Hong Kong (AFP) April 7, 2021 He leads one of the world’s smallest nations, but Surangel Whipps says Palau will not be bullied by anyone into deciding its future – least of all by China. Whipps, 52, became Palau’s president last year after defeating an opponent who favoured closer ties with Beijing. The Pacific nation of around 21,000 people is one of just 15 countries … Continue reading ‘It’s the tone’: Palau president explains his China mistrust

New Delhi (AFP) April 6, 2021 US climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday pressed India, the world’s third-biggest carbon emitter, to set more ambitious green goals ahead of UN talks in late 2021 and Joe Biden’s upcoming climate summit. A spokesperson for the US embassy in New Delhi, where Kerry arrived on Tuesday for talks with officials and NGOs, said that India was a “critical … Continue reading Kerry presses India ahead of Biden climate summit

Boston MA (SPX) Apr 06, 2021 The ocean’s “biological pump” describes the many marine processes that work to take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and transport it deep into the ocean, where it can remain sequestered for centuries. This ocean pump is a powerful regulator of atmospheric carbon dioxide and an essential ingredient in any global climate forecast. But a new MIT study points … Continue reading Study reveals uncertainty in how much carbon the ocean absorbs over time

Accra (AFP) April 5, 2021 Authorities in Ghana on Monday said they were investigating after the country’s coastal areas were flooded with different species of dead fish and scores of dolphins. The dead fish washed up on three different Atlantic Ocean coastal areas of the West African country over the weekend, officials said. “We’ve counted about 60 dead dolphins here alone at the beach and … Continue reading Ghana investigates after dead fish, dolphins wash up on shore

Paris (AFP) April 5, 2021 A “dirty and ugly” urban centre spoiled by rubbish piling up and flotsam floating in the water? Or still the City of Light boldly dealing with modern metropolitan problems? A viral hashtag has in recent days sought to rally Parisians’ anger on what some residents see as an unacceptably dirty city, a far cry from the romantic image of the … Continue reading ‘Dirty and ugly’ city? Paris slams viral campaign

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 31, 2021 As skin cancer rates have increased, health officials have implored the public to lather on the sunscreen. Now, scientists are worried all those UV-filtering compounds are harming coral reefs. Previously, lab experiments have shown oxybenzone, a UV-filtering chemical common in sunscreen, damages the DNA of adult coral and deforms the DNA of coral larvae. Studies have also shown Uhttp://dlvr.it/Rx12sK Continue reading Sunscreen is a threat to coral reef health, but size of threat unknown

Paris (AFP) March 31, 2021 The United States will soon make ambitious new commitments to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, US climate envoy John Kerry said Wednesday. “In a few weeks at our summit the president will annonce our NDC which will be strong,” Kerry said at a Paris meeting organised by the International Energy Agency. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) are the measures that countries … Continue reading Kerry vows ‘strong’ US climate action

Ottawa (AFP) March 31, 2021 Canada’s health agency announced Wednesday restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in agriculture to protect aquatic insects, backtracking on a proposed outright ban prompted by a massive bee die-off. Health Canada had proposed in 2018 prohibiting the use of clothianidin and thiamethoxam, two of three neonicotinoid pesticides widely applied to crops in this country. But afterhttp://dlvr.it/Rx12nD Continue reading Canada rejects outright ban on bee-killing pesticides

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 2, 2021 For the first time, scientists have observed the release of blue-green algae toxins into the air. Traces of the algal toxin anatoxin-a, or ATX, sometimes called the Very Fast Death Factor, were measured at a Massachusetts pond that frequently hosts large algal blooms. Scientists reported the discovery in a new paper, published Friday in the journal Lake and Reservoir … Continue reading Blue-green algae blooms can release harmful toxins into the air

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 2, 2021 Genomic surveys suggest many coral reefs host hidden diversity. Corals that appear identical are actually genetically distinct. In a new paper, published Friday in the journal Current Biology, scientists detailed important ecological and physiological differences between coral species that look alike. The study’s authors said they hope their work will help conservationists develohttp://dlvr.it/RwyXfW Continue reading Understanding hidden diversity on coral reefs key to conservation