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Yesterday

UN treaty to protect oceans to take effect after crossing ratification threshold

A UN treaty to protect marine diversity in the high seas was struck Friday after Morocco and Sierra Leone ratified the agreement, clinching the threshold of at least 60 ratifications needed to enact it as international law.

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Thursday, september 18, 2025

Shifting gears: Malaysia bets on indigenous plant for EV future

Malaysia was once a leader in Southeast Asia’s automotive sector, even producing the region’s first national car. But in recent years, it has struggled to keep pace with neighbours like Thailand and Indonesia, who are rapidly advancing in the electric ve

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Wednesday, september 17, 2025

Prints for Wildlife photography project co-founders on their 'message of hope'

The co-founders of a wildlife photography project that aims to raise $2.5 million for conservation have spoke to FRANCE 24 about how they hope the project will send a "message of hope" to the world. The Prints for Wildlife project brings together over 37

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Climate change caused more than two thirds of heat deaths in European cities this summer, study says

Global warming brought on by humans was responsible for around 16,500 deaths across European cities this summer, according to a preliminary study released by climate scientists and health researchers, who say the death toll could be even higher. This yea

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Tuesday, september 16, 2025

The Bright Side: Earth's ozone layer is healing thanks to international action, UN says

The Earth's protective ozone layer is on track to fully recover by mid-century, according to a report from the UN's World Meteorological Organization released Tuesday. The bulletin hailed the success of international agreements like the Montreal Protocol

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Monday, september 15, 2025

Au revoir, imported red roses: France's flower industry bounces back

From carrot flowers to potting soil made of concrete waste – could local, organic and eco-friendly bouquets be the future of floristry? In France, nine out of 10 flowers are imported, but that's starting to change. After decades of being overshadowed by

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Saturday, september 13, 2025

US to stop collecting emissions data from country's biggest polluters

The Trump adminstration moved Friday to scrap a federal programme that tracks greenhouse gas emissions from major polluters in a rollback that, experts warn, would blind Americans to the risk of pollution and undermine efforts to fight climate change.

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Monday, september 8, 2025

Leaders call 'to design the world's next climate economy' at second Africa Climate Summit

Some 53 African heads of state gathered in Addis Ababa for the launch of the second continental climate summit this Monday. Many called for increased cooperation, more funds and a focus on climate justice for Africa, which suffers disproportionately from

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Bollendorff's #PARADISE brings humanity, use of mysticism, to life in the face of natural disasters

The 37th edition of the Photojournalism Festival is underway in Perpignan, France and FRANCE 24's Eve Irvine welcomes Photojournalist and Documentary Filmmaker Samuel Bollendorff. Amid global conflict, war, and natural disasters climate change, Mr. Bolle

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Swiss villages threatened by melting glaciers

The reality of disappearing glaciers is no longer a distant phenomenon: back in May, a glacier collapsed, triggering a massive landslide that buried the Swiss village of Blatten. Switzerland finds itself on the front line of global warming. As a result,

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Photojournalist Nicole Tung on the environmental and human toll of overfishing

Seventy percent of fish stocks in Southeast Asia have been depleted in just 40 years, and both the environmental and the human cost is getting worse. That's the conclusion of a new photojournalism report which focuses on the fishing industry in the regio

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Unstoppable predator: Lionfish take hold in Greek waters

As human-induced climate change intensifies, waters are warming and the sea life within is beginning to change its behaviour. For the past couple of years, the Mediterranean Sea – one of the fastest warming areas in the world – has been attracting a lita

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Sunday, september 7, 2025

The Bright Side: Australia bans logging in eastern woodland to protect koalas

Australia's eastern New South Wales state government has imposed a ban on logging across 435,000 acres of forest to create a Great Koala National Park. The furry marsupials are at risk of extinction in the wild across the state due to deforestation, drou

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Saturday, september 6, 2025

Will Greece save itself from a lionfish invasion by making carpaccio?

As human-induced climate change intensifies, waters are warming and the sea life within is beginning to change its behaviour. For the past couple of years, the Mediterranean sea has been attracting a litany of invasive fish prone to more tropical climate

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Tuesday, september 2, 2025

'Massive' Sudan landslide kills over 1,000 in Darfur, says armed group

A rebel group said Monday that a "devastating" landslide had engulfed a village in war-torn Sudan's Darfur region, killing "all village residents"—over one thousand people— except one person, and appealed for the "urgent" intervention of international ai

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Monday, september 1, 2025

Is the Mediterranean turning into plastic soup?

