LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Staring through a swarm of photographers and television crews, self-described introvert Greta Thunberg took the stage at a Swiss university last week to pointedly reiterate a message that has captured the attention of leaders and like-minded young women around the globe: The world must take drastic action now to avert ecological and…
PARIS — Europeans aren’t breathing a sigh of relief just yet following a day of record-breaking heat, with temperatures soaring once again on Saturday. The unusual heat has left many struggling to cope in the French capital where homes and buildings are not designed for steamy conditions or equipped with air conditioning. “We were not expecting…
PARIS — In clear view of the Eiffel Tower, Chaima Boutouil and her colleagues have no way of keeping cool while hovering over hot plates making crepes in the midst of a heat wave spreading across Europe on Thursday. “In the morning, I drank six or seven bottles of water,” Boutouil, 25, told NBC News while working…
KIRKWALL, Scotland — Huddled inside what looks like a tanker ship anchored about two miles from shore, engineers from the Spanish company Magallanes Renovables monitor two giant rotors below the hull — but instead of driving the vessel, the rotors are capturing energy from the shifting tides. Here in the Orkney Islands, an archipelago north…
DORKING, England — The damp and cool English terrain hasn’t traditionally been known for producing quality wine. But vineyards are sprouting up all over the countryside as climate change makes England increasingly suitable for making sparkling wines to rival those of France’s Champagne region — winning prizes at international competitions. Last year, the combination of…
AL-KARAMEH, Jordan — Farmers in the Middle East and North Africa are facing roadblocks exporting their crop to Western countries because of the pesticides they use. This is despite the fact many of these chemicals are manufactured by companies based in Europe and North America. Sameer Mahadin said he had to leave his tomatoes to…
AMMAN, Jordan — For the past decade, Khawla Qisi has trapped herself at home on Fridays. It’s the only day of the week her apartment building receives water, and she has to make the most of it. “I can’t do anything else but focus on the water,” she said. Jordan has struggled with its water…
AMMAN, Jordan — At the southern tip of the Dead Sea, Sameer Mahadin recalls when the shoreline was visible from the shaded veranda of his farmhouse. The once 10-minute walk to the water’s edge now takes an hour trekking over cracked, salt-encrusted soil. The Dead Sea is dying rapidly. The biblical body of water lying…
NORTH SHUNA, Jordan — A lush tract of land known as the Island of Peace has thrived in a sea of strife for the past quarter-century, its palm fields and date plantations a stark contrast to the Middle East’s arid conditions and tumultuous politics. But now the symbol of coexistence shared by Israel and Jordan…
AMSTERDAM — An unkempt stretch of tall grass, wildflowers and weeds in front of a train station doesn’t look like much — but it may be crucial to solving one of the world’s biggest environmental puzzles. While scientists around the globe have been sounding alarm bells over the decline of bees and pollinators crucial to…
The future of a man-made wildlife reserve where nature was left to run its course is at the center of a legal battle.
MARONI, Cyprus — The salty water of the Mediterranean in plain view from Charis Christoforou’s olive farm is no help to the cracked, white earth suffering from a third year of drought. A shortage of rain combined with clouds of dust carried over from the water-starved Middle East has slashed Christoforou’s olive production to a…
VANCOUVER — Despite “polluter pay” laws in Canada, local governments and agencies are still waiting to recover costs incurred during two significant fuel spills off British Columbia’s coast. The City of Vancouver and Vancouver Aquarium are collectively waiting on nearly $700,000 in losses related to a 2015 leak of bunker fuel, while the Heiltsuk Nation in Bella Bellla continues negotiating over $200,000…
KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Emergency officials and police are urging British Columbia residents to respect evacuation orders ahead of fast-moving wildfires, but some First Nations are standing their ground, successfully protecting their homes and property. The chief of the Tl’etinqox First Nation said RCMP officers told them to leave or risk having their children taken away….
VANCOUVER — Experts say they’re not sure British Columbia’s overdue climate change plan will go far enough in increasing carbon taxes and tightening environmental policies to reach the province’s long term goals to reduce emissions. B.C.’s Liberal government is scheduled to announce its Climate Leadership Plan on Friday, but Green party Leader Andrew Weaver said…
Flooding in southern Alberta that occurred in 2005 was then considered a one-in-100-years disaster, yet the heavy rains this week that have led to flooding in Banff, Canmore, Calgary and south toward Lethbridge have caused more widespread damage than the previous event.
Most countries, including Canada and the United States, fail to manage their water and sewage systems properly and rely on aging infrastructure — problems that only worsen in bad economic times as local governments are forced to cut costs.
On Thursday, Sustainable Waterloo Region celebrated 58 local organizations — representing 13 per cent of the region’s workforce — that have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions at its annual evening of recognition.
Driving through his Cambridge farm on what has been one of many hot July days, Brian Gillespie said he estimates that 60 per cent of the now browning field corn will be ruined.
Unseasonably warm temperatures in March — almost seven degrees above average — caused plants in the region to start blooming early, which was brought to a halt by colder temperatures in April.