Countries remain divided as fifth UN plastics treaty talks begin
As delegates from 175 countries gathered in Busan, South Korea, on Monday for the fifth round of talks aimed at securing an international treaty to curb plastic pollution, lingering divisions cast doubts on whether a final agreement is in sight….
Earth bids farewell to its temporary ‘mini moon’ that is possibly a chunk of our actual moon
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Planet Earth is parting company with an asteroid that’s been tagging along as a “mini moon” for the past two months. The harmless space rock will peel away on Monday, overcome by the stronger tug of…
Development, pollution threaten Papuan women’s mangrove forest in Indonesia
JAYAPURA, Indonesia — On the southeastern coast of the city of Jayapura, Petronela Merauje walked from house to house in her floating village inviting women to join her the next morning in the surrounding mangrove forests. Merauje and the women…
Small but mighty efforts are brewing to bring back native forests in India
UDHAGAMANDALAM, India — Scattered groves of native trees, flowers and the occasional prehistoric burial ground are squeezed between hundreds of thousands of tea shrubs in southern India’s Nilgiris region — a gateway to a time before colonization and the commercial…
As fast fashion’s waste pollutes environment, Ghana designers find a solution
ACCRA, Ghana — In a sprawling secondhand clothing market in Ghana’s capital, early morning shoppers jostle as they search through piles of garments, eager to pluck a bargain or a designer find from the stalls selling used and low-quality apparel…
People on breathing machines struggle without power after weather disasters
HOUSTON — Kimberly Rubit had one priority in mind as Hurricane Beryl ripped through Houston this summer: her severely disabled daughter. The 63-year-old worked nonstop to prevent Mary, 42, from overheating without air conditioning, water or lights after Beryl knocked…
$300B climate change deal sparks hope in some, outrage in others
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — United Nations climate talks adopted a deal to inject at least $300 billion annually in humanity’s fight against climate change, aimed at helping poor nations cope with the ravages of global warming in tense negotiations in the…
Rich nations raise COP29 climate finance offer in bid to break deadlock
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — Wealthy countries raised their offer of climate finance to $300 billion a year at COP29 on Saturday, raising hopes of a deal with developing nations that had dismissed an earlier proposal as insufficient to address the impacts…
At UN climate talks, ‘sewage’ beer from Singapore highlights water scarcity and innovations
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — In the sprawling pavilion section of the United Nations climate talks, where countries, nonprofits and tech companies use big, flashy signs to get the attention of the thousands of people walking through, small aqua and purple beverage…
Mpox still a health emergency, says WHO
london — The mpox outbreak continues to represent a public health emergency, the World Health Organization said on Friday. The WHO first declared the emergency in August, when an outbreak of a new form of mpox spread from the badly…