The Mediterranean is thought to be the most polluted sea on Earth. The equivalent of 34,000 plastic bottles are dumped into it every minute. This unprecedented level of pollution is devastating for both humans and marine life, half of which are found now

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Sunday, august 31, 2025

Is climate change making hurricanes stronger?

Tropical cyclones – that is, hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms – are becoming slower and more dangerous due to climate change. Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, one of the worst hurricanes in US history, here is what you

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Rock music and Scarlett Johansson are helping to protect cattle from wolves

Once hunted nearly to extinction, grey wolves have made a comeback in the US, but their growing population has meant ranchers have had to resort to new ways to protect their livestock from attack by the apex predator. The latest technique involves using

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Iraq’s drought reveals hidden ancient ruins

In Iraq, people have been struggling to cope with one of the worst droughts on record. Water levels in the vital Tigris River have dropped significantly, and parts of the country are facing a severe water crisis. Yet the dry conditions have proved to be

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Pakistan evacuates half a million people as latest floods kill 30

Nearly half a million people have been displaced in eastern Pakistan after days of torrential rain caused rivers to overflow, rescue officials said, as large-scale operations continue amid a devastating monsoon season. The Punjab Disaster Management Auth

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Climate threats: Rising temperatures, species at risk and ecosystems shaken

On Sunday, senior Pakistani officials said that Punjab province is facing historic floods, with two million people already affected as the monsoon triggers mass evacuations. Pakistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and global wa

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Saturday, august 30, 2025

Nearly half a million people displaced as monsoon floods hit Pakistan

Heavy monsoon rains swelled rivers in eastern Pakistan, displacing nearly 500,000 people and affecting 1.5 million, officials said Saturday. The latest spell of monsoon flooding has killed 30 people since the start of the week, provincial authorities sai

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Inside the fight to save the Mediterranean Sea from plastic pollution

The Mediterranean is known as the most polluted sea on Earth, with the equivalent of 34,000 plastic bottles dumped into it every minute. This pollution is devastating for both human and marine life, as half of its species are found nowhere else on the pl

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Friday, august 29, 2025

The Bright Side: Malawi's sacred Mount Mulanje added to UNESCO World Heritage List

The sacred Mount Mulanje in southern Malawi was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July, a move that locals hope will promote eco-tourism while curbing illegal logging.

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Haute Couture seeks to save the planet, with Iris van Herpen leading the charge

Raising awareness about the fragility of our oceans, our land and our Indigenous heritage is the challenge facing a new generation of couturiers. For autumn-winter 2025/26, Iris van Herpen has created a living dress, Imane Ayissi wants the Earth to regen

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Thursday, august 28, 2025

To defend against Russian tanks, Finland and Poland consider restoring wetlands

Finland and Poland are both considering rewetting dried-out peatbogs to form defence barriers against a potential Russian ground invasion. Restoring these natural carbon sinks could also bring significant environmental benefits.

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Pakistan: Thousands evacuated as rescue, relief operations intensify

The Prime Minister travelled to the Punjab region of Pakistan on Thursday, where 250 thousand residents have been displaced by flash floods, destroying homes, crops, and livelihoods. 805 residents have been killed in heavy rainfall and floods since June

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Swimming in Paris's River Seine: Water you waiting for?

As Paris announces it is extending the swimming season in the River Seine, FRANCE 24's Solange Mougin tells us what it was like to take a dip in the iconic French river. We also find out why only two out of the three swimming sites will be extended into

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Wednesday, august 27, 2025

In Singapore, the food of the future is being cooked up in a lab

Eggs without chickens, milk without cows, and meat without slaughter: Singapore has emerged as Asia's hub for food innovation. The city-state of six million people imports 90 percent of its food and has less than 1 percent of arable land. Now, with an am

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Tuesday, august 26, 2025

New data shows record drought in Europe

Europe is parched: new data from the European Drought Observatory shows more than half of the continent is experiencing record drought this month amid a summer of heatwaves. Story by Charlotte Lam.

