Featured
Last news

Invasive species problem will be 'worse before it gets better'
On land and in the sea, invasive species are destroying ecosystems, spreading disease and causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage every year, according to a landmark report Monday from the UN-backed science advisory panel for the UN Convention on Biodiversity.

EU chief warns wolf packs 'real danger' in Europe
Brussels launched a review Monday of laws protecting wolves from hunters and farmers, as EU chief Ursula von der Leyen argued that packs threaten livestock and perhaps even people.

Belgium struggles with spread of 'invasive' raccoons
Belgian forest ranger Thierry Petit can barely keep pace with call outs to deal with raccoons, a North American species branded an invasive threat to Europe's indigenous wildlife.

Global tensions risk clean energy progress: IEA chief
The head of the International Energy Agency on Monday urged the United States and China to align on key issues at the COP28 climate summit later this year, warning that "geopolitical fractures" risk holding back the switch to clean energy.

Tesla, Chinese EV brands jostle for limelight at German fair
One of the world's biggest auto shows opened in Munich on Monday, with Tesla ending a 10-year absence to jostle for the spotlight with Chinese rivals as the race for electric dominance heats up.

Can Africa grasp its green-powered potential?
No continent has been hit harder by climate change than Africa, and yet none has more potential for a future centred on green energy, a top expert has told AFP in an interview.

Helping or hindering? US scientists debate how to save giant sequoias
When ferocious wildfires tore through California's prized giant sequoia forests, they killed towering trees that have lived there for thousands of years -- and perhaps changed the nature of the groves forever.

Cute but calamitous: Australia labours under rabbit numbers
With their outsized ears and fluffy fur, rabbits are often seen as cute and harmless. Yet the creature is behind one of the globe's most harmful biological invasions, ravaging Australia, whose efforts to limit the problem have tended only to make things worse.

Minnows blamed for algae-filled French, Spanish lakes
Perched 1,800 metres (about 6,000 feet) near France's border with Spain lies the emerald Areau lake -- whose colour experts blame on minnows used by anglers as live bait.

Heat records topple across sweltering Asia
Temperature records are being toppled across Asia, from India's summer to Australia's winter, authorities said Friday, in fresh evidence of the impact of climate change.

Mont Blanc: The Holy Grail of ultra-trail running
More than 2,000 runners will on Friday set off for the 20th edition of the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail, a hellish 170-kilometre trail run in weather that is already turning wintry.

Brazil high court resumes key Indigenous lands case
Brazil's Supreme Court resumed hearings Wednesday in a closely watched case on whether to restrict native peoples' rights to claim their ancestral lands, a key buffer against climate change.

Climate change boosts risk of extreme wildfires 25%: study
Climate change has sharply boosted the risk of fast-spreading wildfires, according to a Californian study published Wednesday that offers lessons for prevention after recent disasters in Canada, Greece and Hawaii.

IMF warns climate shocks may increase conflict deaths
Climate change threatens to exacerbate conflict in fragile nations across the globe and lead to increased deaths, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report published Wednesday.

Oil firms pay Insta, TikTok influencers for ads
Oil companies are paying popular influencers to pump their gas on social media, sparking a backlash from some climate-conscious fans for promoting planet-warming fossil fuels among young people.

France sizzles in late summer heatwave
Tens of millions of people in France sweated through a late summer heatwave on Monday, with record temperatures expected in the wine-growing Rhone valley region and a forest fire also blazing in the southeast.

Spain swelters in latest searing heatwave
Spain was sweating Sunday as its latest summer heatwave took hold, the fourth of the season, with the mercury soaring notably in the northeast and the south of the country.

Hilary weakens to tropical storm heading for California
Hurricane Hilary weakened to a tropical storm Sunday as it barreled up Mexico's Pacific coast, but was still likely to bring life-threatening flooding to the typically arid southwestern United States, forecasters said.

Canada wildfires spread and merge as evacuations continue
Two huge and fast-moving wildfires merged overnight in western Canada, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing continued evacuations in British Columbia province, officials said.

Seine pollution forces cancellation of third Olympics test event
The swimming stage of a triathlon in Paris's Seine River was cancelled on Sunday due to pollution, organisers announced, raising further questions about holding competitions there during the 2024 Olympics.

Hurricane Hilary to bring 'life-threatening flooding' to US southwest
States across the typically arid US southwest braced on Sunday for torrential rain and potentially life-threatening flooding, as Hurricane Hilary barreled up Mexico's coast, where authorities reported at least one fatality.

Iran realtor in dog house over sale to canine
Iranian police have arrested the head of a real estate agency after a viral video showed his firm selling an apartment to a dog, officials said on Sunday.

Mass evacuations as Tenerife wildfire rages out of control
Firefighters battling a vast wildfire on Tenerife are facing another very difficult night after severe weather conditions worsened the blaze, forcing thousands to flee their homes on the Spanish holiday island, regional officials said.

Seine pollution cancels Paris Olympics test events again
Pollution levels in the Seine river forced the cancellation of Saturday's test event for the para-triathlon at the Paris Olympics.

'We're all tired': Thousands of evacuees arrive in southern Canada
Crystal Sangris barely slept for three days as wildfires threatened her hometown in northern Canada, and when she was ordered to evacuate, her anxiety turned to anguish.

Japan PM to visit Fukushima plant before water release
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will visit the Fukushima nuclear plant on Sunday, ahead of the discharge of treated water which is scheduled to begin by the end of summer.

Wildfires threaten western Canada city as far north evacuated
Wildfires on Friday bore down on Kelowna in western Canada -- a city of 150,000 -- while efforts to clear Yellowknife in the far north turned it into a ghost town as scorching flames burned ever closer.

Canada's far north speeds up evacuations as fire nears main city
Residents of Yellowknife in Canada's far north raced Friday to evacuate ahead of a midday deadline as wildfires bear down on the remote city and other parts of the vast country.

Greenpeace slams Poland's new river protection law
Environmentalists on Friday slammed the passing of a controversial law in Poland on the revitalisation of the Oder river, which was hit by toxic algae growth last year that caused mass fish deaths.

Maui emergency manager resigns after wildfire warning criticism
The head of Maui's emergency management agency -- who said this week he did not regret the decision to not sound powerful warning sirens as a deadly wildfire ripped through the Hawaiian town of Lahaina -- resigned Thursday.

Thousands flee wildfire on Spain's Tenerife island
Firefighters struggled Thursday to control a huge wildfire on the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife that has forced the evacuation of thousands of people, local official said.

Big potential for green hydrogen in North Africa: report
By 2050 North Africa could become a leading exporter of green hydrogen with Europe its main market, according to a recent report projecting the future of an industry still in its infancy.