Tag: Environment news

Indian forest activist Alok Shukla awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize

April 30, 2024 admin

This photograph taken on April 14, 2024 shows Alok Shukla, an activist, taking photos of the Parsa East Kente Basan (PEKB) coal mine site in Surguja district, in India’s state of Chhattisgarh. Shukla has led a decade-long grassroots campaign against some of India’s conglomerates — including one operated by Adani Group, helmed by Asia’s second-richest…

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Longer-lasting ozone holes over Antarctica expose seal pups and penguin chicks to much more UV

April 26, 2024 admin

Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. But over the last four years, even as the hole has shrunk it has persisted for an unusually long time. Our new research found that instead of closing up during November it has stayed open well into December. This…

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Blue whales make comeback near the Seychelles after 60 years

April 25, 2024 admin

Blue whales are fascinating animals. At 24-30 metres in length (longer than a basketball court) they are the largest creatures on Earth. They are also among the rarest. Estimates suggest that there are only around 5,000 to 15,000 blue whales left in the world. Their populations experienced a 89-97% decline due to commercial whaling activities worldwide that started in…

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Understanding of Earth’s flowering plants blossoms in genome study

April 25, 2024 admin

Flowering plants – from corn, wheat, rice and potatoes to maple, oak, apple and cherry trees as well as roses, tulips, daisies and dandelions and even the corpse flower and voodoo lily – are cornerstones of Earth’s ecosystems and essential for humankind. | Photo Credit: Reuters Flowering plants – from corn, wheat, rice and potatoes…

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As El Niño starts flip to La Niña, Latin America asked to be on alert

April 19, 2024 admin

Pea plants are damaged by drought, due to the El Nino weather phenomenon in Madrid municipality near Bogota, Colombia, January 17, 2016. | Photo Credit: Reuters Latin American nations must be on high alert as the weather phenomenon known as El Nino rapidly switches over to La Nina, experts said on Thursday, leaving populations and…

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Scientists are grasping at straws while trying to protect infant corals from hungry fish

April 11, 2024 admin

This July 26, 2023 image shows a ‘Coral Fort’ researchers are using to prevent laboratory-grown coral from being eaten by parrot fish. | Photo Credit: AP South Florida researchers trying to prevent predatory fish from devouring laboratory-grown coral are grasping at biodegradable straws in an effort to restore what some call the rainforest of the…

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The Southern Ocean has the earth’s cleanest air — scientists finally know why

April 5, 2024 admin

The Southern Ocean is renowned for having the cleanest air on Earth. But the precise reasons why have remained a mystery, until now. Image for Representation. | Photo Credit: AP The Southern Ocean is renowned for having the cleanest air on Earth. But the precise reasons why have remained a mystery, until now. There’s more to it…

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Chemicals in plastics far more numerous than previous estimates, report says

March 15, 2024 admin

Compressed metal cans are seen at Indaver Plastics Recycling (IPR) plant in Willebroek, Belgium March 14, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters At least 3,000 more chemicals are in plastics — from food packaging to toys to medical devices — than previously estimated by environmental agencies, a report published on Thursday found, raising questions over pollution…

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Why did menopause evolve? New study of whales gives some clues

March 15, 2024 admin

Three killer whales surface through a breathing hole in the ice of Hudson Bay near the community of Inukjuak, Quebec January 9, 2013. | Photo Credit: Reuters Menopause is a rare trait among Earth’s species, known to exist in only a few. Humans are one. Killer whales and four other toothed whales are the others….

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2023-24 El Nino among five strongest on record, will continue fuelling heat in 2024: WMO

March 5, 2024 admin

A woman pours water on her head as bathers enjoy a summer day due to the high temperatures at Agua Dulce beach in the Chorrillos district in Lima, Peru, February 25, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters The 2023-24 El Nino has peaked as one of the five strongest on record and will continue to impact…

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