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The fight over Asia's rivers: China and India rush to build mega-dams

India and China are racing to build mega-dams along major rivers that would massively affect water supplies to both countries. The source of that water is a glacier in Tibet, which supplies millions of people with water downstream - and there are high po

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Monday, august 25, 2025

China's push for mega dams driven by energy-hungry tech and AI, researcher says

India fears a planned Chinese mega dam in Tibet will reduce water flows on a major river by up to 85 percent during the dry season, according to four sources familiar with the matter and a government analysis seen by Reuters, prompting New Delhi to fast-

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Spain: Europe's leader in wastewater recycling

Spain recycles 15 percent of its wastewater, compared to less than 1 percent in neighbouring France. The Murcia region is a pioneer, recycling 98 percent of its wastewater, mainly for agriculture. It's a huge help during periods of drought. But while man

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Vietnam evacuates tens of thousands from coastal areas as Typhoon Kajiki makes landfall

Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from coastal areas in Vietnam on Monday as Typhoon Kajiki made landfall with winds of more than 130 kilometres per hour. The typhoon is the fifth to affect Vietnam this year and roiled the Gulf of Tonkin with

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Sunday, august 24, 2025

Vineyard solidarity in Southern France: Winemakers care for each other after wildfires

France’s largest wildfire in decades has severely damaged vineyards in part of the Aude area of Languedoc on the eve of harvest, as attention turns to recovery and emergency aid. Charlotte Lam and Gaelle Fonseca tell us more.

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Saturday, august 23, 2025

'A final push': Spain has nearly contained deadly wildfires, official says

Historic wildfires that have raged across Spain and killed four people are beginning to relent, the head of the country's civil protection and emergencies service Virginia Barcones said Saturday. Weeks of heatwaves exacerbated by the climate crisis have

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Workers need protection from heatwaves, UN should take urgent action

The United Nations on Friday urged governments and employers to act swiftly to safeguard workers whose health is at growing risk from extreme heat. With climate change driving more frequent and severe heatwaves, laborers around the world are already faci

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Friday, august 22, 2025

Mosquito-borne diseases: 'As world warms, parasites, diseases and viruses become more transmissible'

Europe has registered a record number of outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses such as chikungunya and West Nile virus this year, the EU health agency said Wednesday, saying climate change was contributing to a "new normal". Europe is experiencing longer

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Thursday, august 21, 2025

What happens in the Antarctic doesn't stay in the Antarctic, ice-sheet modeller says

A new study published in Nature reveals 'evidence for rapid, interacting and sometimes self-perpetuating changes in the Antarctic'. Speaking on FRANCE 24, glaciologist and ice-sheet modeller Frank Pattyn, Chair of the Belgian National Committee on Arctic

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Tuesday, august 19, 2025

Hong Kong builds artificial nests to save endangered cockatoos

Researchers in Hong Kong are installing artificial nest boxes to help yellow-crested cockatoos breed after most natural cavities were lost to typhoons and tree cutting. The species is endangered, with only about 150 in the city and around 2,000 worldwide

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Spain continues to battle destructive wildfires even as heatwave eases

Spain was still battling several wildfires on Tuesday that have ravaged a record area of land, said to be more than twice the size of metropolitan London. The country has grappled with a 16-day scorching heatwave, which is just starting to ease.

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The Bright Side: Hong Kong scientist fights to save endangered cockatoos

Hong Kong-based researcher Astrid Andersson is planning to set up around 50 nest boxes around the city in an effort to help boost the population of the endangered yellow-crested cockatoo. The raucous birds, of which fewer than 2,000 remain in the world,

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Monday, august 18, 2025

Spain and Portugal battle wildfires as death toll mounts

Spain's worst wave of wildfires in at least two decades spread to the southern slopes of the Picos de Europa mountain range on Monday and prompted authorities to close part of the popular Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Story by Antonia Kerrigan.

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Six killed fighting fires in Spain and Portugal as wildfires ravage peninsula

Six firefighters have died across Spain and Portugal as the Iberian peninsula grapples with devastating wildfires exacerbated by an enduring heatwave. Thousands of firefighters have been deployed across southern Europe in recent weeks to beat back a seri

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Sunday, august 17, 2025

How can cities adapt to climate change?

