La Quotidienne de Bruxelles

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Climate change made fire conditions twice as likely in South Korea blazes: study

Human-induced climate change made the ultra-dry and warm conditions that fanned South Korea's deadliest wildfires in history this March twice as likely and more intense, researchers said Thursday.

UK scientists fear insect loss as car bug splats fall

A UK-wide decline in bug splats recorded on car number plates indicates an "alarming" fall in the number of flying insects, UK scientists said in a survey published Wednesday.

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COP16 president hopeful of 'major announcements' soon

The Colombian host and president of the UN's COP16 biodiversity summit said Wednesday she expected "major announcements" soon regarding negotiations to increase funding and political commitment against the destruction of nature.

Chair of global plastics talks pledges deal next month

A global treaty to curb plastic pollution will be secured at a summit in South Korea next month, the chair of the talks pledged Wednesday, although he cautioned there were still complex disputes and the time frame was a "big challenge".

From Colombia's jungle to the world's fish tanks

Every day, local fishermen visit Ernesto Rojas to sell him small, colorful fish plucked from rivers in the Colombian jungle that end up in aquariums around the world.

Miners, farmers protest COP16 host Colombia's nature protection plans

Thousands of miners and small-scale farmers protested Tuesday in Colombia against plans by the government, currently hosting a UN biodiversity summit, to declare protected zones in areas where they make their livelihoods.

In South Africa, water shortages are the new reality

Joyce Lakela runs a nursery in Tembisa, a Johannesburg township, but these days she spends most of her time trying to find water.

UN biodiversity summit hears appeals for action, money to save nature

The world's biggest nature protection conference opened in Colombia on Monday with calls for urgent action and financing to reverse humankind's rapacious destruction of biodiversity.

UN biodiversity summit opens in Colombia with calls for action, finance

The world's biggest nature protection conference opened in Colombia on Monday with its president calling for urgent action and financing to reverse humankind's rapacious destruction of biodiversity.

London trial probes 2015 Brazil mine disaster

A trial to determine whether Australian mining giant BHP is liable for one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters opened Monday in London, potentially triggering billions of dollars in compensation to be shared among hundreds of thousands of people.

UN biodiversity summit opens with call for 'significant' funding

The world's biggest nature protection conference opens in Colombia Monday with the United Nations chief calling for countries to "convert words into action" and fatten a fund seeking to address biodiversity loss.

Fungi finding: mushroom hunters seek new species and recognition

You can't walk very far through a forest in this part of the United States without stumbling upon a mushroom, an eruption from a vast fungal kingdom that all life depends on, but about which we know very little.

UN chief seeks 'significant' funding at summit to save nature

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged "significant investment" in a fund created to safeguard Earth's biodiversity as he addressed delegates to the world's biggest nature protection conference in Cali, Colombia.

UN biodiversity summit opens under guerrilla threat in Colombia

The world's biggest nature protection conference gets a ceremonial kickoff in Colombia Sunday with host city Cali on high alert after threats from a guerrilla group.

El Salvador activists acquitted after contentious trial

A court in El Salvador on Friday acquitted six former guerrillas, including five anti-mining campaigners, whose trial for a civil war era murder was criticized by fellow environmentalists as politicized.

Global coral bleaching event biggest on record: US agency

A global coral bleaching event that began last year has quickly grown to the largest on record, according to a US agency, with the impacted reef area continuing to grow.

'Timebomb' ship highlights hazard of dangerous cargoes

A damaged ship, spurned by European ports because of its potentially explosive cargo, has been stranded in the North Sea for weeks while authorities work out what to do with it.

Countries under pressure to fork out for nature at UN conference

Thousands of delegates from around the world are descending on Colombia for a summit on halting humankind's rapacious destruction of nature, with host city Cali on high alert after threats from guerrilla groups.

Public money 'must be at core' of new climate pact: UN's Stiell

The UN's climate chief said Thursday that money from rich countries "must be at the core" of a new deal to increase funding for poorer nations to combat global warming.

Climate-hit Pacific Islands plot landmark UN court case

Five Pacific nations on Thursday plotted how to prosecute a pivotal UN court case that aims to hold climate-polluting countries to account and safeguard their islands' survival.

Bondi beach 'closed' as Sydney shores hit by 'tar balls'

Lifeguards declared Sydney's famed Bondi beach and several other strands closed Thursday, as more mysterious black "tar ball" globules washed up along the city's shores.

Worms and snails handle the pressure 2,500m below the Pacific surface

Giant worms found wriggling under the Pacific seabed have unveiled a thriving ecosystem in a fiercely hostile environment, according to a study published by Nature.

Few countries have drawn up nature protection plans: UN

Fewer than 15 percent of countries have submitted plans to slow the destruction of nature ahead of a global biodiversity summit in Colombia, according to a count shared by the United Nations Wednesday.

Middle East crisis top-of-mind at first EU-Gulf summit

Gulf leaders including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with European heads of state and government in Brussels Wednesday for summit talks the EU hopes could help defuse an "extremely dangerous escalation" in the Middle East.

India issues flood warnings as rain pounds south

Intense rain lashed southern India on Wednesday, with weather officials issuing a red alert warning of flash floods and landslides.

'Age of Electricity' coming as fossil fuels set to peak: IEA

More than half of the world's electricity will be generated by low-emission sources before 2030 but the deployment of clean energy is "far from uniform" across the globe, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

Egyptian geese spread wings in France, threatening biodiversity

They came a long way from sub-Saharan Africa to eastern France -- but now the Egyptian geese are quite at home there and are chasing out local ducks and swans, just one symptom of the world's biodiversity crisis.

Giant pandas flown to US from China aboard 'Panda Express'

Two giant pandas arrived at the Washington zoo on Tuesday in the latest chapter in China's campaign of international "panda diplomacy."

Draft UN climate pact leaves open thorny question of money

The latest draft of a UN climate deal published Tuesday narrows the options for increasing funding to poorer countries, but leaves unresolved the thorny question of how much they should receive.

Two giant pandas arrive in US from China aboard 'Panda Express'

Two giant pandas destined for the Washington zoo arrived in the United States from China on Tuesday, the latest in Beijing's campaign of international "panda diplomacy."

Twin panda cubs to make public debut at Berlin zoo

Berlin Zoo visitors will from Wednesday be able to catch their first glimpse of two rabbit-sized panda cubs born almost eight weeks ago.

Ethiopia's 'korale' recyclers turn waste into money

With a tattered bag on his back, Dereje Enigdamekonen trawled the endless alleyways of the Merkato market in Addis Ababa, calling for the Ethiopian capital's abundant scrap.

Cars, chlamydia threaten Australian koalas

Clinging to a fluffy toy twice her size, orphaned koala joey Ajooni made a snuffling noise as she drank milk from a tiny syringe.

Can biodiversity credits unlock billions for nature?

For supporters, biodiversity credits could unlock billions in much-needed funding for nature, but critics fear a repeat of scandals that have dogged other financial approaches to protecting the environment.

La Quotidienne de Bruxelles - Nature (English)