A global conference to save the world's oceans kicked off Thursday in Panama with urgent calls to adopt an international protection treaty, along with billions of dollars in US and EU pledges for research, monitoring and conservation.

EU pledges $860 mn at Our Ocean conference

A global conference to save the world's oceans kicked off in Panama on Thursday with an EU pledge of more than $860 million for research, monitoring and conservation in 2023.

Ford to resume F-150 Lightning manufacturing on March 13

Ford will resume production on its F-150 Lightning electric truck on March 13 after a battery fire in early February suspended operations, the company said Thursday.

$860 mn pledge kicks off Our Ocean conference

A global conference to save the world's oceans kicked off in Panama on Thursday with an EU pledge of more than $860 million for research, monitoring and conservation in 2023.

Oil from sunken tanker swamps central Philippine coast

Clean-up efforts were under way on the blackened coasts of a central Philippine island Thursday after spillage from a sunken oil tanker washed ashore, the country's environment minister said, as fears of economic and environmental harm grew.

Renewables help offset rise in coal emissions, IEA says

A jump in renewables and efficiency efforts helped blunt a feared runaway in carbon emissions growth from a surge in coal use last year due to the global energy crisis, the IEA said Thursday, even if CO2 emissions hit a new record.

Vanuatu quest for ICJ climate ruling backed by 100 nations

More than 100 countries have backed a plan by Vanuatu to enlist the UN's top court in tackling climate change, after what the nation's officials on Thursday described as a "herculean" diplomatic effort.

Tiny Welsh island wins world stargazing fame

Night falls over Ynys Enlli. The remote Welsh island's sky turns impossibly black.

Musk eyes torrid growth at Tesla, but offers no big new reveals

Elon Musk presented a heady vision Wednesday to turbocharge Tesla's growth at an investor day filled with ambitious targets but short on details sought by Wall Street.

UN head says high seas treaty must be 'ambitious'

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urged countries Wednesday to agree a "robust and ambitious" treaty to protect the high seas, as time starts to run out for negotiators.

Toilet paper adding to 'forever chemicals' in wastewater: study

Toilet paper is an unexpected source of potentially harmful "forever chemicals" in wastewater across the globe and could be leaching into soils via sewage, a new study on Wednesday said.

Tree count in Africa drylands could improve conservation: study

A first count of trees in Africa's drylands has enabled scientists to calculate how much carbon they store and could help devise better conservation strategies for the region and beyond, a study said Wednesday.

Rising seas eating away at Honduran fishing village

The coastline of Cedeno, a fishing village in southern Honduras, looks like it was hit by an earthquake. Houses, businesses and clubs stand in ruins. Forsaken.

Fighting for their lives: the world's forests in figures

Forests are central to biodiversity and the fight against climate change, as well as being a big money spinner for national economies.

French court dismisses case against TotalEnergies E. Africa oil project

A French court on Tuesday dismissed a landmark case against TotalEnergies for a massive oil project in Uganda and Tanzania after several NGOs filed a suit to suspend the controversial project.

Countries meet to halt wide-ranging threats against oceans

The world's oceans and the multiple threats they face, from climate change and pollution to overfishing and mining, will be the focus of a global conference in Panama this week.

The China Mail - Nature (English)