Well the world has no shortage of challenges to confront when it comes to the effects of climate change - which of course is bringing about increasingly frequent episodes of extreme weather. Whether its from heatwaves and wildfires or torrential rainfall

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Saturday, august 16, 2025

Hurricane Erin restrengthens as it pummels Caribbean with heavy rain

Hurricane Erin re-intensified into a Category 4 storm on Sunday as forecasters warned the tempest would likely continue to grow in size and strength. Scientists have warned that the human-driven climate crisis has led to more storms prone to rapid intens

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At least 344 people killed in monsoon flash floods in Pakistan

The death toll from heavy monsoon rains that have triggered flash floods across northern Pakistan has risen to at least 344 people in the past 48 hours, the country's disaster authority said Saturday.

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Friday, august 15, 2025

Global plastic talks collapse as countries remain deeply divided

Global talks to develop a landmark treaty to end plastic pollution have once again failed. The UN negotiations, the sixth round of talks in just under three years, were due to end on Thursday but countries continued to negotiate into the night in the hop

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Flash floods kill at least 160 in Pakistan, scores still missing

Sudden floods and mudslides swept through Pakistan and the disputed region of Kashmir on Thursday, killing at least 160 people, injuring more than 100 and leaving 200 missing, as rescuers searched for survivors amid the debris.

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Invasive species thrive as Mediterranean Sea temperature hits record high

Rising sea temperatures are fuelling the rapid “tropicalisation” of the Mediterranean, with venomous Red Sea species like lionfish disrupting ecosystems from Turkey to Malta, scientists warn.

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Experts grapple with scale of plastic pollution in oceans

As 185 nations engage in talks on reaching a global treaty to curb plastic pollution, the increasingly unmanageable scale of plastic waste littering oceans and threatening the wildlife within them leaves experts concerned about the feasibility of an adeq

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Canada sees second-worst wildfire season

With hundreds of wildfires burning out of control, Canada’s 2025 fire season is already the second-worst on record, as scientists report climate change is prolonging and exacerbating the burning, leading to more destruction, evacuations and smoke-filled

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'We have missed a historic opportunity': Plastic pollution treaty talks end in deadlock

High level negotiations between 185 countries over reaching a global agreement to combat plastic pollution ended on Friday, as rival blocs clashed over prioritising a phase out of the material or bettering waste management systems.

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Thursday, august 14, 2025

Dozens killed, more than 200 missing after flash floods in Kashmir

At least 56 people died in Indian-administered Kashmir on Thursday after torrential rain triggered flash floods in India's second major deadly flooding disaster this month. Rescue teams struggled to reach the area as the region's weather department issue

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Spain arrests alleged arsonist as France sends planes to battle deadly wildfires

Spain was grappling on Thursday with one of its worst fire seasons in 20 years, with blazes fuelled by record heat forcing evacuations and prompting the country to seek help from European partners. France sent two Canadair water-bombing planes to help ta

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Spain: Deadly wildfires kill at least three people

In just a week, dozens of forest fires have burned through 60 000 hectares as record heatwaves, combined with strong winds and dry conditions, have ravaged the country. Wildfires have already devastated parts of Castilla y León, Extremadura, the Comuni

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Macron urges adoption of UN plastics treaty to address 'public health emergency'

French President Emmanuel Macron called on countries negotiating a UN treaty against plastic pollution in Geneva on Thursday to redouble their efforts, saying it was "our chance to turn the tide" against a "public health emergency". Tensions have arisen

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Trump eases commercial rocket launch regulations in win for Musk's SpaceX

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order easing regulations for the country's private space industry, including stripping away some environmental restrictions around rocket launches. The move, which was slammed by one environmenta

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Wednesday, august 13, 2025

Spain calls on European allies for help amid worsening wildfires

Spain is seeking assistance from its European neighbours to help contain the spread of wildfires as one of the longest heatwaves in the country's history entered its 10th day.

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Mermaid’s tears: How tiny plastic pellets are flooding the environment

Lentil-sized and toxic, industrial plastic pellets known as "nurdles" – or "mermaid's tears" – are the second-largest source of microplastic pollution worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of tonnes leaked into the environment each year. As UN negotiatio

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