In a recent interview with Nikkei Asia, Environment Minister Hsueh Fu-sheng (薛富盛) voiced discontent over Taiwan’s exclusion from the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28. When asked whether it is conducive to exclude Taiwan from the COP28 summit, Hsueh said that it is very unfair to Taiwan as the country has one of the...
On November 30, 2023, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), will formally open the 28th Conference of the Parties at Expo City in Dubai. As COP28 president, he will make the keynote address welcoming thousands of climate delegates from around the world. Continuing a trend seen in...
In a little more than five years—sometime in early 2029—the world will likely be unable to stay below the internationally agreed temperature limit for global warming if it continues to burn fossil fuels at its current rate, a new study says. The study moves three years closer the date when the world will eventually hit...
More than 40 “flesh-eating” infections have been identified in Florida this year amid record-high water temperatures in the North Atlantic. The bacterium Vibrio vulnificus, which thrives in warm seawater, has killed ten people in the state this year out of 43 infections, giving an estimated case fatality of 23 per cent. Experts have noted a concerning rise...
The UAE holds a major oil and gas conference just ahead of hosting UN COP28 climate talks in Dubai. The UAE holds a major oil and gas conference just ahead of hosting UN COP28 climate talks in Dubai. The Emirati president-designate of the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks called on oil and gas companies...
At least 23 million people around the world live on flood-plains contaminated by potentially harmful concentrations of toxic waste from metal-mining activity, according to a study. UK scientists mapped the world’s 22,609 active and 159,735 abandoned metal mines and calculated the extent of pollution from them. Chemicals can leach from mining operations into soil and...
‘It’s like a death pit’: how Ghana became fast fashion’s dumping ground. Yvette Yaa Konadu Tetteh’s epic swim down the River Volta highlights the damage done to the country’s waterways by an out-of-control trade in secondhand clothes from the global north, and why it’s time for change. It’s mid-morning on a sunny day, and Yvette...
12 Most Polluted Countries 2023: Breathing Heavy. Environmental pollution is a pressing global issue that poses significant health risks and ecological challenges. Unfortunately, there are countries around the world that face particularly high levels of pollution. From air pollution to water contamination, these nations struggle to combat the detrimental effects of environmental degradation. In this...
On a Tuesday in August, Luke Iseman drove two hours east of Oakland in drought-stricken California to a remote spot where he launched a handful of balloons filled with sulphur dioxide and helium high into the sky. From there, he used GPS to try to track the balloons as they rose into the stratosphere,the layer...
A catastrophic die-off of emperor penguin chicks has been observed in the Antarctic, with up to 10,000 young birds estimated to have been killed. The sea-ice underneath the chicks melted and broke apart before they could develop the waterproof feathers needed to swim in the ocean. The birds most likely drowned or froze to death....