Environment

Wednesday, January 15th 2020 - 09:34 UTC
Australian Open tennis qualifying disrupted by poor air quality as smoke blankets Melbourne

Australian Open qualifying was disrupted for a second successive day due to poor air quality on Wednesday as smoke from bushfires continued to blanket Melbourne in an acrid haze. Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam said practice had been suspended at Melbourne Park until 11am and qualifiers would not get under way until 1pm.
Wednesday, January 15th 2020 - 09:11 UTC
Australia fires’ smoke expected to circle the world, NASA satellites confirm

The vast clouds of smoke from Australia's historic bush fires are expected to circle the Earth and return to the country, Nasa says. The US agency said satellites have been monitoring the movement of the smoke high in the atmosphere as it swirled east towards South America and beyond.
Tuesday, January 14th 2020 - 09:51 UTC
Last year, the warmest on record for the world's oceans long term trend

Last year was the warmest year on record for the world's oceans, part of a long-term warming trend, according to a study released on Monday. “If you look at the ocean heat content, 2019 is by far the hottest, 2018 is second, 2017 is third, 2015 is fourth, and then 2016 is fifth,” said Kevin E. Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, NCAR, and an author on the study.
Tuesday, January 14th 2020 - 09:50 UTC
Chile's oil company ENAP faces sanctions for hydro-fracking in Tierra del Fuego

$The country’s environmental superintendent (the SMA) said ENAP had failed to follow protocols in its permits for so-called “hydro-fracking” activities$

Chile’s environmental regulator on Monday charged state oil company ENAP with improper fracking in Tierra del Fuego, a wild, largely unpopulated region at the southern fringe of the South American continent.
Tuesday, January 14th 2020 - 09:30 UTC
Venice, from severe flooding to almost dry canals in two months

Low tides have left canals in Venice almost dry, just two months after severe flooding left much of the Italian city under water. Boats have been seen almost beached as water levels dip drastically.
Monday, January 13th 2020 - 09:56 UTC
Bush fires scorching Australia threaten PM Scott Morrison political survival

After weeks of criticism over the handling of the bushfires scorching Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday he will propose a national review into the response to the disaster, as the fires claimed another firefighter's life.
Monday, January 13th 2020 - 08:51 UTC
Prolific Galapagos giant tortoise Diego is credited for saving his species from extinction

Prolific Galapagos giant tortoise Diego is being released back into the wild after being credited by authorities with almost single handedly saving his species from extinction. The 100-year-old tortoise, who was recruited along with 14 other adults for a captive breeding program, will be returned to his native island of Espanola in March, the Galapagos National Parks service (PNG) said on Friday.
Saturday, January 11th 2020 - 09:53 UTC
Chile opens public consultation period for two marine parks

Chile's Sub-secretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca) is carrying out a public consultation on the general management plans designed for the Nazcas-Desventuradas and Francisco Coloane marine parks, located in the regions of Valparaíso and southern Magallanes, respectively.
Friday, January 10th 2020 - 10:30 UTC
Bush fire in Falklands sets off dangerous .50 caliber rounds explosions

Fifty calibre rounds exploded in burning bushes as the Falkland Islands Fire and Rescue Service battled a gorse-bush fire in the early hours of January 6. Watch Manager Gene Berntsen told Penguin News this week that the rounds were heard by members of the public exploding before the arrival of the Fire Service and by fire-fighters as they tackled the fire.
Friday, January 10th 2020 - 09:49 UTC
Fires in the Amazon rainforest grew 30.5% in 2019; below the historic average

The number of fires in the Amazon rainforest grew 30.5% in 2019 from the previous year, according to data released by space research agency INPE. The agency said the number of fires detected in the Amazon region was 89,178 in 2019 compared with 68,345 fires in 2018.